Words," He Said, "is Oh Such A

I Do Have A Blurred Memory Of Sitting On The Stairs And Trying Over And Over Again To Tie One Of My Shoelaces, But That Is All That Comes Back To Me Of School Itself.

She Might Even Be Your Lovely School-teacher Who Is Reading These Words To You At This Very Moment. Look Carefully At That Teacher. Perhaps She Is Smiling At The Absurdity Of Such A Suggestion. Don't Let That Put You Off. It Could Be Part Of Cleverness. I Am Not, Of Course, Telling You For One Second That Your Teacher Actually Is A Witch. All I Am Saying Is That She Might Be One. It Is Most Unlikely. But--here Comes The Big "but"--not Impossible.

I Have A Passion For Teaching Kids To Become Readers, To Become Comfortable With A Book, Not Daunted. Books Shouldn't Be Daunting, They Should Be Funny, Exciting And Wonderful; And Learning To Be A Reader Gives A Terrific Advantage.

I Think I Have This Thing Where Everybody Has To Think I'm The Greatest.and If They Aren't Completely Knocked Out And Dazzled And Slightly Intimidated By Me, I Don't Feel Good About Myself.

The Writer Walks Out Of His Workroom In A Daze. He Wants A Drink. He Needs It. It Happens To Be A Fact That Nearly Every Writer Of Fiction In The World Drinks More Whisky Than Is Good For Him. He Does It To Give Himself Faith Hope And Courage. A Person Is A Fool To Become A Writer. His Only Compensation Is Absolute Freedom. He Has No Master Except His Own Soul And That I Am Sure Is Why He Does It.