Ashley Stein

“I was banished,” said Reven proudly.

“What for?” Elfwyn pressed.

“The king said I was anathema.”

“He doesn’t like athemas?”

“Anathema means, like, accursed,” said Jinx. “Probably it was for robbing people.”
― Sage Blackwood, Jinx

“Who was he?” “A magician who took me in after I left the Bone-master. On his good days, he tried to teach me everything he knew.” “What about his bad days?” “On his bad days, he generally thought he was an onion.” “That’s awful,” said Jinx. “No, it’s not. What was awful was when he thought he was a potato masher.” “Oh.” “He always said to me, ‘Mildred, one day this will all be yours.’” Simon made a wide gesture, encompassing books, cats, and the door to Samara. “Er, he called you Mildred?” “Often as not.” “Maybe he really meant to leave everything to Mildred,” said Jinx. “If she ever shows up, we’ll talk,” said Simon. “But I think she may have been a dog he once had.”
― Sage Blackwood, Jinx's Magic

“because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is ‘you like stuff.’ Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness’.”
― John Green

“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”
― Dr. Seuss