"So I go to my first book signing, and these two girls came up and gave me a piece of paper: '10 reasons you should date our dad. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. He's a lawyer.' He didn't know what was going on. He didn't even know me. They called him, and he came down and asked me out that day. Now I'm dating their dad!"

"To this day, my mom's unsinkable spirit is an inspiration to me. For nearly thirty years, she's worked at the Library of Congress. Everyone knows Sameha simply as 'Sami.' Along with 500 miles of shelved books, her closest friendships are cataloged in that library. They are as much the value of work to my mom as is the work itself."

"If you have a friend or family member with breast cancer, try not to look at her with 'sad eyes.' Treat her like you always did just show a little extra love."

"I can't remember a time when my mom didn't work. She has forever been on the move: a go-getter. When my brother Adel and I had a paper route as kids, my mom would get up before us at the crack of dawn to drop off the Washington Post at different corners."

"There's this common perception that having a famous last name is all you need. A surname may get you a meeting, but if there's no talent you won't get the part."

"Every day is a new experience and I take it as it comes."

"When other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers I kind of wanted to be a vampire."

"I married the man of my dreams in 1998."