Every Parent Has Those Moments Where They

I Needed To Do A Lot Of Saying No. I Had A Lot Of [interest] From People Who I Just Didn't Think Were Quite Right For It. And I Didn't Want A Bad Film To Be Made Of The Book, Either A Sentimental One Or A Creepy One, So I Did A Lot Of, "no Thank You." Then When The Right Filmmaker Came Along, Yes, I Suppose I Presented Myself Very Much As Wanting To Be The Writer.

Seriously, I Think What All The Puzzling Over Parenthood I Had To Do To Write [a Novel] Room Taught Me Is That Children Can Thrive In A Remarkable Range Of Situations.

I Think About Old Nick Carrying Me Into The Truck, I'm Dizzy Like I'm Going To Fall Down. "scared Is What You're Feeling," Says Ma, "but Brave Is What You're Doing." "huh?" "scaredybrave." "scave." Word Sandwiches Always Make Her Laugh But I Wasn't Being Funny.

Me And Ma Have A Deal, We're Going To Try Everything One Time So We Know What We Like.

You're Meant To Have An Unhappy Childhood To Be A Writer, But There's A Lot To Be Said For A Very Happy One That Just Let's You Get On With It.