The way some were entrapped into lives of prostitution, the way that something like marriage could rob them of their rights.

I was trying to make a novel about something no one wanted to read about into something they couldn't put down or look away from.

The idea of a talent that was bigger than an artist's ability to choose to use it, that would dictate the artist's life more than the artist could dictate, was interesting to me.

I realized that my identity as a novelist was private. Only I knew how much of a novelist I was!

One of my big inspirations was Céleste Mogador. She was a courtesan who wrote her memoirs in order to pay off her debts, which is a hilarious gesture.

Whenever people say a coincidence in a novel is implausible, I think, Do I have a story for you.

Everyone would tell me they couldn't identify with sexual abuse. No one says they can't identify with the tales of the Greek gods and goddesses because they don't live on Mt. Olympus.