I'm just a dog person. I love dogs very much, especially big ones, hounds, and retrievers. I think they are funny and often have good senses of humor. Plus, they give unconditional love.

I've always liked the classic "young adult" writers like Mark Twain, Jack London, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens. They write so clearly, and they know how to entertain.

I'm not very disciplined. I tend to write late at night because I get distracted during the day.

I have two dogs myself and they are always around when I write, so they tend to creep in there.

I like people who lead unusual lives, and very often a person with a disability fits into that category.

I wanted to do a collection where the narrator is constant throughout, so that there's a little unity.

I'm trying to write stories that are interesting and enjoyable.

I want the situations and plots to be surprising and unusual.

I know that some of the things which happen in these stories are not likely, but sometimes I wonder if they are not possible in some way.

I've found that I seek out oddballs; I like strange and eccentric people a lot.

Sometimes the autobiographical link in each story is very literal, like I did work at The Texas School for the Blind, and I did once lose a mattress out of the back of a friend's truck.

Simplify and focus on the good. The beauty of the journey ahead will flourish on its own.

Do not exchange the 24 hours for money. Give some time for your own accomplishments.

Universal opinions are often mistaken for universal principles

Greed is taking more than you need to feed. Avarice is hoarding, and stockpiling stolen, rotten goods.

The heart can get really cold if all you've known is winter.

I wish I could end every rap song I didn't like with a buzzer.

Say what you want about America - thirteen bucks can still get you a hell of a lot of mice!

The rule of songwriting: say what you want to say, say it again, say it a different way, then say it again.

It's so rare, especially as a younger actor, to find a role where it's not just one-dimensional and it's not just a stock leading man.

You want a better life? Simplify your life! Throw all the complexities from your life!