Background Image

...

Life Is Hard, And A Lot Of People Come Home Tired From Work. If They're Gonna Spend Half An Hour Reading, They Want Some Entertainment And A Sense Of Achievement. So That's What I Give Them. That's All I'm Trying To Do. Is That Really So Wrong?

-James Patterson

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

Life Is Hard, And

James Patterson

...

Life Is Hard, And A Lot Of People Come Home Tired From Work. If They're Gonna Spend Half An Hour Reading, They Want Some Entertainment And A Sense Of Achievement. So That's What I Give Them. That's All I'm Trying To Do. Is That Really So Wrong?

Views: 3

Topic

More From James Patterson

Fang: "have You Guys Been Playing In The Toxic Waste Again? Been Bitten By A Radioactive Spider? Struck By Lightning? Drink A Super-soldier Serum?"

Part 5 The Voice- Make That My Voice

I Didn't Care For Most Of The Books I Was Being Asked To Read In School. I Started Reading Like Crazy Right After High School When I Got A Job In A Mental Hospital. I Was Working My Way Through College, And I Did A Lot Of Night Shifts, And There Was Nothing To Do. So I Read Like Crazy, Serious Stuff, All The Classics.

"yeah Sure, Why Not?" I Said, Making A Mental Note To Get A Good Look At His Wings. For All I Knew, They Were Remote-controlled And Duct Taped To His Back.

It's Been Said That Love Finds You When You're Ready.

A Guy Who Hates His Job Isn't Going To Be Too Charming At Home.

Once I Was Seated, I Couldn't Help People-watching. I'll Admit It, I'm An Addict From Way Back.

Fang," I Said, My Voice Breaking. "just Live, Okay? Live And Be Okay." With No Warning, I Leaned Down And Kissed His Mouth, Just Like That. "ow," He Said, Touching His Split Lip, Then He And I Stared At Each Other In Shock.

"jeez, Was That A Lion? Please Tell Me It’s Behind Bars." "it’s A Zoo, Iggy,” Nudge Said, Taking His Arms And Leading Him. "everything’s Behind Bars."

His Face Flushed, And I Felt Like Cheering. "yes," He Said Stiffly. "besides De Vings." "hmm. Besides De Vings." Nudge Tapped One Finger Against Her Chin. "um..." Her Face Brightened. "i Once Ate Nine Snickers Bars In One Sitting. Without Barfing. That Was A Record!" "hardly A Special Talent," Ter Borcht Said Witheringly. Nudge Was Offended. "yeah? Let's See You Do It." ... ... "i Vill Now Eat Nine Snickers Bars," Gazzy Said In A Perfect, Creepy Imitation Of Ter Borcht's Voice, "visout Bahfing."

Jane-sweetie, We've Talked About Your Weight-" My Mother Began. I'm Only Eight Years Old," I Said. "how About I Promise To Be Anorexic Later?

Sometimes When You're At Your Most Certain, That's When Everything You Know Is Wrong.

Is Dere Anysing Special About You? Anysing Vorth Saving?" Besides My Fashion Sense? I Play A Mean Harmonica.

Right There, In Front Of Everyone, I Threw My Arms Arond His Neck And Mashed My Mouth Against His. He Was Startled For A Second, Then His Strong Arms Wraped Around Me So Tightly I Could Hardly Breathe. "zomg," I Heard Nudge Whisper.

It’s Wherever You Are. If It’s Tapped Into Any Of Your Senses, It Knows Where You Are And What You’re Doing.” Oh No, I Thought, My Spirits Sinking. I Hadn’t Considered That. Did That Mean Nothing I Did Was Ever Anymore? “even In The Bathroom?” The Gasman’s Eyes Widened With Surprise.

When You Go Out To Hollywood, It's Like, "here's The Book. It Is What It Is. It'll Always Stay The Same."

It Is What It Is

I Want To Do It Too!" (sitting Motionless) Nudge: "nope, You Stand Out Like A Fart In A Church." Max: (muttering) "appropriately Enough." Iggy: "what About Me?" (stands Still) Max: "no, You're Visible." Iggy: "am Not!" Max: (throws A Pinecone At Him) "could I Do That If I Wouldn't See You?

My Invite Must Have Gotten Lost In The Mail," She Said Venomously. "but I Don't Mind Crashing This Party. -maximum Ride Talking To Max Ii

I Tried To Shake Some Water Off. "i Got A Message From Angel,"i Said, Scanning The Tunnel."she Says There's Massive Danger Down Here,something Too Big For Us To Fix Or Deal With." "so Of Course You Immediately Came Down.

I Believe We Should Spend Less Time Worrying About The Quantity Of Books Children Read And More Time Introducing Them To Quality Books That Will Turn Them On To The Joy Of Reading And Turn Them Into Lifelong Readers.

