Writing, for me, is a very fluid process. I sit down and wait for the words to come. They usually do - in buckets and waves. I look upon it as a blessing because the words come so easily.

I learned to dream through reading, learned to create dreams through writing, and learned to develop dreamers through teaching. I shall always be a dreamer. Come dream with me.

With the 'Hazelwood High' trilogy, I wasn't sure I was writing a trilogy. I would just write one book, then another, and then another, because the young adults who wrote me told me that they wanted to read more.

When the stories come easily and the writing process doesn't feel laboring, that's usually a good sign for me.

I'd love to dance with grace and style, to move as easily as I write.

When students ask me today, 'What do you think we should learn from this book?' I tell them, 'Whatever you got out of it.'