I read 'Love in the Time of Cholera' when I was 19, and I still think about the characters. J. Courtney Sullivan More Quotes by J. Courtney Sullivan More Quotes From J. Courtney Sullivan When I was in fourth grade, a novelist came to talk to my English class. She told us that being an author meant sitting at the kitchen table in pajamas, drinking tea with the dogs at your feet. J. Courtney Sullivan dog drinking feet There were so many ways to be twenty-six years old. J. Courtney Sullivan six-year-olds twenties years You all seem to think that you should marry someone when you feel this intense emotion, which you call love. And then you expect that the love will fade over time, as life gets harder. When what you should do is find yourself a nice enough fellow and let real love develop over years and births and deaths and so on. J. Courtney Sullivan nice real thinking Character development is what I value most as a reader of fiction. If an author can manage to create the sort of characters who feel fully real, who I find myself worrying about while Im walking through the grocery store aisles a week later, that to me is as close to perfection as it gets. J. Courtney Sullivan real worry character I knew that my dollhouse was a toy, but in a way, it seemed more like a portal to adulthood. I didn't play with it the way I might with my Barbie dream house. Instead, I furnished it. I kept it pristine. I decorated the house for each season. I had jack-o'-lanterns in the fall and a Christmas tree with working lights in the winter. J. Courtney Sullivan lights christmas winter tree The first book I bought was 'Anne of Green Gables,' an edition that is beautiful and complete - one I hope to read with my son someday, seeing it anew through his eyes. J. Courtney Sullivan eyes hope beautiful son Deep down, I have always been 72 years old. In college, my friends used to make fun of me because I would sometimes skip a Friday night party to stay in my dorm room watching Turner Classic Movies. J. Courtney Sullivan me friends sometimes night The hardest part about writing fiction is finding long stretches of time to do it: for me, this means writing mostly on Saturdays and Sundays. But I am always thinking about my characters, jotting down ideas in stolen moments and hoping I'll be able to make sense of them when the weekend rolls around. J. Courtney Sullivan i-am me time long I know a lot of women who embody what it means to be a feminist but do not want to use that word. The misperceptions about what it's all about have gotten into their heads. J. Courtney Sullivan who know women want A glimpse at my night stand gives the mostly true impression that I am a book hoarder. J. Courtney Sullivan stand i-am night book I sometimes read on the subway, but I'm a hopeless eavesdropper and get easily distracted by strangers' conversations. J. Courtney Sullivan strangers subway hopeless sometimes I love making lists. J. Courtney Sullivan making i-love lists love I've never understood why some people think it's virtuous and essential to finish every book they start. J. Courtney Sullivan start think book people I've rejected certain books, then gone back later and loved them. J. Courtney Sullivan books loved back gone My relationship with the 'Baby-Sitters Club' series bordered on addiction, and my mom got me heavily into the Trixie Belden mysteries as well. Trixie Belden was like Nancy Drew, but without the boyfriends and cute outfits, which I think is the reason my mother preferred her. J. Courtney Sullivan me mother cute relationship I'm from outside of Boston, and in Boston, people are so passionate about their Irishness. J. Courtney Sullivan outside boston passionate people When I was growing up, for example, everybody on our street was Irish. And all the girls did Irish step dancing. It was pre-Lord of the Dance - it was before anybody knew what gillys were - but we did, and there was such pride among the members of my family and people I grew up with. J. Courtney Sullivan step family dance people Every St. Patrick's Day in my hometown is such a huge thing. You know, it was like Christmas, but in green. J. Courtney Sullivan day you green christmas I call my mother every day for things: 'How long do you cook an egg for?' Or, 'Can you remind me of our dentist's phone number at home?' J. Courtney Sullivan day me mother home
