I think most writers will say that at the start of each book they think, ‘I’m not sure I can do this.’ But eventually, you reach a magical point where the story suddenly becomes real to you, and you become totally invested in it. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
I think younger readers connect so readily to animal characters because they share a certain vulnerability, particularly when it comes to adult humans, who can be a rather unpredictable lot. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
One of my first paid gigs was writing psychology quizzes for ‘YM,’ a monthly teen magazine like ‘Seventeen.’ K. A. Applegate Read Quote
I think we have a real obligation when we do have animals in captivity to understand their needs and to care for them as well as we can. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
I was writing at a really young age, but it took me a long time to be brave enough to become a published writer, or to try to become a published writer. It’s a very public way to fail. And I was kind of scared, so I started out as a ghost writer, and I wrote for other series, like Disney ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Sweet Valley’ and books like that. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
That penetrating gaze, that intelligence; it’s hard not to be anthropomorphic when you’re looking at a great ape – at any primate – but especially with gorillas. They’re just so magnificent. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
I hate to witness animals in captivity – or see circus elephants paraded down the streets. When animals are caged, it’s a loss of what they are. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
At the end of the day, I’d love to see children stop begging their parents to go to the circus. That’s what would make me most happy. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
I tend to write short, brief snippets – I lean toward the chamber music end as opposed to the symphony end of things. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
Gorillas may seem terrifying because of their bodies, but they are really magnificent and very gentle. K. A. Applegate Read Quote
