95 Quotes & Sayings By Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is a BAFTA-winning children's author best known for the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling Princess Academy series. In addition to writing for children, she is also a children's book editor and a blogger, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and on NPR.com. Shannon lives in Colorado with her husband and two sons.

You are my butterfly and refuse to set you free.
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You are my butterfly and refuse to set you free. Shannon Hale
You're better than seven years of food. You're better than...
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You're better than seven years of food. You're better than windows. You're even better than the sky. Shannon Hale
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They finished laughing and caught their breaths, and looked at each other, and Ani thought Geric looked at her too long, as though he forgot he was looking, as though he did not wish to do anything else. She looked back. Her took heart took its time quieting down. Shannon Hale
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I keep thinking about a tale my nurse used to read to me about a bird whose wings are pinned to the ground. In the end, when he finally frees himself, he flies so high he becomes a star. My nurse said the story was about how we all have something that keeps us down. Shannon Hale
What she had long believed was not true, and now...
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What she had long believed was not true, and now the world was wide open to discover what was. It is like all my life I thought the sky was green. Shannon Hale
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I do like the world quite a lot. Shannon Hale
I don't know how you persist in being so stubborn-
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I don't know how you persist in being so stubborn-"" It's a superpower. I was bitten by a radioactive mule. Shannon Hale
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Yes, we'll yell, 'Help, help us, goose girl, and bring the terrifying legion of warrior geese'. Shannon Hale
You saw my leg?
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You saw my leg?"" How can a man help what he sees?" he said. "And, if I could add, you possess a very fine leg. Shannon Hale
Razo hopped back up and adopted a posture that said...
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Razo hopped back up and adopted a posture that said he was completely unruffled, never had been, and in fact was ready to do something manly like lift boulders or swallow live worms. Shannon Hale
He smiled in a way that made me want to...
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He smiled in a way that made me want to kiss him right on the spot. Or the lips. Whichever was closer. Shannon Hale
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What are you doing?" "Ya! " said Jane, whirling around, her hands held up menacingly. It was Mr. Nobley with coat, hat, and cane, watching her with wide eyes. Jane took several quick (but oh so casual) steps away from Martin's window. "Um, did I just say, 'Ya'?" "You just said 'Ya, '" he confirmed. "If I am not mistaken, it was a battle cry, warning that you were about to attack me. I, uh.." She stopped to laugh. "I wasn't aware until this precise and awkward moment that when startled in a startled in a strange place, my instincts would have me pretend to be a ninja. Shannon Hale
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I'm not bossy - I just happen to be more capable than most everyone else. Shannon Hale
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I'm Razo, a member of Bayern's Own, " he said, stopping himself from adding "Loafing is just a hobby of mine."" Bayern's Own? But you're a child." Razo looked up to the sky. "I'm not a child, I'm just short. Shannon Hale
There's nothing more aggravating in the world than the midnight...
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There's nothing more aggravating in the world than the midnight sniffling of the person you've decided to hate. Shannon Hale
Mama used to say, you have to know someone a...
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Mama used to say, you have to know someone a thousand days before you can glimpse her soul. Shannon Hale
Look no farther than your hand, Make a choice and...
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Look no farther than your hand, Make a choice and take a stand. Shannon Hale
There you go...let it all slide out. Unhappiness can't stick...
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There you go...let it all slide out. Unhappiness can't stick in a person's soul when it's slick with tears. Shannon Hale
I'm a terrible prince. I should put my kingdom first...
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I'm a terrible prince. I should put my kingdom first and everything else second, but your first. I want you by my side every second, but I know I would crumble if I lost you. Shannon Hale
... fantasy is not practice for what is real–fantasy is...
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... fantasy is not practice for what is real–fantasy is the opiate of women. Shannon Hale
Sometimes my fancy gets to floating inside me, threatening to...
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Sometimes my fancy gets to floating inside me, threatening to carry me away like a leaf on a wind. Better to be a stone. Shannon Hale
I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this....
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I wonder if everyone who faces death hurts like this. It's as though for the first time I realize how much just being alive makes my body ache. But I don't want that ache to stop. Shannon Hale
Being a writer is a good, good thing.
