Delinsky Quotes & Sayings

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

What was it they said about the difference between a lawyer and a bucket of crap being the bucket? — 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

Charlotte Evans was used to feeling grungy. As a freelancer, she traveled on a shoestring, getting stories other writers did not, precisely because she wasn't fussy about how she lived. In the last twelve months, she had survived dust while writing about elephant keepers in Kenya, ice while writing about the spirit bear of British Columbia, and flies while writing about a family of nomads in India. — 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

Wingback chairs had been originally designed to protect their occupants either from drafts or the heat of a fire. — Barbara Delinsky

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

Are you still teaching? — 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

she pulled out her cell and punched in their number, one of the few she knew by heart and the absolute easiest to dial. — Barbara Delinsky

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

Especially at a time when one's life was new, roots helped. — 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

Recalling "Love Games," she returned to the present with a jolt and glanced at the set in time to find the show over for the day. She'd missed it! — 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

You have a fuchsia heart. And a fuchsia heart doesn't die, it simply bides its time, taking a backseat to pragmatism, all while leaking helpless drops of color here and there. Hence, teal gables, turquoise earrings, and saffron scarves. — 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

Thanks to the Betamax and Jason's diligent collection of tapes, she'd even been able to rerun the shows she'd missed while in Haiti. It was her job, she reasoned. And now she'd blown it! — Barbara Delinsky

gentle curves that had not been — Barbara Delinsky

I go to farmers' markets all the time. Field-to-table is so my thing. But none of the herbs at any of them comes close to island herbs. Those herbs make Quinnie food- well, those herbs and freshness. Quinnipeague was growing organic and cooking local before farm-to-table was a movement, but, still, we think of the herbs first. I can't write about island cooking without talking about them, but I can't not talk about the people, either. That's where you come in, Charlotte. You've eaten Dorey Jewett's lobster stew and Mary Landry's clam fritters, and you always loved the fruit compote that Bonnie Stroud brought to the Fourth of July dinner each year. These people are all still around. Each has a story. I want to include some in the book, but I'm better at writing about food than people. — 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

tattoos are like bumper stickers in some respects. Their wearers want to tell the world something. — 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

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

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

clients. They're always there. You do have to worry, and look at the practice you've built. Give me a rundown on today's list." Casey could count on Brianna to boost her morale. "Two phobias, the low self-esteem, three adjustment disorders, and one panic attack. — Barbara Delinsky

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

Don't touch," she cautioned as she had before. She pulled her mind back down. "I'm fine. — 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

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

There, on the far side of of the Atlantic, would be Maine, but despite the shared ocean, her island and this one were worlds apart. Where Inishmaan was gray and brown, its fragile man-made soil supporting only the hardiest of low-growing plants, the fertile Quinnipeague invited tall pines in droves, not to mention vegetables, flowers, and improbable, irrepressible herbs. Lifting her head, eyes closed now, she breathed in the damp Irish air and the bit of wood smoke that drifted on the cold ocean wind. Quinnipeague smelled of wood smoke, too, since early mornings there could be chilly, even in summer. But the wood smoke would clear by noon, giving way to the smell of lavender, balsam, and grass. If the winds were from the west, there would be fry smells from the Chowder House; if from the south, the earthiness of the clam flats; if from the northeast, the purity of sweet salt air. — Barbara Delinsky

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

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

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

Remember the first time you ever came? Tell the truth. You were dreading it."
His brown eyes laughed warmly. "What wasn't to dread? A godforsaken island in the middle of the Atlantic-"
"It's only eleven miles out."
"Same difference. If it didn't have a hospital, it wasn't on my radar screen."
"You thought there'd be dirt roads and nothing to do."
He gave a wry chuckle. Between lobstering, clamming, and sailing, then movie nights at the church and mornings at the cafe, not to mention dinners at home, in town, or at the homes of friends, Nicole had kept him busy.
"You loved it," she dared.
"I did," he admitted. "It was perfect. A world away. — Barbara Delinsky

Mothering is precarious. You try to do the right thing - you think you have - then wham. — Barbara Delinsky

Listen to me, Dad. When Dylan's first cornea went bad, I grieved for the perfect child he should have been. I told myself that the diagnosis was wrong. I bargained with God - you know, make his eyes right and I'll do anything. When that didn't work I was absolutely furious that my child had to face this. In the end I had no choice. I had to accept it, because that was the only way I could help Dylan." She straightened. "Grieving is a process. Anger is part of it." She paused. "Right now, you're angry that Mom left you alone. But you're taking it out on Jill and me, and we both need you. You can drink all you want - — Barbara Delinsky

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

Aim high, hit high. — 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

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

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

What she did have, after raising two children, was the equivalent of a PhD in mothering and my undying respect. — 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

There were ones with garden supplies and ones with health supplies, but neither offered anything remotely appropriate. There — Barbara Delinsky

Out. He watched her when they were at Kate's tennis — Barbara Delinsky

Turning off the machines is a technicality. Her mind is already gone. Her spirit lingers, but it's tied to her bed because we are. If we want it free, we have to do this for her." Molly heard an echo of her father and saw no inconsistency. Yes, Robin's soul was in heaven. Her spirit, though, was different. It was the part of her that lived on in everyone she left behind. In that regard, what Kathryn said made sense. — 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

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

Parents do bear some of the responsibility if they don't talk to their kids, are never around, even deny their kids the love that young girls often crave when they decide to have a baby. — 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

Her husband's voice. He has abused her verbally for so many years that she actually hears him yelling at her. It sends her into a tizzy." "Has she reached the stage where she knows that he isn't really there?" Brianna asked. "Intellectually, yes. Emotionally, no. There are times when she's paralyzed by it. — Barbara Delinsky

She relived the frantic shopping and packing, the last teary gatherings with friends, the fear of a faceless roommate, the terror of academic failure. She also relived the excitement, because, in hindsight, going to college had been the single most pivotal point in her life. — 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

Nicole craved sweets. Her list included peach pie, rhubarb pie, and pumpkin pie, all of which would be on hand the following week for the Fourth of July cookout on the bluff, so she knew Quinnie cooks would have their recipe cards nearby. In addition to pies, she wanted recipes for blueberry cobbler, apple crisp, molasses Indian pudding, Isobel Skane's chocolate almond candy, and, of course, Melissa Parker's marble macadamia brownies. — 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

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

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

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

Wolves go after a wounded deer, it is the nature of the beast. — Barbara Delinsky

one of the worst things about electronic communication. Lacking facial expression, tone of voice, or context, words could be taken any number of ways. With only one cryptic word now, I was discouraged. — 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