I don't think anyone, no matter what, can find perfect happiness until they understand exactly who they are and how every little thing they do can affect the world around them. I think perfect happiness would be a world where everyone is constantly striving to understand everyone else.
Copied to Clipboard
Copied to Clipboard
I've found that a combination of therapy and medication, along with lifestyle choices like eating better and exercising regularly, helps me cope well with my anxiety.
Copied to Clipboard
Copied to Clipboard
I grew up in a little town with about 6,000 or 7,000 people. I always knew from 11 or 12 years old that I wanted to be a writer, and I always wanted to write about growing up in a place like that that's small and you don't fit into.
Copied to Clipboard
Copied to Clipboard
I'm a huge movie nerd.
Copied to Clipboard
Copied to Clipboard
I've been an assistant to a folklorist and a teacher. There may or may not have been some sandwich-making at a certain sub chain in my past as well.
Copied to Clipboard
Copied to Clipboard
I thought, 'What if I were 17, and it was my small town of Springhill, Louisiana? How would I feel if people started flooding in to see some bird?'
Copied to Clipboard
Copied to Clipboard
Writing was, is, and will always be my favorite job.
Copied to Clipboard
Copied to Clipboard
Dealing with chronic anxiety has taught me to better understand the nuances of mental illness and the very individual nature of it.
Copied to Clipboard
Copied to Clipboard
Approaching my second novel was, admittedly, a bit of a struggle. But having an amazing team at Atheneum Books, especially my very patient, brilliant editor Namrata Tripathi, took a stressful situation and turned it into a really great learning experience for me.
