When I was a child and teenager I read whenever I had the opportunity, but since then I have found it hard to read as much as I would like, children, work, and pets all providing powerful incentives to escape into a book and a practical reason why I rarely do so.- Louise Brown
When dad told me Mr Steptoe had passed away, I broke down.
Then I obviously didn't understand what it all meant, but I do now.
The young women in my classes are feisty and clever and believe, often with the passion of youthful optimism, that feminism is a battle already won. I worry for them - and for my daughters, too.
The richest most meaningful stories are found in small places: made, carried, crafted, told, and retold by apparently unimportant people.
The importance and influence of books on me has been cumulative: the result of hearing and reading lots of stories about interesting people and places.
The Dancing Girls of Lahore was offered to dozens of British publishers and was turned down by everyone. It is still on offer in the U.K., but I am not confident there will be any takers.
Sometimes I like to play the soundtracks to famous musicals so we can all sing along. South Pacific is one of my favorites. Our neighbors must hate us.
Remember that what you have is unique because it's your own special way of looking at the world.
Reading is my greatest luxury.
People still come up to me and ask whether I am Louise Brown or if they've seen me somewhere else before.
Never give up. And most importantly, be true to yourself. Write from your heart, in your own voice, and about what you believe in.
Much of my reading time over the last decade and a half has been spent reading aloud to my children. Those children's bedtime rituals of supper, bath, stories, and sleep have been a staple of my life and some of the best, most special times I can remember.
It took a brave editor in the U.S. to sign a contract for Dancing Girls, and without her belief in the book, I am not sure it would ever have found its way into print.
If you can't return a favor, pass it on.
