I've worked hard on my doctorate, and I want to be acknowledged for that. But I also wanted to comment on this message that women get that the most important thing they can do is police their appearance.

Luckily I'm on prescription drugs that prevent me from worrying about anything too much.

I don't consider myself attractive. I'm an academic, and in academia, people will write you off if you look younger.

I think that in our culture there is this message to males that any time you can have sex with an attractive female, you should do it. But for females you always have to guard yourself against it, sort of keep sex at bay. You don't want to get a reputation, especially when you are under age.

Las Vegas is incredible. Either you love it or you're a classy person with morals. I fall into the former category. It's definitely bled into my writing.

I'm a big people pleaser; I had a very awkward adolescence. Part of me is still that person who wants everyone to like me.

For many years I wrote nothing but "I will not sleep with Steve Almond" over and over again, page after page à la Jack Torrance in The Shining. Finally, hundreds of psychotherapy sessions and an intense shaman-guided DMT sweat lodge experience led to a breakthrough, and I was able to write about other people I would not sleep with, and also about people I would.