And Then As Always, I Saw The Prayer Coming At Me. And, As Always, Number 1 Killed Me! Set Me On Fire, Cooked Me To Medium Rare And Then Ate Me! I Really, Really, Really Hope I Haven't Just Given Away The Ending Of This Story.

You Looove Me. You Love Me This Much.

Angel Is Right,"said Dr. G-h Quickly. "this Is My Clumsy Way Of Demonstrating." "demonstrating What?" I Was Barely Able To Keep A Snarl Out Of My Voice. "how To Get Yourself Beat Up In One Easy Step?

There Are Terrific Models For Success With Reluctant Readers, But Many School Systems And State Governments Need To Set Aside Their 'not Invented Here' And 'we Have More Important Problems Than Education' Attitudes.

There's Nothing More Dangerous Than Than Someone Trying To Act For The Greater Good.

I'm Very Emotional. I Do Feel Stuff, For Better Or Worse.

Who, Last Time I'd Checked, Was Still On Our Official Archenemy List. (yes, We Have To Keep A List. It's Kind Of Sad.)

Fang: When Do I Get Out Of Here? Max: They Say A Week. Fang: So, Like, Tomorrow? Max: That's What I'm Thinking.

In The Dictionary, Next To The Word Stress, There Is A Picture Of A Midsize Mutant Stuck Inside A Dog Crate, Wondering If Her Destiny Is To Be Killed Or To Save The World. Okay, Not Really. But There Should Be.

When I Write I Pretend I'm Telling A Story To Someone In The Room And I Don't Want Them To Get Up Until I'm Finished.

Look, We're Trying To Explore Other Options To Your Retirement," The Whitecoat Said. "you Might Be Useful To Us In Other Ways." Because We're Not That Useful Dead,"nudge Said Thoughtfully. No," I Agreed. "well, Maybe As Doorstops." The Whitecat Made An "eew" Expression. Or Those Things In A Parking Lot That Show Where The Cars Should Stop," Suggested Iggy. He Closed His Eyes And Went Stiff, To Demonstrate What It Would Look Like. Also An Option.

Always Expect The Unexpected. Right Around Thanksgiving, When The New Alex Cross Will Be Out. It's Called Four Blind Mice And It's A Pretty Amazing Story About Several Murders Inside The Military.

I'm A Very Good Storyteller; I Have A Lot Of Compassion For People. That's Very Useful For A Novelist. A Lot Of Novelists Are Snots. They're Just Mean People. I'm Not A Terribly Skilled Stylist, Nor Do I Want To Be. I Want A Lot Of People To Read One Of My Stories And Go, 'that Was Pretty Cool.'

I Love Movies And I Like A Lot Of Good Television. At The End Of The Project, I Don't Care If They Changed [it From The Book], I Just Want To Look At It And Go, "i Loved That. That Really Turned Out Well."

I Stared At Her In Amazement. "how Do You Even Live With Yourself?"..."you're Willing To Sell Children To A Foreign Government So They Can Be Used As Weapons, Possibly Against Other Americans. I Don't Get It. Were You Hiding Behind A Door On Morals And Ethics Day?...you Couldn't Mother Someone If They Shot Five Gallons Of Estrogen Into Your Veins.

We Is Always So Much Better Than I.

I Was Breathless, Talking As Fast As I Could. I Was Afraid If I Stopped Talking, Even For A Second, I’d Start Sobbing Again. “whoa, There.” Fang Smiled And Reached Up, Tracing A Hand Down The Side Of My Face, Winding Strands Of My Hair Around His Fingers. “stop Talking And Let Me Just Tell You How Great It Is To Wake Up Staring At Your Face. Okay?

How Could You Stop Loving Me?

Sometimes A Happy Delusion Is Better Than Grim Reality.

Happy All Life For Ever

Fang Looked At The Newest Bird Kid. Dylan Was An Inch Or Two Taller Than He Was, And Somewhat Heavier Built, Though He Still Had The Long, Lean Look Of A Human-avian Hybrid-you Couldn't Make Bricks Fly.

I Knew How Good Love Could Be -- I Knew It Was The Best Thing I'd Ever Done In My Life -- And Yet Here I Was Alone. I Was Taking Chances With My Life. I Kept Telling Everybody That I Was All Right, But I Wasn't.

Don’t Ever Leave Me Again,” I Said In A Tiny Voice. I Won’t,” He Promised Into My Hair, Sounding Most Un-fang-like. “i Won’t. Not Ever.” And Just Like That, A Cold Shard Of Ice That Had Been Inside My Chest Ever Since We’d Split Up-well, It Just Disappeared. I Felt Myself Relax For The First Time In I Don’t Known How Long. The Wind Was Chilly, But The Sun Was Bright, And My Whole Flock Was Together. Fang And I Were Together. Excuse Me? I’m Alive Too.” Iggy’s Plaintive Voice Made Me Pull Back.

