I love a large cast of characters. That's the way life is: it's flooded with people and we keep them all straight.

That's one of the many things about having the bookstore that I adore. I can walk into the store and say to somebody, "I'm glad you're reading this book" or "I'm glad you're getting this book" or "Don't get that book. I read that book and hated that book. Let's get you this book instead."

I decided to make my living as a magazine writer. And I found that it was really easy and fun.

It was all in my head and now all I had to do was figure out a way to get it down on paper.

Keeping people safe is a story we tell ourselves.

Fiction is always really a labor.

I could teach. I could wait tables. I could cook in a restaurant. Food and teaching were the two skills I had.