Barbara Delinsky Quotes & Sayings

Then J.D. appeared at the door. He was alone. She found Sam's eyes. They were filled with defeat. She was about to go to him when his face suddenly brightened. Glancing toward J.D., she saw Michael come up from behind. He was wearing a new blazer and slacks, looking adorable and terribly grown-up. Annie felt a great swelling fullness inside as Sam excused himself and strode across the room. He stopped several yards from Michael and waited. Annie stopped, too, with her heart in her throat. Michael didn't once take his eyes from Sam. He blinked and swallowed. In a flash of Annie's memory, he was a scared little boy on his first bicycle, with Sam calling, "You can do it, Mike. Give a push off, then pedal. That's it. Good boy. Keep going. You've got it." With the videocam in one hand and his eyes filled with sudden determination, he walked forward. That was all Sam needed. He met the boy halfway in a hearty hug. "I'd just about given up hope. — Barbara Delinsky

She's my mother. I'm not sure you get the same kind of unconditional love in your life from anyone but a mother. — Barbara Delinsky

What about me, Peter?" "You can cook. You can clean. You can be waiting here for me when I get home. I'd think that would be enough." "Well, it's not! — Barbara Delinsky

poured himself into his work — Barbara Delinsky

Still there were times, as Jill whirled through her final preparations, when Emily stood watching her, wondering where the years had gone, wishing them back. — Barbara Delinsky

No mother loves her children the same. Each one is different. — Barbara Delinsky

MICHAEL WAS STILL FILMING. HE HAD ALREADY used up two cartridges recording the nervousness in the waiting room and was working on the third. Things were getting monotonous. But he kept filming. It was either that or fall asleep, and he refused to fall asleep. He didn't care if it was four in the morning, he wasn't missing the birth of Leigh's baby. Of course, it might have been nice if they'd let him into the delivery room with Leigh and Jon. Videographers did that all the time. Okay, so he had a cold. Wasn't that what dentist's masks were for? — Barbara Delinsky

The people who get places in life are the ones who stay ahead of the game. — Barbara Delinsky

Clear water sped over rocky clusters whose colors ran from ivories to mossy greens, blues and grays. Though clouds covered the sun, the sway of dappling evergreens gave the water sparkle. — Barbara Delinsky

I believe in growth - in myself and in the characters I create. — Barbara Delinsky

Always a sucker for blue eyes, she was relieved to be released. — Barbara Delinsky

No, I don't need to do this, she thought. This isn't what I want. I want my mother. The thought startled her, but she couldn't shake it. She wanted Marjorie - wanted to pour out her heart and cry in the arms of the one person whose job it was to listen. It didn't matter how old or how independent Kathryn was. She needed her mother. — Barbara Delinsky

life isn't black or white. There isn't only one picture that's perfect. It's about piecing together shades of gray to make something quite stunning. And the picture shifts. That's another Dad-ism. Remember his sea shadows? Each time the shadow moves, there's a new image. Only sometimes those clouds are stuck up there, so we're the ones who have to move to see it. — Barbara Delinsky

Choices are easy when you have nothing to lose. — Barbara Delinsky

Are you still teaching? — Barbara Delinsky

Barbara, you have done it again! Sweet Salt Air is a fabulous story of friendship, betrayal, courage and love with family and friends. Having been raised in Maine, she writes 'to the T, in describing beautiful and simple lives on a Maine Island. — Barbara Delinsky

Each of my books is different from the last, each with its own characters, its own setting, its own themes. As a writer, I need the variety. I sense my readers do, too. — Barbara Delinsky

Smile. "It's growing old that's painful. That's when reality hits. You find yourself with special memories that have nowhere to go and dreams that will never be fulfilled, and it doesn't matter how whimsical or impossible those dreams were. While they were yours, they were lovely." She sighed. "At my age, there isn't much point left in dreaming. That's the painful part. — Barbara Delinsky

won't go any farther than my plants unless the rest of the place is exciting, which right now it is not." When the phone started to slip, she pushed it back up and began on the Ficus lyrata. "They're planning to renovate and remerchandise, and all of that's actually starting in two weeks, but then they had this, quote unquote, brilliant idea that I should — Barbara Delinsky

Some women are born with an instinct for knowing how things work - and what to do when they break. — Barbara Delinsky