We Went Back To The Weird Institute Building. At Night There Was A Lot More Activity. Erasers Coming In Non-stop. Nice Cars, Nice Clothes, Nice Smug Faces (that I Wanted To Smash!). -fang's Blog

A Lot Of Things That People Think Are Risky, I Don't Think Are Risky. I Don't Get All That. I Think What Was Really Risky For Network Television Was To Let Cable Television To Take The Summers.

I Didn't Think He Was A Robot...but I Did Wonder If His Emotions Had Been Designed Out Of Him. Of Course, With A Guy, How Could I Tell? Ha Ha!

I'm Magnetic," She Whispered, Half Awed And Half Horrified. "i Hope You Don't Start Sticking To Fridges And Stuff," I Said In Disbelief. Fang Dropped Down Next To Me, And The Gasman Joined Us, Squishing In Next To Nudge. "what's Going On?" Fang Asked. "i'm Magnet Girl!" Nudge Said, Already Coming To Terms With Her New Skill.

If Fang Is In Any Way Harmed While I'm Gone-if He Gets A Hangnail-you Won't See Another Morning. Are We Clear On That?

I Won’t Lie To You—it Was Hilarious. Yes, We Were In Trouble, Yes, This Was A Disaster, And So One And So Forth, But I Have To Say, Seeing Those Upturned Faces, The Looks, Was Bout The Best Thing That Happened To Us Since We’d Come To New York.

You Stand Out Like A Fart In A Church.

Max, If You Survive Your Final Test, Can You Steal Me One Of Those Magic Outfits For Me?" I'll Try To Get One For Each Of Us. Hey! 'if'?

You...are...a...frige...with...wings...we...are...freaking...ballet...dancers!

Yes!” Said Fang, Punching The Air. “freaks Rule.

Love Means You Can Never Be Apart.

I'm A Girl Who Has Been Tamping Down Her Emotions And Keeping Them Tightly Guarded Her Whole Life. And That Works Really Well For Me. [...] And Now I Felt Like My Shell Had A Dangerous Crack In It. Without Much More Effort On His Part, It Would Split Wide Open And My Enormous River Of Emotions Would Gush Out - The Bad And The Good. It Was Pretty Much The Scariest Thing I'd Ever Thought Of.

After All, Fnick Is Superman," Said Iggy. "shut Up, Jeff," I Said, But I Was Smiling. I Lifted Iggy's Fingers To My Face So That He Knew.

Save Your World. Love It. Protect It, And Respect It And Don't Let Haters Represent It. Don't Leave The Saving To Anyone Else, Ever, Because, Exhibit A - Why, Hello There - It's Way Too Much For One Person. And If You Want To Skip Out On The Responsibility Train, My Whole Life - And Death - Will Have Been In Vain. It's Yours. It's All Yours For Taking! You're Not Going To Waste It Now, Are You?

I Recommend You Stick To Your Own Species, Shy Babe." P. 155

Max: "okay Guys, I Had A Couple Thoughts I Wanted To Go Over With You." Iggy: (pretends To Snore Loudy) Max: (throws Another Pinecone At Him) Iggy: "quit Throwing Things At Me!" Max: "glad You Could Join Us.

Angel Screeched With Fury And Despair To The Empty Walls Around Her. "i'm Human, Do You Hear Me? It Hurts!

The Act Of Laughing Releases Some Nice Chemical Into Your Brain, You Feel Good And It's Free.

Sometimes He Seems Like A Droid--or A Drone. Fang Of Nine. Fang2-d2.

I Love Nudge, Nudge Is A Great Kid, But That Motormouth Of Hers Could Have Turned Mother Teresa Into An Ax Murderer.

When Are You Going To Trust Me Max?" Asked Fang. "when I Go Completely Bonkers," I Laughed.

Oh No! Don't Drag Us Away From Antartica And Take Us To The Playground Of The Rich And Famous! Not That Briar Patch! -max

I Took A Bite Of Cookie And Chewed. “hmmm,” I Said, Trying Not To Spit Crumbs. “clear Vanilla Notes, Too-sweet Chocolate Chips, Distinct Flavor Of Brown Sugar. A Decent Cookie, Not Spectacular. Still, A Good-hearted Cookie, Not Pretentious.” I Turned To Fang. “what Say You?” “it’s Fine.” Some People Just Don’t Have What It Takes To Appreciate A Cookie.

We Probably Looked Like Starving Orphan Children. Hey! We Were Starving Orphan Children.

The Hardest Part About Parenting Is When I Have To Be The Dad--aka The Fun-sucker--as Opposed To Being A Friend.

When Your Own Romantic Life Is Falling Apart, Everyone Else's Looks Fabulous.

There's A Saying I Remember From My Grandmother: One Today Is Worth Two Tomorrows.

