Quotes from Patricia C. Wrede

There are three things that any scene in a book or short story can do: (1) It can advance the plot, (2) It can explain the background or backstory, or (3) It can deepen the characterization.

DEEP IN THE ENCHANTED FOREST, in a neat gray house with a wide porch and a red roof, lived the witch Morwen and her nine cats. The cats were named Murgatroyd, Fiddlesticks, Miss Eliza Tudor, Scorn, Jasmine, Trouble, Jasper Darlington Higgins IV, Chaos, and Aunt Ophelia, and not one of them looked anything like a witch's cat.

I tried to imagine a dragon eating apples and failed.

Mendanbar wondered idly whether a bucket of soapy water plus lemon juice plus dishes would be as good for melting a wizard as one without dishes, and what effect the dishes would have on the process. Being melted was probably not very comfortable, but being melted while cups and plates and forks were falling on your head was likely to be even less so.

Oh, well, if it's a matter of honor," I said. "You should have said that to begin with. Not that it has anything to do with deciding what we ought to do next, but I am sure you would have felt better for saying it.

it is impossible to come to a sensible conclusion about anything when one is very tired

Kazul's not my dragon," Cimorene said sharply. "I'm her princess.

It is a great strain to have to reassure people that one is perfectly well when all one really wishes is to be left alone to sleep.

It's because I'm not a very satisfactory princess," Alianora said. "I tried, I really did, but... It started when the wicked fairy came to my christening." "She put a curse on you?" "No, she ate cake and ice cream until she nearly burst and danced with my Uncle Arthur until two in the morning and had a wonderful time. So she went home without cursing me, and Aunt Ermintrude says that that's where the whole problem started.

What-no!" Zemenar cried in horror as he began to melt. "Not soapsuds! It's demeaning." "There's a little lemon juice in it, too," Alianora offered.

Thank goodness that's over," she said, taking the crown off and throwing it across the cave. It hit the wall and bounced off with a harsh clang. "You shouldn't treat your crown like that, Your Majesty," Cimorene said, retrieving the iron circlet. "Of course I should," Kazul said. "It's expected. That's why we made it out of iron instead of something soft and bendable. ...

and Nightwitch was batting him back and forth between her paws in wide-eyed fascination. I didn't think she'd ever played with a ball that yelled at her before.

He noticed, without surprise, that the two cats had come along, even though he had not specifically included them in the transportation spell. Cats were like that.

We have made the perilous journey through the tunnels to see the Princess Cimorene, newly come to these caverns, to comfort her and together bemoan our sad and sorry fates," the first princess said haughtily. "Tell her we are here." "I'm Cimorene," Cimorene said. "I don't need comforting, and I'm not particularly sad or sorry to be here, but if you'd like to come in and have some tea, you're welcome to." The

I do think it is unfair. People in novels are fainting all the time, and I never can, no matter how badly I need to.

We must clearly do something.

Seriously, if you really, truly don't understand basic terminology (which was at least half my problem with the adult-level "beginner" books), the children's section is the place to go.

The jelly burbled unhappily to itself. It looked as if it were boiling. The little dragon kept staring at it, and suddenly the dragon's eyes started to glow. "I know what this reminds me of!" it said triumphantly. "Dessert!" The quozzel shrieked and collapsed backward into the darkness just as the dragon's head shot toward it.

Then we'd be living a lie," Padmé told him gently. "And one we couldn't keep

I have nothing but nonsense for you. Be warned. I intend to burden you with it in painful detail, for otherwise it will buzz around inside my head for days. I know you are much too sensible to permit anything so foolish to buzz around inside your head for even five minutes, so I look forward to hearing your opinion of the matter.

In the meantime, thank you for existing. At least I have one relation (other than Aunt Elizabeth) with some sense. I find it a great comfort.

What do you want then?" I asked. "I don't know all of it yet." William tilted his head back and looked up at the sky, and spread his arms wide. "But I want – first, I want to be me. And then I want to do something large. Something as large as all that country out there that people are settling. Even if I'm not a double seventh.

She had hoped it would be at least a little longer before the knights started coming back, so she couldn't help sighing as she stuck a leather bookmark in the book and closed it. Then she went out to argue with whoever it was until they went away.

Early in August, Lan came and found me down at the creek. It was a Sunday afternoon and so hot that even the mosquitoes were drowsing instead of biting people.