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Being a writer is a good, good thing. Shannon Hale
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The rewrites are a struggle right now. Sometimes I wish writing a book could just be easy for me at last. But when I think about it practically, I am glad it's a struggle. I am (as usual) attempting to write a book that's too hard for me. I'm telling a story I'm not smart enough to tell. The risk of failure is huge. But I prefer it this way. I'm forced to learn, forced to smarten myself up, forced to wrestle. And if it works, then I'll have written something that is better than I am. Shannon Hale
I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm...
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I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles. Shannon Hale
Throwing herself into learning helped Miri ignore the painful chill...
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Throwing herself into learning helped Miri ignore the painful chill of solitude around her. Shannon Hale
A castle of defense, a bastion of might A fort...
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A castle of defense, a bastion of might A fort where the wise teach the young to fight An armory of weapons, sharp as hooks Are wrapped in leather and shelved as books Shannon Hale
If we're mad, we're mad in large numbers, at least...
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If we're mad, we're mad in large numbers, at least larger than yours. Shannon Hale
Careful with the accusations of insanity, oh my lady whose...
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Careful with the accusations of insanity, oh my lady whose home is a tower with windows of brick, all for the sake of some skinny-ankled, laugh-prone boy of a khan. Shannon Hale
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We found it! " Charlotte yelled, as they ran back through the house. "We found it, we found it! " Eddie, Mr. Mallery, and Colonel Andrews came from separate directions, converging in the front hall. Miss Charming was hopping up and down, her bosom nearly rising to slap her own forehead. Shannon Hale
My heart’s so light it floats and carries me so...
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My heart’s so light it floats and carries me so my feet don’t walk. I sing all day and I don’t mind the washing, and that’s how I know I’m in love. Completely smitten with My Lord the cat. Shannon Hale
Personally, I believe “Young Adult” to be an arbitrary title...
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Personally, I believe “Young Adult” to be an arbitrary title that means the book "Can be enjoyed by anyone/ Has a main character who’s not quite an adult/ Isn’t really boring. Shannon Hale
She closed the book and put her cheek against it....
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She closed the book and put her cheek against it. There was still an odor of a library on it, of dust, leather, binding glue, and old paper, one book carrying the smell of hundreds. Shannon Hale
The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a...
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The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a sweet tang, a hint of something inviting. She opened to the first page and started to read, pronouncing the words in a reverent whisper. Shannon Hale
But, how do you know if an ending is truly...
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But, how do you know if an ending is truly good for the characters unless you've traveled with them through every page? Shannon Hale
I'm going to find whoever is responsible for me sleeping...
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I'm going to find whoever is responsible for me sleeping out side with outside without pillows and kick them in the shins! - Enna Shannon Hale
Over there!
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Over there! " "Where?" Enna asked in mock panic "Do you see something? Shannon Hale
When you get tired of worrying and mourning your horse...
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When you get tired of worrying and mourning your horse and trying not to be afraid, tell me and I'll do it for you a while so you can shut your eyes and sleep peaceful. Shannon Hale
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My friends call me by my name."" You don't have any friends."" I don't want you to be my friend, Selia, or my servant, not now. I thought you were both. You have let me know I was wrong. So are you to treat me so. You are wrong. Shannon Hale
And Isi always listened, never told Enna she had been...