It feels like forever, like he's lived through the same things as me, like our lives ran parallel for years until last week, when they finally intersected and fused. — Barbara Delinsky

She shifted in her chair, eyeing her front door with trepidation as she began to wonder if something might be wrong. What if he'd been hurt somewhere - if he'd been in an automobile accident or, more bizarre but nonetheless — Barbara Delinsky

Pain is pain. You have a right to feel it. — Barbara Delinsky

A SIZEABLE LEGACY HE LEFT her. It was a legacy of beautiful memories, of love and passion, of desire and ecstasy, of nearness and the myriad means of communication two lovers could find. It was a legacy of experience, both private and public, personal and professional, encompassing all she'd learned from their brief liaison. It was a legacy of pain, of hurt and heartache, of humiliation and distrust, of frustration and disillusionment, of the sheer hell of a loneliness made worse by comparison with what might have been. And, finally, there was the small gold heart she wore constantly, ruby-eyed and shining, a poignant reminder of that part of her own heart which was, now and forever, lost. — Barbara Delinsky

And so it went. Smiling, Annie might have liked to freeze the moment in time. These three, so precious to her, were in synch with each other. There was a feeling of excitement and hope. — Barbara Delinsky

And then - the kicker - they were cousins. Casey suspected she would forever feel protective of Meg, and that wasn't a bad thing. — Barbara Delinsky

returned to the typewriter, angrily erasing and correcting each mistake she'd made, desperately wishing she could as easily wipe out her mental image of the man in her carriage house. — Barbara Delinsky

If you want to disappear, Emily, you can do it most anywhere. — Barbara Delinsky

It's a girl!" he cried, and stood there, not quite knowing what to do, until the others crowded around him, hugging him, hugging each other, laughing, crying, asking questions. A girl. Michael should have known. "How big is she?" "Who does she look like?" "How's Leigh?" "When can we see them?" The babbling continued nonstop until, shortly thereafter, Jon was allowed to carry his daughter into the hall just outside the delivery room, where the Popewells waited excitedly. — Barbara Delinsky

You'll always be with me, Mom. Kind of like Jordan's perennials. Every year, something'll bloom in my life to remind me of you. It'll always be different, never the same, but it'll be good. Love lasts. — Barbara Delinsky

Falling short of self-destructive, her apathy toward the potential hazard was, given her internal upheaval, not unusual. Only later would she look back on her attitude as irresponsible; only later would she understand that she must have wanted something, anything to happen, to prove to herself that some part of her was still alive. — Barbara Delinsky

How to describe what she felt as she stood at the head of an all-new cobblestone drive looking at the rebuilt facade of what had once been a weary old Cape? There was relief that the hard work was done, and surprise - always surprise - that everything had come together so well. There was also a sense of ownership. Caroline hadn't asked to be the mouthpiece of the show, but after nearly ten years as host, it was her baby as much as anyone's. Gut — Barbara Delinsky

Home development is about wishful thinking. It's about capturing a dream. — Barbara Delinsky

What made a friend a best friend? Did it have to be someone who knew your people, who shared your life outlook or your views on religion or politics? Could it just be someone who could talk and listen and commiserate? — Barbara Delinsky

tall, dark-haired guy — Barbara Delinsky

Organ donation is the stuff of which dreams are made," he began. "Literally. In a given year, there may be 4,000 people waiting for 2,000 donated hearts, and 4,000 people waiting for 1,000 donated lungs. Livers? Probably 18,000 people will wait, 6,000 will get, and another 2,000 will die waiting. And the numbers are even higher when we talk about kidneys - 60,000 people waiting, 15,000 getting, 4,000 dying while they wait. By the way, the survival rate for these transplants is impressive, often up in the 85 percent range. — Barbara Delinsky

My writing style has changed dramatically over the years, growing increasingly clean and exact. I like to think that I'm still improving
that each book I write is a new personal best. — Barbara Delinsky

Rain didn't make things messy. People did that all on their own. — Barbara Delinsky

gentle curves that had not been — Barbara Delinsky

She spent the afternoon typing up notes, answering readers' questions, and blogging about a new online source for organic cinnamon and nutmeg, either of which she could have used for testing the island recipe for Indian Pudding that afternoon. Both spices were produced from a tropical evergreen that, Cecily's miracles notwithstanding, did not grow on Quinnipeague, but since Indian pudding was a prized dessert here, Nicole refused to leave it out. Typically, Quinnie Indian Pudding called for cider molasses made from island apples. The recipe she had been given listed bottled molasses, which she supposed made sense, given its wider availability, though the taste wasn't quite the same. She made a mental note to ask Bev Simone about her supply of the real stuff. — Barbara Delinsky