There Was Something I Needed To Say. “sorry. About Before.” Fang Shot A Sideways Glance At Me, His Eyes Dark And Inscrutable, As Always. He Looked Back Out At The Water. I Didn’t Expect Any More Acknowledgment Than That. Fang Never- “you Almost Gave Me A Heart Attack,” He Said Quietly. “when I Saw You, And All That Blood . . .” He Threw A Small Rock As Hard As He Could Down The Beach. “i’m Sorry.” “don’t Do It Again,” He Said. I Swallowed Hard. “i Won’t.” Something Changed Right Then, But I Didn’t Know What.

The Receptionist Looked Us Over, Then Went Back To Typing Something Incredibly Urgent—like Her Résumé́ For Another Job.

Don't Depend On Others To Give You Strength....find It Within Yourself

He Gives My Hand A Tight Squeeze, But That Desperation, That Urgency Between Us Is Gone. No Insecurities. Max And Fang. Fang And Max. No Longer A Question. We Just Are.

Witihin Seconds The Headhunter Had Lost Control Of His Car And It Squealed, Sliding Sideways Right Into Several Other Cars. Cool!' Said The Gasman.

If You Want To Write For Yourself, Get A Diary. If You Want To Write For Your Friends, Get A Blog. If You Want To Write For Others...become An Author.

Fang? Are You- Like Max?" Asked Dr. Martinez. "nope,"he Said, Sounding Bored. "i'm The Smart One." I Resisted The Urge To Kick Him In The Shin.

Reading Is Not Work, Not A Chore, Not A Drudgery; Reading Is The Most Joyful Thing, Yet, In The World.

Walking Over To Iggy, He Poked Him With His Shoe. "does Anysing On You Vork Properly?" Iggy Rubbed His Forehead With One Hand. "well, I Have A Highly Developed Sense Of Irony." Ter Borcht Tsked. "you Are A Liability To Your Group. I Assume You Alvays Hold Onto Someone's Shirt, Yes? Following Dem Closely?" "only When I'm Trying To Steal Their Dessert," Iggy Said Truthfully.

What I'm Really Addicted To Is Getting People To Understand That If Their Kids Aren't Competent Readers Coming Out Of Middle School, It's Really Going To Be Hard For Them In High School.

I Looked Around. As Flock Leader, Everyone Was Expecting Me To Make A Decision. Jeb's Presence Here Would Bring Uncertainty, Chaos, Probably Danger. It Would Perk Up My Day.

I Think E-books Are Terrific In Their Own Right. I Love Being Able To Get On A Plane And Basically Carry Around Seven Books And It Weigh 10 Ounces.

All Genders?' Whispered Nudge. 'aren't There Just The Two' I Shrugged. 'no Idea. Maybe They've Created Others.

Gazzy: (hugging Himself And Jumping Up And Down) "i'm Brilliant! I'm A Genius! I Can Blow Up The World!" Max: (raises Her Eyebrows) Gazzy: "not That I Would Want To, Of Course," (coughs)

I'm A Girl Of Extremes. When I Love Something, I'm Like A Puppy Dog (without All The Licking). When I'm Cranky, I'm A Wasp (like A Whole Hive Of 'em). And When I'm Angry, I'm A Mother Bear With A Predator After Her Cubs: Dangerous.

He Could Totally Be Your Boyfriend," [angel] Went On With Annoying Persistence. "you Guys Could Get Married. I Could Be Like A Junior Bridesmaid. Total Could Be Your Flower Dog.

A Lot Of Writers Fall In Love With Their Sentences Or Their Construction Of Sentences, And Sometimes That's Great, But Not Everybody Is Gabriel Garcia Marquez Or James Joyce. A Lot Of People Like To Pretend That They Are, And They Wind Up Not Giving People A Good Read Or Enlightening Them.

Falling In Love

I Choose You, Max. -fang

Steve Turned To Us Again, Looking So Dang Enthusastic That I Wondered How Much Coffee He'd Had This Morning. "so, You Kids Want To Be Big Stars, Eh?" God, No!" I Said Spewing Crumbs. "no Way!" Oddly, This Seemed To Throw A Petite Wrench Into The Convo.

Tears Were Dripping Onto My Dress, But I Wasn't Making Any Sound. There Was No Sound To Express Thid Kind Of Pain. I Didn't Want To Move, Didn't Want To Do Anything. Fang Was Not Waiting For Me Out In The Living Room. Tomorrow Morning, When I Woke Up, Fang Would Still Be Gone.

I've Been Looking For You A Long Time, I Just Didn't Know It. But Now I Do.

I Knew My Transformation Was Complete When Dr.keyes Asked, "how Are You Feeling Today, Tandy?" And I Responded "i'm Not

In This Family, We Always Celebrate Each Other's Birthdays. I Don't Care If You're Four Or Fourteen Or Forty And Scattered Around The World. We Gotta Stick By Each Other, Okay? And Meals- As Long As You Live Under The Same Roof, You Have At Least One Meal A Day Together. I Don't Care If It's A Dreaded Hot Dog In Front Of The Dastardly Tv As Long As You're All There. -maeve Bennett

Better Readers Are Better Thinkers.

