Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
My books are character-driven. They're not driven by the story.
As a child, I loved story books and wanted to be in them so desperately and live the stories.
If I don't tell it all now, the story in the history books will always be imperfect and that would be wrong.
I spent my entire childhood in an environment in which the mighty of the earth had no place outside story books and dreams.
I thought that strange syntax was the language of story books. I didn't realize those were poor translations... English from Edwardian times.
It had been startling and disappointing to me to find out that story books had been written by people, that books were not natural wonders, coming of themselves like grass.
I started looking into horse history books and came across the actual story of this half-breed endurance horseman and his painted mustang Hidalgo. I wasn't really sure if I was going to do the movie at that point.
Many people have told me that once they learn of Madam Walker's accomplishments they are surprised, even embarrassed, that they have never heard of her. But they shouldn't be. Her extraordinary story was simply omitted from the history books.
I love writing picture books and story books because of the exciting, visual life that artists and illustrators give to them. And most of all, I love writing novels because of the inner, emotional journeys that they take me on. Hopefully, the reader comes with me!
In 1965, when I was fourteen, I read my first adult novel; it was a historical novel about Katherine of Aragon, and I could not put it down. When I finished it, I had to find out the true facts behind the story and if people really carried on like that in those days. So I began to read proper history books, and found that they did!