We're naturally afraid of a spider - these are memories that are being chemically passed down through your DNA..

I think [it's necessary to accept] things that are just true about yourself: These are my faults, these are the things I'm good at, this is where I c….

I personally love books that make me think, so I naturally gravitate toward writing a book like that, one that's going to make someone think and make….

I'm a history person, and I love the groundedness of that, of being able to go, "Yes! People acted like that.".

I'll tell you what I was most surprised to discover about my writing process, and that is that I never know what I'm doing..

I think there's a lot that we remember almost chemically, through our DNA..

I am very into genealogy and heritage, and that's how I started writing..

History is absolutely my thing..

I would never say that I'm not going to do something. I like not being limited..

I don't think I've ever done anything that's completely the same, yet..

Your truth really can't be twisted. It is what it is. That doesn't mean that a person can't develop and change and reinterpret their life..

I tend to be a very logical, practical person..

I would not want to forget the first time I read The Lord of the Rings. I would never want to forget that! That was so magical to me, and that was a ….

When I was thinking about all the things that the world had forgotten, it made me think about people who have actually really forgotten everything, a….

I love getting into the basement of a courthouse, and all the dusty records - all that stuff makes me really happy..

I never have the feeling that I actually know what I'm doing or anything that I'm writing is any good..

I do think a lot about the past..

I think the past is something I have spent a lot of time thinking about, not only what is different about the past but what's the same, and what link….

I would not give up a lot of what I know about my heritage. I would not give up knowing where I came from, the good parts and the bad parts..

It occurred to me at some point that what really links us to the past is memory, and there's so much we've forgotten..

I think Scotland is probably my spiritual home and I love it there very, very much..