I like terrific writing, but I also like a terrific story. My favorite books have both, and they’re by contemporary, commercial American writers.
I love everything about Philadelphia, and its food is like the city itself: real-deal, hearty, and without pretension. Weve always had an underdog vibe as a city, but that just makes us try harder, and I love our scrappiness and scruffiness.
Any middle-aged woman knows that our feet are not for the faint of heart, especially in midwinter. I wear clogs, so it’s actually like my feet are wooden now.
You can really help support a character if you understand the setting. So for that reason I generally write about Philadelphia.
But the fact is, I’m not work-identified. I’m not a lawyer or a writer. I’m a mom, and I’m a woman, and that’s the kind of people I want to see in books in the starring role.
If it weren’t for book tours, I would never leave my house.
I still think I’m writing Nancy Drew with a mortgage.
The truth is that every writer, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, is trying to write something truly original and that’s what I think I’m doing.
We can’t control what people do or say, even if it’s dumb.
And wouldn’t we be better off if every New Year’s, we thought about the things we did right and we resolved to keep doing them, no matter how wacky they were.
Even if it’s not what you planned, you can make a life for yourself on your own and be happy.
I am really, I think, truly an easygoing, positive, fun person.
Women shouldn’t iron, ever. It’s our wrinkles that make us interesting.
People project all sorts of emotions onto their cats, and cats like it that way.
My theory is that you find out who your true friends are when something good happens to you, not when something bad happens to you. Everybody loves you when something bad happens to you. Then you’re easy to love.
Everybody hates lawyers, but they don’t realize judges are just lawyers with a promotion. Think about it.
Testosterone should be a controlled substance.
There was no known cure for a Catholic education.
And when I look at my mother, I reflect on her strength and endurance. She’s cranky sometimes, but she is lovable and loving. I’d be happy to be there at 86.
I am an open book, literally. I don’t mind if people know way too much about me.
Ellen had long ago stopped being embarrassed by temper tantrums. She flipped it and wore it like a badge of honor. A temper tantrum was a sign that a mom said no when it counted.