When are you at your happiest?

When I'm with my kids and husband.

What do you most admire about yourself?

My work ethic, and the fact that I've gotten to where I am without making enemies along the way.

If you could be in any other profession, what would it be?

I wish my voice was good enough to take my singing out of the car and into public realm, but let's just say that it's probably better for ALL of us that I'm a writer.

Who are your favourite writers?

Alice Hoffman, Anne Tyler, Sue Miller, Chris Bohjalian, Jacquelyn Mitchard

Who is your favourite fictional character?

A tie: Lady Brett Ashley from The Sun Also Rises, because unrequited love is the saddest story there is. And Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind - because she is tough as nails and thinks she knows everything, but still has an Achilles heel (her heart) that makes her realize she doesn't know anything important at all.

What makes a great storyteller?

A person who cannot stop asking, "What if?"

What was unexpected about success?

That people expect me to be some kind of celebrity when they meet me. I get tons of letters asking my "staff" to forward emails to me -- well, I have looked all over my house and can't seem to find this staff...! Maybe it's because I'm a mom equally as much as I'm a writer, but I'm probably a lot more ordinary than most people think. Also, that the more successful you are, the most you have to realize it's a double-edged sword. You want to ride the wave of success while it's here...but that means time away from home, from my kids.

What is the greatest thing you've learned?

Patience. I could have written a quick genre novel, or tailored my books to be more like the bestsellers that were out there...but instead I chose to write the books I wanted to write, and let readers accrue by telling their friends what they were missing. You don't have to compromise what's important to you, in order to succeed.

If you could change anything in your life, what would it be?

After college, instead of going to work right away, I would have traveled around the world. (After, apparently, winning the lottery to finance that...)

Is there a phrase that you particularly loathe?

"My bad." It's a slacker phrase, that just rubs me the wrong way. And "God Bless the United States of America." Why just us? Why not the whole world?

What sends you into a rage?

Intolerance.

What makes you laugh?

My husband. The movie "Dumb and Dumber." And Bill Bryson's books.

What is your most treasured possession?

There's a coin I wear around my neck. My husband got it for me -- it's from Greece, circa 500 BC. On one side is Athena, to represent wisdom, and on the other, Pegasus, to represent creativity. I never take it off.

Is it ever OK to lie?

Only if you're doing it not to assauge your own conscience, but the other person's. (Like, for example, when your child is scared to go to nursery school the first day, and you tell him you know he's going to have a great time, when in fact you're just as scared about him fitting in as HE is...you get my drift...)

Who/what is the greatest love in your life?

My three children. My life has been changed completely by each and every one of them, for the better.

Are you a grown-up?

Gosh, I hope not. I still sleep with teddy bears, and on my fortieth birthday, I wore a plastic tiara the whole day.

What do you do in your free time?

Free time? What's that? Seriously, though...I spend a lot of time driving my kids from one place to another ; I write a children's play annually that is performed by middle school kids (my own and their friends); I kayak; I bake; I read.

Who was your greatest influence?

My mother, who told me I COULD be a writer, and Mary Morris, my mentor teacher from Princeton, who taught me HOW to be a writer.

What did you have for lunch?

A really bad roast beef sandwich! We were en route to pick my middle child up at a sleepaway hockey camp!

What is your next goal?

To change the world, one mind at a time.