Writing my own stories had always been one of my dreams, but I didn't start until I was 29. I was working in a book warehouse and was assigned to the third floor where all the children's books were. For four and a half years, I spent all day, every day around children's books, and it wasn't long before I fell in love with them.

I am just tired of writing about heroes that we're dragging down to our level, and I want to write about heroes that we want to be.

Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out. You're curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.

To boldly go where no one has gone before

Anita Roddick was amazing. Her presence in a room was full of light, and everything she worked to achieve still resonates now.

The most inspirational man I knew only reached his potential by helping a child reach his.