Her ticket to freedom lay in her lap. Ever an avid reader, Annie had escaped into books in recent months, when all else failed to calm her. As a friend, a book had advantages over the human variety. It was there whenever she needed it, it vanished as easily, and it never asked questions, expected witty replies, made awkward suggestions, or otherwise overcompensated for its own inability to right the wrongs of the world. — Barbara Delinsky

Sam snapped his fingers and crooked a finger his way. "Get over here, Michael. This is your niece." Michael joined the group. His gait was slightly unsteady, though not because of any lingering effects of the accident. Those were pretty much gone. He intended to be point guard this year, and he intended to be a starter. No, the shakiness had to do with the sense of witnessing awesome things in the here and now. Without a thought to the camcorder, he stared down at the baby. — Barbara Delinsky

I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers tell me that they identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not- so-everyday challenges. And believe me, I love readers like you to bits. I've built my career one reader at a time. I owe a dept of gratitude to you all! — Barbara Delinsky

Every woman feels. It just takes the right man to make things combust. — Barbara Delinsky

matter that the robe was pure silk and had cost a fortune, their daughter wouldn't be caught dead in anything — Barbara Delinsky

Inviting viewers along with her chin, she started to walk. Talk came easily. She hadn't expected that, when she stumbled into this role, but she and the camera had become friends. "It's been six months since we began work on the small Cape that Rob and Diana LaValle put in our care. They needed more space, but since — Barbara Delinsky

To wear every day, not big things that are only for dress." Another pause. "Yes, they were very expensive, but expensive doesn't make them right. I buy costume jewelry that I love, and I wear it all the time, because — Barbara Delinsky

So where does that leave me? I like hosting the show ... It's become my identity. If that's gone, where am I? — Barbara Delinsky

Concentrating when it's the hardest is what builds character — Barbara Delinsky

Quinnipeague in August was a lush green place where inchworms dangled from trees whose leaves were so full that the eaten parts were barely missed. Mornings meant 'thick o' fog' that caught on rooftops and dripped, blurring weathered gray shingles while barely muting the deep pink of rosa rugosa or the hydrangea's blue. Wood smoke filled the air on rainy days, pine sap on sunny ones, and wafting through it all was the briny smell of the sea. — Barbara Delinsky

In plotting a book, my goal is to raise the stakes for the characters and, in so doing, keep the reader mesmerized. — Barbara Delinsky

Mother-daughter disagreements were, in hindsight, basically mother stating the truth and daughter taking her own sweet time coming around. — Barbara Delinsky

June would always be Charlotte's favorite month on Quinnipeague. She loved the frothy roil of the sea as it recovered from a day of rain, and in those early mornings, before the fog lifted and sun warmed the island, there was nothing, nothing better than a wood fire, wool socks, and hot chocolate made from scratch. — Barbara Delinsky

OLIVIA DIDN'T WANT TO SEE SIMON. She didn't know how to deal with what she felt. It was raw physical attraction with no emotional link, and it was totally wrong at — Barbara Delinsky

The question was whether James would love me if I was someone else. — Barbara Delinsky

Too often, I've seen instances where we have an idea of what we want to be, where we want to go, and with whom - before life steps in the way, throws something at us that is beyond our control, and changes everything. — Barbara Delinsky

Except she wasn't Vicki Bell anymore. She was Vicki Bell Beaudry, owner of the Red Fox with her husband, Rob, whose family was nearly as rooted in Bell Valley as the Bell family was, hence a questionable welcome there, too. — Barbara Delinsky

Cinematographers couldn — Barbara Delinsky

No, Jack Ramsey didn't look like a spa person. He lifted weights. Tom couldn't imagine him in an aerobics class, much less wrapped in seaweed. — Barbara Delinsky

Every man wants love, if he can get past the fear of exposure. — Barbara Delinsky

Dorey says the key to chowder is letting the ingredients cure in the pot for a day before dishing it up, which is counterintuitive since fried clams are best right after they're dug. Personally, I think it's the chives in the chowder." Pensive, she studied her empty bowl. "Or the bacon. Or the parsley." Her eyes rose. "Maybe it's just the butter. Since Dorey's chowder is Maine style, more milk than cream, the butter shines. — Barbara Delinsky

