You need the willingness to fail all the time.

I, myself, have had many failures and I've learned that if you are not failing a lot, you are probably not being as creative as you could be -you aren't stretching your imagination.

Much of my work has come from being lazy.

They don't like thinking in medical school. They memorize - that's all they want you to do. You must not think.

Angel of Fire is about an ordinary boy to whom extraordinary things happen

...imagine anybody having lived forty-five or fifty years without knowing Hamlet! One might as well spend one's life in a coal mine.

A writer is first and foremost a witness of her time. She must tell the truth, not take a political position. But then the truth that she discovers is profoundly political.

Believe in yourself. Pick a path that you, deep down in your soul, won't be ashamed of.

My cat, Andy, has been my best buddy since I was 18, and he doesn't care if I'm on a TV show or if I'm red-carpet ready. He just likes it when I'm there.

Take this squirrel, for instance. Ulysses. Do I believe he can type poetry? Sure, I do believe it. There is much more beauty in the world if I believe such a thing is possible.

In my writing I even question the universe; I wonder out loud if it is real, and I wonder out loud if all of us are real.

When I feel hurt, I fully experience my emotions (and don't make them anyone else's problem!). Then I question my thoughts, examining my belief system and meeting the reality of life.

That's the thing about Mother Nature, she really doesn't care what economic bracket you're in.

The one good thing about television is the money; you can make a lot more money than in newspapers.