I do feel like plus-size fashion is changing, but it's slowly changing. It's not growing as fast as we would all like.

Widening a garment or making it larger is not understanding the real curves of a plus size women.

You can't continue to reflect on the past.

It's so important for me to share my story and inspire other women to feel comfortable in their skin and to know that your size has zero impact on the goals you set for yourself.

I'm not the type to pat myself on the back and all that, but somebody has to be lucky, right? When I got to Dallas, I was struggling - sleeping on the floor with six guys in a three-bedroom apartment. I used to drive around, look at the big houses, and imagine what it would be like to live there and use that as motivation.

My inspiration for writing is all the wonderful books that I read as a child and that I still read. I think that for those of us who write, when we find a wonderful book written by someone else, we don't really get jealous, we get inspired, and that's kind of the mark of what a good writer is.

All this talk about inspiration and moment is nonsense.

Miles Davis was a part of my life from 1947 on. I was born in 1941 and I first heard him in 1947 on a 78 rpm. And then I followed his career, starting with his first solo album in 1951. He was an icon and inspiration and a mentor to me.