I didn't want readers to have to make allowances for what they couldn't see, but to be able to say to themselves that the fabric of the magic detailed was perfectly believable.

Nothing is lost that we do not first see as lost. Visions born of fear give birth to our failing.
Visions born of hope give birth to our success.
What is possible lives within us, and it only remains for us to discover it.

This is my 25th book over 28 years, and to still be able to write a book and be a best seller again is remarkable. I'm impressed, myself, and very grateful.

We'll be able to do something with these instead of grind 'em up.

A world in which elves exist and magic works offers greater opportunities to digress and explore.

Writing fantasy lets me imagine a great deal more than, say, writing about alligators, and lets me write about places more distant than Florida, but I can tell you things about Florida and alligators, let you make the connection all on your own.