I Did Know That The Book Would End With A Mind-boggling Trial, But I Didn't Know Exactly How It Would Turn Out. I Like A Little Suspense When I Am Writing, Too.

Listen, Street Punk. You're A Guy, And You're A Couple Inches Taller, And Maybe Forty Pounds Heavier, And Ooh, You're In A Gang. But I've Survived Ten Years Of Catholic School, And I Will Cut You Off At Your Knees Without A Blink. Do You Understand?

You Have A Memory Chip That Small Implanted In You,” He Verified. I Nodded, Guessing This Was Somewhat Worse Than Having Cooties.

He Grinned At Me So Unexpectedly I Forgot To Flap For A Second And Dropped Several Feet. "you Looove Me," He Crooned Smugly. Holding His Arms Out Wide, He Added, "you Love Me This Much.

One Of The Interesting Things About Ya Books - I Don't Know About Percy Jackson, But I Do Know About 'twilight' And 'maximum Ride': There Are A Lot Of Adult Readers. In Fact, We Released 'maximum Ride' Both As A Paperback For Kids And As A Mass Release For Adults.

Everything I Loved Was Taken Away From Me, And I Did Not Die.

You Love Me This Much.

I Am Not A Great Prose Stylist. I'm A Storyteller. There Are Thousands Of People Who Don't Like What I Do. Fortunately, There Are Millions Who Do.

I Whirled Around And Saw No One. No Psychotic Mad Scientists, Anyway. "jackpot, Max! Jackpot!" It Was Was Fang, And He Was Giggling Hysterically. For Those Of You Just Joining Us, Fang Doesn't Giggle. Especially Hysterically. So For A Second, This Seemed Like One Of The Weirder Dreams Of Recent Days.

The Best Way To Get Kids Reading More Is To Give Them Books That They'll Gobble Up - And That Will Make Them Ask For Another.

I Have A Number Of Writers I Work With Regularly. I Write An Outline For A Book. The Outlines Are Very Specific About What Each Scene Is Supposed To Accomplish.

I Gave Him A Kick And He Stepped Back Onto The Third Rail. Exploding, Flaming Eraser! This Is Why Moms Tell You To Stay Away From The Third Rail, But It Sure Came In Handy This Time.

Be Calm. Be Zen. You Are Buddha.

What Are They Teaching These Thugs? -why Are There So Many Of Them? -what Is The Institute For Higher Aeronautics? -how Many Of The Are There? There Are Only Six Of Us! Why? -why Is Dc Public Transportation So Weird? -why Don't We Mug Those Eraser Goons For Money More Often? -fang's Blog

What Happened To Your Tan?"--fang "it Was Dirt." --max

"you Were Designed To Be Very Smart, Max," She Told Me. "we Electrically Stimulated Your Synaptic Nerve Endings While Your Brain Was Developing." "and Yet I Still Can't Program My Dvd Player," I Said.

You're My Best Friend, My First And Only Love, And The Most Beautiful Girl I've Ever Seen

Knowledge Is A Terrible Burden. It May Help You, But It Might Also Destroy You.

Actually, I'd Already Briefed Him, Early This Morning. Since We Were Up At Six. Since, At Six, The Nurse Had Been Overcome With The Overwhelming Compulsion To Take Fang's Temperature Right Then.

Some Poeple Just Don't Have What It Takes To Appreciate A Cookie.

You Can Help Each Other, Max, Said The Unwelcome Voice. You're Perfect Complements To Each Other. "shut Up!" I Hissed Under My Breath, And Dylan Looked Startled. "i Didn't Say Anything." Gritting My Teeth, I Nodded. "no, I Know. It's Just-" I Decided To Take A Risk And Stare Him Down. "i Hear Voices, Okay? If You're Gonna Be Here, Get Used To It. Or Else Keep Your Distance.

Never Underestimate The Power Of Funny, It Moves Mountains.

Call Me Crazy, But There's Just Something Cheering About Seeing Huge Raptors Tear Into Eraser Flesh.

Excuse Me? I'm Alive Too.

And There I Was, Pretty As Heck, Brown Eyes, A Few Freckles, Fashion Challenged, And A Bad Attitude. Max Ii.

When Did They Start Coming After You?” “was It—was It After The Oil- Slick Hummer Crash?” The Gasman Asked Iggy Tentatively. My Eyes Widened. Oil-slick Hummer Crash? Iggy Rubbed His Chin, Thinking. “or Maybe It Was More---after The Bomb,” The Gasman Said In A Low Voice, Looking Down. “i Think It Was The Bomb,” Iggy Agreed. “that Definitely Seemed To Tick Them Off.” “bomb?” I Asked Incredulously.

