I was an educated girl. I'd done very well in school. I had a good point average and graduated from USC as an English teacher. My dad didn't even finish high school.

My father said there were two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better.

Every child deserves a chance at a life filled with love, laughter, friends and family.

Never face facts; if you do, you'll never get up in the morning.

One of the things about equality is not just that you be treated equally to a man, but that you treat yourself equally to the way you treat a man.

You know, theres endorphins in laughter, as there are endorphins in running in the park.

Women should know that they don't have to hang on to an old dream that has stopped nurturing them - that there is always time to start a new dream.

As much success came to him, my father stayed true to his promise. He built the hospital to help the most helpless children with catastrophic illnesses.

In the 1960s we were fighting to be recognized as equals in the marketplace, in marriage, in education and on the playing field. It was a very exciting, rebellious time.

Where will I be five years from now? I delight in not knowing. That's one of the greatest things about life its wonderful surprises.

Fame lost its appeal for me when I went into a public restroom and an autograph seeker handed me a pen and paper under the stall door.

There are things that two people say in the middle of the night That don't make sense to a third at breakfast.

Jacinta never told Penelope that she loved her. The nurse knew that those who really love, love in silence, with deeds and not with words.

I suppose I'll say it all started with a love letter

Salvation brings the soul a deep awareness of God's love. Life takes on more meaning, for it now has a purpose.

If a painting of mine suits me, it is right. If it does not please me, I care not if all the great masters should approve it or the dealers buy it. They would be wrong.

What is learned without pleasure is forgotten without remorse.

I like French fries," I say. I like French fries? I sound like a slow child in a made-for-TV movie.

Your problem is that you have been too honest for too long. Once you start doing it, lying is simpler than breathing.

My phrase has always been that I am looking for the versatility of theatre in film. I think I have been quite lucky in that so far.

My final historical romance came out December 2005. While I enjoyed writing medieval romances, I was also dying to write something with more edge.