I love Raina Telgemeier.

Why did I ever ask for a sister.

But the more I focused on my interests, the more it brought out things I liked about myself.

Weird... something happens when you smile at people. They smile back.

All of the narration in 'Smile' is first-person. Most of the books that I grew up reading had first-person narrators for some reason. My diaries were written in this voice, and since this story is autobiographical, it just felt like a natural extension.

I prefer drawing the things I've written to handing them off to another artist. Turns out I'm a huge control freak - and because I write in thumbnails, the art is already happening by the time I start writing!

I know how long it takes me to draw a page, how long it takes me to complete a project, how long I can work before my hand gives out, that sort of thing.

New York is great for busy creative types. The city has a pulse that races, and you either keep up with it or you leave.

I wanted to be into fashion, but I was never the kind of person who could keep up with fashion trends, and I could never style my hair the way everyone else's was - my hair was very thin, so I couldn't do, like, the sprayed bangs everyone else was into.

I've always believed in working hard, and I'm grateful that people seem to connect with the kinds of stories I'm passionate about telling.