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And Isi always listened, never told Enna she had been foolish, never said hollow things like 'You'll be all right.' .. . Isi saw Enna's struggle and her sadness, and she understood. Shannon Hale
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Seriously, a thirty-something woman shouldn't be daydreaming about a fictional character in a two-hundred-year-old world to the point where it interfered with her very real and much more important life and relationships. Of course she shouldn't. Shannon Hale
Get back in my cot, girl,
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Get back in my cot, girl, " said Gilsa. "You're sickly." No, I'm not, " said Ani.Oh, no? Well, maybe stubbornness is a sickness, did you ever think of that? Shannon Hale
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Fortune-teller tea. Give it a sip! " The liquid was pink and smelled of strawberries, but when Maddie drank it, the flavor was deep and a little bitter, followed by a sudden burst of sweetness. Her father returned. "Well?" he asked." It started out as black licorice and then melted into butterscotch, " she said." Oh, my girl, the tea is telling you that this is the year to keep your ear to the ground and listen for surprises. Change is coming! " Maddie's stomach was full of thoughts and her head full of butterflies. She checked her watch again. She couldn't wait for it all to begin. . Shannon Hale
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Even the jerks earn some of our affection. We can be glad they're gone and yet still mourn the good parts. Shannon Hale
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No wolf falters before the bite, so strike. No hawk wavers before the dive, so swing. No sun pauses before the set, just strike. No rain delays before the fall, just swing. Shannon Hale
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Ashlynn washed her face, put on an apron, and then opened wide the door to her shoe closet. This princess wouldn't care if she wore a burlap sack every day, so long as she had dozens of footwear choices. Today she settled on a pair of scrappy teal wedges and went to start breakfast. Even though her father's grand house came fully stocked with servants, her mother believed in good, solid, character-forming chores. After all, Ashlynn would inherit her mother's story and become the next Cinderella someday, and there would be lots of floors to mop and hearths to sweep her Happily Ever After. Shannon Hale
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You don't need luck. You are powerful, clever, and fearless. Shannon Hale
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Courage is feeling justly afraid and yet still doing what is right. Shannon Hale
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Courage is not fearlessness. Shannon Hale
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Jane Austen had created six heroines, each quite different, and that gave Charlotte courage. There wasn't just one kind of woman to be. Shannon Hale
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Do you know the feeling you get when you are awakened in the middle of a dream? The dream story is still real and full of color, but the waking world is rushing back into your mind. And for a moment both worlds are true, and you cannot quite tell them apart. Shannon Hale
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Miri took genuine comfort in studying Mathematics that day. She could sort numbers into two simple ideas: true and not true. Unlike numbers, words were rarely just one thing. They moved and changed, camouflaging and leaping out unexpectedly. Words were slippery and alive; words wrestled out of her grip and became something new. Words were dangerous. Shannon Hale
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That year, when the trees burned the fire of late summer into their leaves and the ground mist was a ghost of the river, long and wet and cold, the aunt looked from her windows to the walls around her and imagined another winter inside them. She began to see the world as a bird sees bars, and she scratched her arms beneath her sleeves. Shannon Hale
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...even if things were broken right now. Sometimes it was the cracks that let the light in. Shannon Hale
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Life feels like fall of itself.”“' A dream within a dream.”“ And I want to wake up. Shannon Hale
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Life feels like fall of itself.""' A dream within a dream."" And I want to wake up. Shannon Hale
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Maybe I got a few words wrong, but that's so near how the conversation went, I'm going to call it truth. Shannon Hale
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They weren't nice words he said. He could've lived a good life and died never having made a person feel rubbed down to bones and too sad to hold together. Shannon Hale
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I wish stories were kinder to their characters, " Maddie said. "But I guess trouble is more interesting to read about. Shannon Hale
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A cat can make you feel well rested when you're tired or turn a rage into a calm just by sitting on your lap. His very nearness is a healing song. Shannon Hale
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If it had been a color, it might have been green. If it had touched her ears, it might have sounded rhythmic, like the creak of a rocking chair or drone of a bee. If it had a scent, it might have been sweet and drowsy, like fresh pine on the fire. Shannon Hale
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Rin thought of the crossbow bolt. Of the whoosh and sting of wind and fire heat and the man who would have killed her. Of pushing in front of Enna. Of almost dying. Of home and Ma and being farther away than the lands in tales, and maybe never going home. Of standing by a strange tree in a faraway wood with girls who spoke the language of fire. Of a queen of Kel who wanted them dead. Shannon Hale
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...first thing is that I love you. And the second thing is that as much as I honor your former profession, I don’t think your geese care much for your betrothed and I hope they hadn’t any plans on sharing our bed. Shannon Hale
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I’m sorry, my lady, ” said Geric, rubbing his arm. “But I failed to force an apology out of the offending goose. Shannon Hale
