Diane Mott Davidson

What one's goal should be is just to become a better writer and to tell different kinds of stories. ”

The thing is, if you make best-sellerdom your goal, you're going to be in trouble. It's a very nice thing to have happen, but if one makes that a goal like, say, a literary writer has the goal of getting the Pulitzer Prize, that's so unpredictable. ”

The main thing I look for in a recipe is taste, which is different from caterers and restaurants, who first ask 'How does it look?' ”

Catering is extremely demanding financially and physically. It's a business. ”

One thing that improved my cooking skills was being a poor student in California... If you don't have much money, you have to learn to cook. ”

When I make a recipe for the first time and it's fabulous, I know I'm in trouble because I don't know exactly what I did, and I can't replicate it. ”

Writing is work and cooking is relaxing. ”

I told the caterer I'd work for nothing if he'd teach me about catering. I lasted one week full-time. It was exhausting. ”