The Whole Duty Of Humanity, From A Christian Perspective Is: 'to Know God And To Show God.'

Just In Case You Thought Elephants Were All Sweetness, I Can Attest To The Fact That This One Had The Time Of Her Life Scaring The Bejeezus Out Of Those Dudes.

If You Love Something Let It Go.. If It Comes Back Its Yours

Love Coming Back

Letting Things Go

Advanced Life-forms, My Seweet Patootie. Jerks. Both Of Them.

I Think Sometimes We Give People A Lot Of Credit Just Because They're Writing Nice Sentences Even If It Isn't Adding Up To Much.

On The Other Hand, Even A Big, '80s Love Van Was Less Noticeable Than Six Flying Kids And Their Talking Dog. So There You Go.

Fang Felt A Cold Jolt, Then Dismissed It. Max Wasn’t Dead. He Would Know, Somehow. He Would Have Felt It. The World Still Felt The Same To Him; Therefore, Max Was Still In It.

Nudge Threw Her Arms Around My Neck. 'i Love You Max! I Love All Of Us Too!' Yeah, Me Too,' Said The Gasman. 'i Don't Care If We Have Our House, Or A Cliff Ledge, Or A Cardboard Box. Home Is Wherever We All Are, Together.

My Name Is Daniel, And This Is The First Volume Of My Life Story, Which, Hopefully, Will Be A Very Long And Distinguished One. Who Should You Read It? Very Good Question. Maybe Because This Is Your Planet, And You Have A Right To Know What's Actually Happening On It.

A Classroom . People Trying To Stick Me In Classrooms Was Becoming As Predictable And Annoying As People Trying To Kill Me, But With Less-fun Results.

Do You Like To Eat Things? -i Love Eating. I List It As A Hobby.

You Love Him So Much It Feels Like You Can't Go On Without Him. You Feel Like You Might Die Without Him.

A Vet! I Started Laughing Weakly And Had To Sit On The Edge Of The Tub. A Vet. Wait Till They Found Out How Appropriate That Was.

Warning If You Dare To Read This Story, You Become Part Of The Experiment

Please, I Begged Silently, Please Do Not Let My Last Moments On Earth Be Me Crammed Into A Tiny Boat In The Dark, Surrounded By Mechanical Singing Pirates.

Oh, My God. It Hit Me Like A Tsunami Then: How Perfect He Was For Me, How He Was Everything I Could Possibly Hope For, As A Friend, Boyfriend - Maybe Even More. He Was It For Me. There Would Be No More Looking. I Really, Really Loved Him, With A Whole New Kind Of Love I'd Never Felt Before, Something That Made Every Other Kind Of Love I'd Ever Felt Just Seem Washed Out And Wimpy In Comparison. I Loved Him With Every Cell In My Body, Every Thought In My Head, Every Feather In My Wings, Every Breath In My Lungs. And Air Sacs.

Here's A Freebie: Don't Play Poker With A Kid Who Can Read Minds.

You...are...a...fridge...with Wings,' Fang Ground Out, Punching An Eraser Hard With Every Word. 'we're...freaking...ballet...dancers.

So Fnick, Can I Change Channel?" Iggy Asked. "there's A Game On." "make Yourself At Home, Figgy." Fang Said.

If My Life Were A Corny Horror Movie, And The Heroine Was Lost And Alone, Trapped In An Underwater Cave, What Would Happen Next? If You Guessed, “she Drops Her Flashlight, And It Hits A Rock And Breaks, Leaving Her In Utter Darkness,” You Would Be Right. But I Bet You Didn’t Guess The Part About An Attack By A Giant Octopus.

Yeah, And So Max And Dylan Are Supposed To, Like, Go To Germany And Have Kids Together," I Heard Gazzy Say. My Eyes Popped Open And I Bolted Upright. "what?" Fang Said, His Voice Icy. "gazzy!" I Yelled. Wide Blue Eyes Looked At Me In Surprise, Then Back At Fang's Stoic Face. "oh. Was I Not Supposed To Say Anything?" Gazzy Asked.

Love Means Never Having To Be Apart

I Was Always A Good Student, But I Didn't Read That Much Until I Was 18 And I Was Working My Way Through College.

Yes, Max, You Are Going To Die. Just Like Everybody Else. Thank You, Confucious.

Bad Stuff Happens. Sometimes It Makes No Sense At All. Sometimes Its Unfair. Sometimes, It Just Plain Sucks. Bad Stuff Happens Sometimes. Always Remember That, But Remember That You Have To Move On Somehow. You Just Pick Your Head Up And Stare At Something Beautiful Like The Sky, Or The Ocean, And You Move The Hell On.

