If There Is Anything That I Think

On The Return Flight From My Mother In Florida , I Sat Next To A Businessman Who Asked Me What I Did For A Living. I Said, "i Write," And It Seemed Totally Ridiculous In The Face Of What Had Just Happened. I Mean, I Couldn't Think Of Anything More Pointless Than Telling Stories. He Asked, "what Do You Write?" I Said, "i Write Children Books."

All Of That Loneliness And Longing In My Heart Got Transferred Into The Book Because Of Winn-dixie, I Guess.

Love Is In All Of The Books, And That's The Connective Tissue Between Them. There's A Lot Of Hope In Me; I Can Feel It. These Stories Are Balls Of Light For Me.

I Always Wanted To Be A Character, When I Worked At Disney, But I Wasn't Short Enough For Certain Characters And I Wasn't Tall Enough For Others. I Wanted To Be A Chipmunk; I Think 4'10" Was The Cutoff.

I Didn't Start Working On Children's Books Until I Got A Job At A Book Warehouse On The Children's Floor. When I Started Reading Some Of The Books, I Was So Impressed.