My husband, Jim, converted to Judaism just before our wedding.

Since 1985, I have written about contemporary Jewish practice and the Jewish community.

The Sabbath is a weekly cathedral raised up in my dining room, in my family, in my heart.

I got nice rejections explaining that historical fiction was a difficult sell. But I kept trying.

Why did I not know that birth is the pinnacle where women discover the courage to become mothers?

The painful things seemed like knots on a beautiful necklace, necessary for keeping the beads in place.

The more a daughter knows the details of her mother's life [...] the stronger the daughter.

One of his tears fell in my mouth, where it became a blue sapphire, source of strength, source of strength and eternal hope.

I tell writers to keep reading, reading, reading. Read widely and deeply. And I tell them not to give up even after getting rejection letters. And only write what you love.

One of my great secrets was knowing I had the power to make her smile.

The more I do bookstores, the more people come up to me from church groups. I spoke at Pittsburg State College and had 2 or 3 ministers and book groups from a couple of churches.

That's the problem with best friends. Sometimes they know you better than you know yourself.

He was no stranger to compassion: his heart was open to many good impulses, though his rank often prevented their manifestation.

A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what it is built for.

We want to be in control of our lives. Whether we are jungle fighters, craftsmen, company men, gamesmen, we want to be in control. And when the government erodes that control, we are not comfortable.

Dont get scared of death. Get rich! Then die.

A fairytale is when you marry a frog and it turns out to be a princess. Reality is vice versa.

I find respect for a mediocre British composer, as opposed to a really good American, ridiculous because they automatically respect a composer if he's from England.

All my life, I'd been around men. That night, I discovered the tenderness of a woman.

Men exist for each other. Then either improve them, or put up with them.

Our flag represents every American and it should not be hidden away as a result of property agreements.