Gail Carson Levine

“I want to be with you forever and beyond...”

“I found that I was much more interested in writing and that I didn't like the illustrating at all. I had always been the hardest on myself when I drew and painted. I am not hard on myself when I write. I like what I write, so it is a much happier process.”

“'EIla Enchanted' began in a marvelous writing course at New York City's The New School.”

“Encourage children to write their own stories, and then don't rain on their parade. Don't say, 'That's not true.' Applaud flights of fantasy. Help with spelling and grammar, but stand up and cheer the use of imagination.”

“... He was only a person on the outside and... his insides were ashes mixed with coins and a brain.”

“ahthOOn SSyng!" I said. "That's farewell.""It sounds evil.""It is," I answered, and we parted.”

“Hush Hattie!" I said, intoxicated with my success. "I don't want to go to my room. Everyone must know I shan't marry the prince." I ran to the door to our street, opened it, and called out into the night, "I shan't marry the prince." I turned back into the hall and ran to Char and threw my arms about his neck. "I shan't marry you." I kissed his cheek. He was safe from me.”

“Step follows step,Hope follows Courage,Set your face towards danger,Set your heart on victory.”

“It feels presumptuous to think of writing for adults.”

“I was excited to make my own 'Neverland.'”

“Most of the authors I liked were dead, so it didn't seem like a safe occupation.”

“Who judges the judge who judges wrong?”

“Crying is part of the adventure”

“Sometimes the kids come up with better endings than the real story.”

“No sign of pleasure greeted the announcement. The mood in the hall was leaden.My mood was livelier. Fright is livelier than lead.”

“Climb the day, Drop your dreams, Possess the day.”

“Contemporary fiction is the hardest for me because I am not really in the popular culture - I don't watch TV.”

“I rode all day.I cried all night.The moon didn’t glow.The sun didn’t rise.A comet blazedBetween my eyes.West and South,Wind and rain.Every way isJust the same.Pray give me a boxTo hide inside.Pray give me a spadeTo dig my own grave.”

“As a child, I loved fairy tales because the story, the what-comes-next, is paramount. As an adult, I'm fascinated by their logic and illogic.”

“Most of my job life has had to do with welfare, first helping people find work and then as an administrator. The earlier experience was more direct and satisfying, and I enjoy thinking that a bunch of people somewhere are doing better today than they might have done if not for me.”