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I got into an argument with my original publisher. They wanted me to do 'Kitty' and nothing else. I wanted to do lots of things, not just 'Kitty' books.

When I was a child and teenager I read whenever I had the opportunity, but since then I've found it hard to read as much as I'd like, children, work, and pets all providing powerful incentives to escape into a book and a practical reason why I rarely do so.

My books are, in a way, a record of my life - that part of it that came to flower and fruit in my mind.

My book sales make 'real writers' possible.

When you realize my best selling books are 'Owl Moon,' the 'How Do Dinosaur' books, and 'Devil's Arithmetic,' how can the public make sense of that! I have fans who think I only write picture books or only write SF and fantasy. I have fanatics of my poetry and are stunned to find out I write prose, too!

I've never really thought of writing books. I've never thought about stories as a part of a collection.

The conclusion I came to was that even if I couldn't sell books, I still liked the process of writing.

Writing is a dog's life, but the only life worth living.

'At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom' by Amy Hempel showed me the lean quality of prose.