French toast? Frittata?
Definitely frittata.
Leaving the table again, she transferred a small packet from freezer to fridge. It was salmon, home-smoked on the island and more delicious than any she had ever found elsewhere. Smoked salmon wasn't Cecily's doing, but the dried basil and thyme she took from the herb rack were. Taking a vacuum-sealed package of sun-dried tomatoes from the cupboard, she set it on the counter beside the herbs. Frittata, hot biscuits, and fruit salad. With mimosas. And coffee. That sounded right. Eaten out on the deck maybe?
No, not on the deck, unless the prevailing winds turned suddenly warm.
They would eat here in the kitchen, with whatever flowers the morning produced. Surely more lavender. A woman could never have enough lavender- or daylilies or astilbe, neither of which should bloom this early, but both of which had looked further along than the lavender, yesterday morning, so you never knew. — Barbara Delinsky

Annie took his hand. She kissed it and held it to the pulse point at her neck. She didn't speak. Words would have been an intrusion on what was happening between them. She could almost see the tiny ends of the soul-wire that had been severed in October, winding around each other, knotting, connecting in a way that she doubted would ever again come undone. That was how she wanted it. — Barbara Delinsky

the kind. He had given Sarah this robe three birthdays ago. It was one — Barbara Delinsky

Percodan. One every four hours for pain. P. Demery, M.D." So the directions read, and Ryan had no problem with them. What he did have problem with was the fact that the prescription was made out to an R. Hart and came from a pharmacy in Chicago. — Barbara Delinsky

The good news was that the newspaper he had ordered was right at his door as promised. The bad news was that he had forgotten to buy milk for his breakfast. So he dumped the cereal back into the box, swept the overflow into the sink, and put second best, a bagel, into the toaster while he read the paper. He was barely past the first page when the toaster started to smoke. He pushed up the handle; the bagel stayed down. Smoke continued to curl toward the ceiling, setting off the fire alarm. Swearing broadly, he silenced it by knocking it down with the handle of the mop that had come in so handy the night before. — Barbara Delinsky

That," he added before she could, "because someone needs to be around here to buy the food and see to the house and the kids." He patted the air. "I know that, Sarah. I'm the first one to say that your role is as important as mine, it's just that the demands are different." He put a hand on the back of his neck. — Barbara Delinsky

As I plotted 'Blueprints,' I realized that ageism against women is most obvious in the field of entertainment - and that I needed a TV show in my book. — Barbara Delinsky

plants and containers that I know will work in their rooms. Mayer's?" Snorting, she tucked the phone between shoulder and ear; holding the bucket with both hands, she tipped it toward the Ficus benjamina. "Mayer's doesn't do that, but they want to, because their business is static right now. They want me to move right in there and be the centerpiece of their store, and, you know, it might work. I could bring people in, only they won't go any farther than my plants unless the rest of the place is exciting, which right now it is not." When the phone started to slip, she pushed it back up and began on the Ficus lyrata. "They're — Barbara Delinsky

She distracted him by pulling her gift for him out from under the bed. It was two-tiered and beautifully wrapped, with an exquisite card she had made herself - she was an artist, after all. He read the message inside, felt a catch in — Barbara Delinsky

He had given Sarah this robe three birthdays ago. It was one of the few gifts he had given her that she actually used. He — Barbara Delinsky

Is it harder to dream about what you don't have, than to live in fear of losing what you do? — Barbara Delinsky

Putting an elbow on the drafting table and her chin in her palm, she simply looked at him. She wasn't angry. To the contrary. She had her lips pressed together; she was clearly trying not to smile - and he loved this about her, this good nature. Of course, that didn't solve his current problem. "You think this is funny?" he asked. "Actually," the corner of her mouth — Barbara Delinsky

Clams served on Quinnipeague were dug from the from the flats hours before cooking, and the batter, which was exquisitely light, held bits of parsley and thyme. Other fried clams couldn't compare. — Barbara Delinsky

She thought about this. She had analyzed it in depth. When you live alone, travel alone, exist solely on the outskirts of other people's lives, you do have time to wonder why what you want most in life is out of reach. You also have the time to tell yourself that you don't want it at all, though whether you can ever be completely convinced is something else. — Barbara Delinsky

