Kate Atkinson Is An Absolute Must-read. I

You Bring Your Own Weather To The Picnic.

Sometimes Even When The Book Is Over I Dont Know Whos Good And Whos Bad. Its Really More Interesting, I Think, To Write About Gray Characters Than It Is To Write About Black And White.

The Muse Is Not An Angelic Voice That Sits On Your Shoulder And Sings Sweetly. The Muse Is The Most Annoying Whine. The Muse Isn't Hard To Find, Just Hard To Like - She Follows You Everywhere, Tapping You On The Shoulder, Demanding That You Stop Doing Whatever Else You Might Be Doing And Pay Attention To Her.

Sure, On A Larger Scale, It Was Healthy To Have People Out There You Cared About More Than Yourself. She Knew That. But Then There Was The Abject Fear You Would Lose It. They Say Possessions Own You. Not So. Loved Ones Own You. You Are Forever Held Hostage Once You Care So Much.

Genius Is A Curse. That's How I Look At It. Some Think That The Brilliant Comprehend The Universe In A Way The Rest Of Us Can't. They See The World How It Truly Is—and That Reality Is So Horrible The Lose Their Minds. Clarity Leads To Insanity.