Grief and love are conjoined, you don't get one without the other.

I have had this longstanding interest in going back to school to get a Ph.D. in art history. I was especially interested in exploring this idea of the ecstatic impulse in an artist.

I grew up with older brothers, adore them, can't imagine going through life without them, and I definitely think I draw on that love when I'm writing about siblings. It's so powerful, the jump-in-front-of-a-train-to-protect-them kind of love.

Second novels are bears. As are other people's expectations for them. I think taking the time you need with the second book is key. Writers spend years and years on their first novels and then are often expected to turn out a second at warp speed, a recipe for failure.

Actually, I find it great fun to develop family series with lots of characters.

When I lived in Hong Kong, I felt that Hong Kong is my family.

I don't know about you, but I love going on trips - especially with my family.

You are the mother, the father, the sister, the brother, the teacher and the guide for the soul that has been placed in your trust.