But you don't know what I want, do you. You formed an idea of who I am and What I do, and you've woven that idea in your life. You may listen to my words, but you don't hear my thoughts. You don't hear my needs. You don't see me. You haven't seen me in years. — Barbara Delinsky

Tom was not. "Seems to me," he said, "that she's at her drawing board evenings more than she's watching TV, and that you're the one who uses the sitting room for — Barbara Delinsky

I swear, the cats did know me. They came without pause, — Barbara Delinsky

Tonight?" Hope asked. — Barbara Delinsky

wanting her parents' approval, needing to think she was making them proud. Parents held a remarkable power over their children. It didn't matter how old those children grew, or how distant in their everyday lives. They received messages from their parents from the moment of birth. Those messages were nearly as deeply etched on the psyche as hair, eyes, and height in the genes. — Barbara Delinsky

Waking up Thursday morning to another dreary day and the sense of being physically stuffed, they focused on FISH. While Charlotte interviewed the postmaster about the origin, techniques, and ingredients for his best-in-Maine lobster bakes, Nicole set off to gather recipes for glazed salmon, baked pesto haddock, and cod crusted with marjoram, a minted savory unique to Quinnipeague, and sage. — Barbara Delinsky

The important part of growing older was the growing part. Resisting change meant forever standing still, which was a sad way to live. — Barbara Delinsky

You don't seem it." "I am happy." "But you've just given me all the reasons I don't need to have — Barbara Delinsky

What do I love most? Working with words. Words in a sentence are like pieces of a puzzle; you try out a whole bunch, then turn them this way and that until they fit into the whole. Creating flow is crucial. There's nothing like the moment when, after working and reworking a sentence, everything falls into place, and you know that it's right. What I do love least? Touring. It's grueling, time-consuming, and lonely. — Barbara Delinsky

Whether she was writing to tell her followers about a local cheesemaker, a new farm-to-table restaurant, or what to do with an exotic heirloom fruit that was organically produced and newly marketed, she spent hours each day scouring Philadelphia and the outlying towns for material. — Barbara Delinsky

Being friends is different from being lovers. It's a sea change. — Barbara Delinsky

That's the dilemma with family. When it comes to our parents, we're always children. At what point do we grow up? They raise us to function as individuals, but when do they allow us to act independently? — Barbara Delinsky

She scrunched herself around the tickling and giggled. It was a heavenly sound. He moved the bunny back, hopped it forward, tickled her again. The giggling was precious, both in its lack of guile and its spontaneity. He was amazed at how easily it had come. — Barbara Delinsky

Strangely, he wasn't in the mood to look at files and papers. Not with Heather Cole to look at. For that matter, even the journals might have fallen short - a shocking thought, but one he wasn't about to analyze at the moment. I wasn't sure you'd be here, and — Barbara Delinsky

What's the difference between a dead dog in the road and a dead lawyer in the road? There are skid marks in front of the dog. — Barbara Delinsky

Confrontation is what happens when you are less than honest and you get caught. — Barbara Delinsky

Aim high, hit high. — Barbara Delinsky

Wildness in animals is a curious thing to us humans. Isn't that why people watch Animal Planet? Escape. Maybe that's why we watch. Animal behavior is elemental. It takes us back to a simpler time. — Barbara Delinsky

Did you hear about the lawyer hurt in a crash? An ambulance stopped suddenly. — Barbara Delinsky

More space for their clothes. I can't tell you how many times I've had nowhere to hang a single damn suit because a woman's closet was so stuffed. Hire a closet planner. She'll think you're brilliant." "She hired one herself a few years back. I need something she hasn't thought of herself. — Barbara Delinsky

Life is like a game of cards. It deals you different hands at different times. You don't have that old hand anymore, ... Look at what you have now. — Barbara Delinsky

I had nothing to fear from my father.
Except his disappointment.
Which was no small thing. — Barbara Delinsky

Love was such a complex emotion, so overpowering and all-consuming. Love conquered all, the old saying went. — Barbara Delinsky

There is no point in doing something unless you do it well. — Barbara Delinsky

But wasn't a best friend also someone you could trust not to hurt you? I had hurt Vicki, yet here she was, opening her home and heart to me again. So maybe being a best friend entailed the ability to forgive. — Barbara Delinsky