My mother would say it is literally ghost writers who come to me (Tan is the author of what became The Joy Luck Club).

Mothers have this huge influence, and I feel like they're always teaching us from the day we're born what to be afraid of, what to be cautious of, what we should like, and what we should look like.

If our children were to grow up truthful they much be taught by those who had a regard for truth; and not just a casual regard, a delicate regard. On this point we were adamant.

Up until now, the personal computer's potential to be a valuable teaching and learning tool has been stymied by its 'soulless' nature. We're using computers to simulate human beings in a controlled manner so we can investigate how they affect and persuade people.

I loved fairy tales when I was a kid. Grimm. The grimmer the better. I loved gruesome gothic tales and, in that respect, I liked Bible stories, because to me they were very gothic.

Writing is an extreme privilege but it's also a gift. It's a gift to yourself and it's a gift of giving a story to someone.