Nobody Ever Learns Anything.

This Is A Wonderful Joke To Play Upon A Prisoner, To Promise Forgiveness.

One, We [with Alison Mcghee] Laugh A Lot - That Was Great. Two, I Enjoy Writing, But It's A Lonely Undertaking. To Have Someone In The Room With Me Is An Absolute Delight And Makes It Seem Less Impossible. It Became A Kind Of Comforting, Joyful Process.

In The Tale Of Despereaux, There Is A Lot Of Darkness, A Lot Of Despair. There's Also A Lot Of Light, Redemption, Hope. There's Forgiveness, There's Friendship, There's Love. But The World In All Of Its Potential Craziness Is Also There.

Despereaux Marveled At His Own Bravery. He Admired His Own Defiance. And Then, Reader, He Fainted.

Forgiveness, Reader, Is, I Think, Something Very Much Like Hope And Love - A Powerful, Wonderful Thing. And A Ridiculous Thing, Too.