[he] Had The Soul Of A Poet,

I Will Be Brave, Thought Despereaux. I Will Try To Be Brave Like A Knight In Shining Armour. I Will Be Brave For The Princess Pea.

I Was Visiting My Mother In Florida When The September 11, 2001 Attacks Happened. I Was Working On The Tale Of Despereaux At That Point. I Had Already Gone Into Writing It With A Great Deal Of Trepidation And Fear, And Then This God-awful Thing Happens And It Was Really Hard To Even Get Back Home To Minneapolis.

He Was Weeping. Although 'weeping' Really Is To Small A Word For The Activity The Kind Had Undertaken. Tears Were Cascading From His Eyes. A Small Puddle Had Formed At His Feet. I Am Not Exaggerating. The King, It Seemed, Was Intent On Crying Himself A River.

I Thought I Was Going Nowhere. Now I Can See There Was A Pattern.

I Have Done Quite A Few Signings At Bookstores, Libraries And Conferences. I Have Received Phone Calls And Letters From People Who Liked The Book.