Simone Elkeles

“You are the one girl that made me risk eveything for a future worth having.”

“If my name was Richard, I'd go by Richard or Rich...not Dick. Hell I'd even settle for being called Chard.”

“...personal torture instructor...I mean physical therapist.”

“When I write, it's like watching a movie in my head.”

“Our lie is like a cancer that's spread to every single area of our lives.”

“He laughs. "Put some clothes on so you don't scare poor Kiara with your morning hard-on."I look down at my shorts. Sure enough, I've got la tengo dura in front of Kiara and Tuck. Shit. I reach out for the first thing I can grab and put it in front of me to shield myself from view. It happens to be one of Kiara's stuffed animals, but I don't have much choice right now."That's Kiara's Mojo," Tuck says, laughing. "Get it? Mojo?”

“I like to write books that touch my heart. I want to entertain, and I love to entertain myself.”

“When they’re together, the world could fall apart around them and they’d never notice or care as long as they have each other.”

“This is a team of gay dudes, isn't it?"What gave it away? The pink shirts, or half our team drooling over you?”

“I want to try making things right because picking up the pieces is way better than leaving them the way they are.”

“You know those giant stuffed-animal prizes at the carnival? The kind practically nobody wins, except the lucky few? I've never won one.""Yeah. I've never won one, either.""Alex was my giant prize. I hated you for taking him away," she admits.I shrug. "Yeah, well, stop hating me. I don't have him, either.""I don't hate you anymore," she says. "I've moved on."I swallow and then say, "Me, too."Carmen chuckles. Then, just as she walks out of the room, I hear her mumble, "Alex sure as hell hasn't.”

“But wishes are only granted in fairy tales.”

“I gave you my heart, but it wasn't enough.”

“Daddy, What's the horizontal tango?”

“Love is honesty. Love is a mutual respect for one another.”

“NO PDA,school rules. And besides she's my partner dickhead." said Alex.”

“We kiss all the time." I clear my throat, then add, "We just...do it in private." "A smug expression crosses his face. "I don't buy it for a second, 'cause if you were my girlfriend and a stud like me was livin' in your house, I'd kiss you in front of the guy every chance I got as a reminder." "A reminder of w-w-what?" "That you were mine.”

“Tofu tacos are not Mexican. I think putting tofu on anything and calling it Mexican is an insult to my people.”

“I was definitely meant to be a young adult author, and I love it - I'm here to stay!”

“Fans always say they laughed and they cried while reading my books. And I tell them that I laughed and cried while writing them.”