Did You Know That Wasn’t Me, The Other Max?” I Asked. “yeah.” “when?” “right Away.” “how?” I Persisted. “we Look Identical. She Even Had Identical Scars And Scratches. She Was Wearing My Clothes. How Could You Tell Us Apart?” He Turned To Me And Grinned, Making My World Brighter. “she Offered To Cook Breakfast.

I'm Going To Turn Fifteen Tomorrow," I Said, Warming To The Idea. "it's High Time. I Can't Remember When I Turned Fourteen." (said By Max) If You Get To Be Fifteen, Then I Get To Be Fifteen!" Iggy Sounded Indignant. I Looked At Fang. "wanna Be Fifteen?" His Smile Melted Me. "yeah.

Meaning What? We're Going To Pretend Nothing's Going On? That's Stupid. The Only Way To Deal With Any Of This Is To Get It Out In The Open." Have You Been Watching Oprah Again?

Every Once In A While, I'll Have A 'do You Know Who I Am?' Moment, At Least In My Head. I Hate That.

Louisiana, The State Road Maintenance Forgot.

I'm Pretty Sure That If You Looked Up The Word "nuts" In The Dictionary, You'll Find My Picture. Just Another Fun Feature Of My Mutant-birdkid-freak Package.

Once A Bird Kid, Always A Bird Kid. - Maximum Ride Series

We're Famous" Iggy Whispered So Low That Fang Could Barely Hear Him. "so's Swine Flu" Fang Whispered Back.

Maybe, Beauty, True Beauty, Is So Overwhelming, It Goes Straight To Our Hearts.maybe It Makes Us Feel Emotions That Are Locked Away Inside

Stop Trying To Write Sentences And Start Trying To Write Stories.

Why Would You Let [the Tv Audiences] Build A Habit Of Going To The Cable Networks? So I Think They've Obviously Smartened Up Now, And They're Not Giving The Summer To Cable Anymore.

I Grew Up In A House Full Of Women: My Mother, Grandmother, Three Sisters, And Two Female Cats. And I Still Have The Buzz Of Their Conversations In My Head. As An Adult, I Have More Female Friends Than Male Ones: I Just Love The Way That Women Talk.

Can You Giggle While Racing For Your Life And Protecting A Six-year-old? I Can.

Gazzy: "just Ten?" Angel: "no." Gazzy: "five?" Angel: "no.

The Hardest Mysteries To Solve Are The Ones You Come To Near The End, Because There Isn't Enough Evidence, Not Enough To Unravel, Unless Somehow You Can Go All The Way Back To The Beginning - Rewind And Replay Everything.

I Don't Smile As Much As I Should, Even Though I Smile Inside A Lot.

I Want To Know About My Mom. And Other Stuff. I Want To Know The Whole Story, Good Or Bad.” “me, Too,” Said Gazzy. “i Want To Find My Parents So I Can Tell’m What Total Scuzzes They Are. Like, ‘hi, Mom And Dad, You’re Such Scum!

Home Is Wherever We All Are Together.

The Idea For Maximum Ride Come From The Earlier Books Of Mine Called When The Wind Blows And The Lake House, Which Also Feature A Character Named Max Who Escapes From A Quiet Despicable School. Most Of The Similarities End There. Max And The Other Kids In Maximum Ride Are Not The Same Max And Kids Featured In Those Two Books. Nor Do Frannie And Kit Play Any Part In Maximum Ride. I Hope You Enjoy The Ride Anyways.

The Funny Thing About Facing Imminent Death Is That It Really Snaps Everything Else Into Perspective.

I Don't Believe In Making War With Food. Food Is Not The Enemy. Said By Claire In The 5th Horseman

I Love To Tell Stories. It's A Delight For Me.

Denial Is Not Just A River In Egypt.

Is That Clear?" Said Borcht "as Clear As Pea Soup" I Said

I Learnt To Love Reading. And Then I Started Scribbling Stories, And I Liked That Even More.

Love Of Reading

For Many Years I Had Heard About An Underworld Consisting Of People Who Act Out A Vampire Fantasy While I Was Living In New York. Fortunately For Me There Are Also Several Books On The Phenomena.

Ari Smiled. The Sun Was Shining, The Weather Was Great, He Was Eating Ice Cream, And All His Dreams Were About To Come True.

I Dropped My Voice And Stared Into Her Eyes. I Could Tell She Was Trying Hard Not To Look Away. I Was So Furious I Could Have Cheerfully Ripped Her Head Off. "but You're Going To Find Out, Mom,' I Said Very Softly."and It's Gonna Give You Nightmares For The Rest Of Your Wasted Life." Oh, My God, I Was So Badass. It Was All I Could Do To Not Give A Mwa Ha Ha!

I Didn't Know A Van Could Go Up On Two Wheels Like That, For So Long." -nudge

Well, That's An Evil Smile.

