...we were like two people standing apart on separate mountain peaks, recklessly leaning forward to throw stones at one another, unaware of the dangerous chasm that separated us.

You can have pride in what you do each day, but not arrogance in what you were born with.

I won't be what I'm not. -Jing-mei

My parents told me I would become a doctor and then in my spare time I would become a concert pianist. So, both my day job and my spare time were sort of taken care of.

I think we often write because we feel a loneliness, and people read for the same reason, and then they come away feeling a little less lonely.

How can you blame a person for his fears and weaknesses unless you have felt the same and done differently?

I also thought of playing improvisational jazz and I did take lessons for a while. At first I tried to write fiction by making up things that were completely alien to my life.