I Think We Made Out

I Never Thought About Writing. I Was Married Young, I Was Still In College, As We Did Then, And I Had Two Babies Before I Was 25, And I Loved Them, And I Loved Taking Care Of Them, But I Was A Little Bit Cuckoo, Staying At Home And Not Having A Creative Outlet.

I Use A Computer, But Before I Begin Each New Book I Keep A Notebook. I Write Down Everything That Comes To Mind During That Period Before I Actually Begin. It Might Take Months Or Weeks. That Notebook Is My Security Blanket So That I Never Have To Face A Blank Screen (or Blank Page). But I Print Out Often And My Best Ideas Usually Come With A Pencil In My Hand.

The Best Books Come From Someplace Deep Inside.... Become Emotionally Involved. If You Don't Care About Your Characters, Your Readers Won't Either.

I'm A More Skilled Writer Now, But After 23 Books It's Harder To Be Fresh And That's Really Important To Me. I Don't Want To Write The Same Thing Over And Over Again.

My Parents Gave Me That Gift Of "reading Is A Good Thing." I Mean My Mother Was Afraid Of Everything. But She Was Never Afraid That Judy Is Reading.