Quotes from Maureen Johnson

Tell me what you want, what you really, really want," he said. "Braiiinnnnssss," we said in unison.

Mouth guard. And I think we'll start you in goal." Goal sounded like a special job. I didn't want a special job, unless that special job involved sitting on the side under a pile of blankets.

When I worked in theater, I was always writing things on Post-it Notes and sticking them on screens or desks. Twitter has given me a way of continuing to post those notes, only a lot of other people see them, too.

I read two mysteries a day when I was a kid. All of Agatha Christie, all of 'Sherlock Holmes.' I've seen every single British detective show ever made.

It could have been like a fairy tale. But fairy tales aren't real. Things don't work like that. There's a price for everything.

Claim whatever you want. Say you only want a happy family or a successful career or a big house. I say: no, that's not what you want. You'll settle for those things, but you really want a monkey that does your evil bidding. Pullman is a genius just for this.

Writing is one of the few careers for which you essentially train yourself, the other two major ones being juggling and pickpocketing.

Debbie had to get up and slice me a thick piece of cake before she could answer. And I do mean thick. Harry Potter volume seven thick. I could have knocked out a burglar with this piece of cake. Once I tasted it, though, it seemed just the right size.

Fear can't hurt you," she said. "When it washes over you, give it no power. It's a snake with no venom. Remember that. That knowledge can save you.

Claim whatever you want. Say you only want a happy family or a successful career or a big house. I say: no, that's not what you want. You'll settle for those things, but you really want a monkey that does your evil bidding. Pullman is a genius just for this.

I may have been a complete lunatic, but I was a complete lunatic with manners .

One person's crazy is another person's sane, I guess.

It's always easier to say good-bye when you know it's just a prelude to hello.

You can never visit the same place twice. Each time, it's a different story. By the very act of coming back, you wipe out what came before.

I decided to deflect her attitude by giving a long, Southern answer. I come from people who know how to draw things out. Annoy a Southerner, and we will drain away the moments of your life with our slow, detailed replies until you are nothing but a husk of your former self and that much closer to death.

And if we get caught, I will claim I made you go. At gunpoint. I am American. People will assume I'm armed.

Tired, but not the kind of tired that sleep fixes.

You have to take things as they are, not how you hear they're supposed to be.

I have no phobias. Phobias are irrational. My fears are rational and CAREFULLY CULTIVATED, like roses.

Where her books were, she was. Get the books right and the rest will follow. Now she could address the rest of the room.

Keep calm and carry on. Also, stay in and hide because the Ripper is coming.

I'm Keith," he said, "and you're . . . clearly mad, but what's your name?

Salt. Wound. Together at last.

The funny thing about stop signs is that they're also start signs.