Why Was The Blind Guy Playing With Matches, You Ask? Because He's Good At It. Anything To Do With Fire, Igniting Things, Exploding Things, Things With Fuses, Wicks, Accelerants . . . Iggy's Your Man. It's One Of Those Good/bad Things.

You Could Lock The Gasman In A Padded Cell With Some Dental Floss And A Bowl Of Jell-o, And He'd Find A Way To Make Something To Explode.

Time For Bed.” I Held My Fist Out. One By One, My Flock Stacked Theirs On Top, And Then We Headed Up Into The Trees To Sleep The Sleep Of The Innocent. Well, Okay, Maybe Not So Innocent. But The Sleep Of The Much Less Guilty Than Others, For Sure.

Jeb Climbed The Ladder Fang Had Just Lowered And I Indulged In A Moments Fantasy About Someone Slamming The Trapdoor On His Head.”-max

Was This Normalcy-predictable Patterns, The Certainty Of Doing The Same Thing Everyday? Because If So, Normalcy Was About To Make Me Freak Out And Start Screaming.

Total?" I Called. He Looked Up Alertly, Then Ran Over To Me, Small Pink Tongue Hanging Out. Total?" I Said When He Was Close. "can You Talk?" He Flopped Down On The Grass, Panting Slightly. "yeah. So?" Jeezum. I Mean, Mutant Weirdos Are Nothing New To Me, You Know? But A Talking Dog?

Oz Thinks I'm Beautiful," She Whispered To The Stars.

It's The Ciiiiiiiiiiiiircle Of Liiiiiiiiiife!" Iggy Sang

Let's Face It: Most Of Us Don't Realize It, But We Are Failing Our Kids As Reading Role Models. The Best Role Models Are In The Home: Brothers, Fathers, Grandfathers; Mothers, Sisters, Grandmothers. Moms And Dads, It's Important That Your Kids See You Reading. Not Just Books - Reading The Newspaper Is Good, Too.

He [iggy] Started Reaching For Things Around The Table, And His Hand Landed On Total. “you’re Black.” “i Prefer Canine-american,” Said Total.

Gazzy Sniffed The Air. "that's Explosives. It Smells Like Christmas!" Okay, So We've Had Somewhat Untraditional Christmases. With Explosives.

I Hung My Head, And I Felt Someone, Fang, Gather Me Gently To Him. My Cheek Rested On His Shoulder, And My Silent Tears Soaked His Torn Shirt.he Felt Warm And Strong And Heartbreakingly Familiar. And At That Moment, Not A Single Thing In My Life Was Certain, Strong, Or Whole. Nothing. Least Of All Fang.

An Unbearable Smug Look Came Over His Usually Impassive Face."uh-huh. You Just Keep Telling Youself That. You Looove Me." I Took A Swing At Him, But He Jumped Back Nimbly, And All I Did Was Jar My Left Arm, Making It Hurt. He Laughed At Me, Then Pointed At The Woods Ouside The Window."pick A Tree. I'll Go Carve Our Initials In It.

Boy, You Just Can't Kill People Like You Used To.

Other Than My Hundreds Of Arrests I Really Don't Have That Much Experience With The Law. While The Majority Of People Aren't Corrupt, There Certainly Is An Awful Lot Of Corruption In This Country.

The Hamster Called. He Wants His Home Back.

A Boy And A Girl, Fated To Rule All. Two Will Rise, And One Will Fall.

Beware The Anger Of A Patient Man.

But Then We Have To Leave, Have To. It's Always Been That Way, And It Will Always Be That Way, Jane. That's Just.. How It Works

I'd Been Told That He Had Been Created-literally Created-just For Me,as My "perfect Other Half." Let Me Tell You-if Dylan Was My Perfect Other Half, Then I Needed To Give My First Half A Seriouis Look-see.

Did I Want A Dog? No. Did I Need A Dog? Also No. We Were Six Kids Running For Our Lives, Not Knowing Where Our Next Meal Was Coming From. Could We Afford To Feed A Dog? Wait For It—no.

I'm Way Hot," He Muttered. "but I Don't Feel Sick. Just — Way Hot." Fang

There You Have It: Our Lives In A Nutshell. Emphasis On Nut.

Let's Just Say That If These Scientist Had Been Using Their Brilliance For Good Instead Of Evil, Cars Would Run Off Water Vapor And Leave Fresh Compost Behind Them; No One Would Be Hungry; No One Would Be Ill; All Buildings Would Be Earthquake-, Bomb-, And Flood-proof; And The World's Entire Economy Would Have Collapsed And Been Replaced By One Based On The Value Of Chocolate.

Life Is Hard, And A Lot Of People Come Home Tired From Work. If They're Gonna Spend Half An Hour Reading, They Want Some Entertainment And A Sense Of Achievement. So That's What I Give Them. That's All I'm Trying To Do. Is That Really So Wrong?

Trending Author

Steven Morrissey

Jane Bryant Quinn

Category