Mary Kay Andrews

“I was supposed to be working on 'The Weekenders,' but I was blocked. I got this crazy idea that I would make Christmas stockings out of blankets.”

“As a hopeless romantic, I'm drawn to stories of improbable beginnings.”

“I want characters I can live for in a setting that makes me feel like I'm there.”

“Southern women, especially upper-middle-class women, care deeply about appearances and what other people think.”

“I had never thought about writing a novel. But I had two young kids, and I realized that if I could write a novel, I could work at home.”

“I try to start drinking water as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning.”

“I'm house obsessed, a house voyeur. Always have been.”

“On my first trip to New York in the 1980s, the first place I wanted to visit was the Plaza Hotel, home to Kay Thompson's Eloise.”

“I guess because I'm a washed-up journalist, I always do a lot of research.”

“My protagonists have problems that a new pair of shoes won't solve. Retail therapy is not a bad thing, but it's not going to fix their lives.”