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He had a dashing smile. It nearly dashed right off his face. Shannon Hale
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Don't beat yourself up, " said Charlotte. "True love can be so easily mistaken for other things-friendship, humane concern, indigestion... Shannon Hale
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Briar stood, pushing up her sleeves. 'It's about to get all nonfiction in here'. Shannon Hale
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Ani saw herself clearly in that moment, as a face in darkness gains sudden dimensions in a flash of lightning - a young girl, a silly thing, a lapdog, a broken mare. Shannon Hale
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The snow was too light to stay, the ground too warm to keep it. And the strange spring snow fell only in that golden moment of dawn, the turning of the page between night and day. Shannon Hale
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I think sometimes, being silent and watching, can change a person. Shannon Hale
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We were quiet, two tiny specks glued down by gravity, peering at a universe that didn't notice us back. Shannon Hale
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Sometimes it seems my identity’s a matter of opinion Shannon Hale
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Reading a book is like going on a great journey. You don't know what'll happen, but something is bound to change. And for me, that change has always been good. Shannon Hale
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I didn't raise you I be good and weak. I raised you to be powerful and happy. Shannon Hale
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Don't let the inconsequential fairy tales stand in your way! You do what makes you happy, no matter what. Shannon Hale
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The first building she reached appeared to be an old barn. Only one young guard stood before its bolted door, staring at her with wide eyes, holding up his sword in defense, She heated his sword and he dropped it, his expression barely changing, as if he had been expecting that. She held up her two swords to his throat, but they were two heavy, so she dropped one and held the other with both hands. "Where are the two Bayern boys kept?" The soldier shook his head. BURN HIM, prompted the fire. The excitement of burning was simmering in her, heating her up for more action. Shannon Hale
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All I've ever wanted was to be near you. Shannon Hale
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I know I would crumble if I lost you. Shannon Hale
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The woman gestured to a seat and put on a patient face. An impatient sort of patient face, like an impatient face dressing up as a patient one for Halloween. Shannon Hale
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To be powerful, a kiss should make a journey, be its own story--begin with hesitation, move to realization, then melt into bliss. Shannon Hale
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..giving into despair was like eating poisonous berries to keep from feeling hungry. Shannon Hale
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I'd thought I wanted to live free of my mundane little cage, but the world outside was feeling more and more hazardous. Shannon Hale
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But Princess Magnolia wore glass slippers on weekdays. Princess Magnolia was afraid of snails. Sunlight made Princess Magnolia sneeze. And at the moment, the Princess in Black was hog-tying a monster. Shannon Hale
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In movies, we are accustomed to seeing handsome actors. It's so commonplace on the screen, large or small, that we barely note it as extraordinary. But in life, rarely do we encounter an onslaught of beauty, entire a hive of handsomeness, find ourselves awash in an ocean of attractiveness, drowning in a miasma of hotness. Shannon Hale
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Hey, times are tough, and thirty gold coins can do a lot of good. But I guess you wouldn't know about needing money, since you grew up like a little princ..."( Rapunzel glares)" Prin... soner. I mean, prisoner! A prisoner in a tower, such a shame, that. Shannon Hale
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Most people are genuinely good, sweetheart, and even the evil ones have some good in them. -Shannon Hale Shannon Hale
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I let my head fall back, and I gazed into the Eternal Blue Sky. It was morning. Some of the sky was yellow, some the softest blue. One small cloud scuttled along. Strange how everything below can be such death and chaos and pain while above the sky is peace, sweet blue gentleness. I heard a shaman say once, the Ancestors want our souls to be like the blue sky. Shannon Hale
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Charlotte wondered if she would have recognized the crazy much earlier if he looked more like Steve Buscemi then Mr. Medieval Hotness. Shannon Hale
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Why was the judgement of the disapproving so valuable? Who said that their good opinions tended to be any more rational than those of generally pleasant people? Shannon Hale
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It doesn't seem to matter what we think... The prince will come up here and look at us as if we're barrels in a trader's wagon. And if I'm salt pork and he doesn't care for salt pork, then there's nothing I can do. Shannon Hale
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It's good to cry a bit, 'cause that helps us get through the rough parts. And the winter is though, there's no doubt. But we just hang on until spring when that ache will be all but swallowed up. Shannon Hale
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Isi, I’m trying to say that you’ve been… no, you’re so, you’re—” He stopped." You are, ” he said. His hand found hers, and he held her finger tightly, as though he did not dare to do any more than hold her one hand, and look at her, and breathe deeply. Shannon Hale
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And this is where I'll end, before I know what happens next. Shannon Hale
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Clearly she was expected to say something, but panic at having to speak stole the thoughts from her head. Shannon Hale