Kids Are Smart. Knowledge Is Power. Let

I Didn't Like Being Alone. Being Alone Was Slightly Better Than Having To Deal With People, That's All. Or So I'd Convinced Myself.

I've Written A Lot Of Novels For Teens And Tweens ... But I'd Never Really Tackled The North Carolina Side Of Me. And It's So Strong And So Important, And Yet I Hadn't Acknowledged It. And So One Of The Things I Wanted To Do In "shine" Is Take That On.

Sometimes When We Forget To Do Things For Others, It's Because We're Too Wrapped Up In Our Own Problems.

Hello Toes," I Say. They're Good Toes. I Like That They're Long And Slender And Not The Slightest Bit Stubby. I Wiggle Them, Ten Unstubby Waves That Say, "and Hello To You, Human Host!" Except They're Toes. I'm Talking To My Toes. Maybe I'm Not Bored... Maybe I'm Lonely?

Christmas Is Never Over,unless You Want It To Be... Christmas Is A State Of Mind.