One of the reasons I write is I like being surprised

Try to be accurate about stuff.

I think you know everything at eight. But is is hidden from you, sealed up, in a way you have to cut yourself open to find.

Naming is nice. It took me days before I was able to speak a name for my first child (what if people did not like it?), and I suspect we gave her a secret, second name as well, to keep her safe.

People whose lives are upside down often read fiction. When you're not sure where you'll end up or how you are going to be, and you're looking for some way forward, fiction is a great friend.

When you find yourself alone, or in a transition, you dream more. These are also the times when you read books.

I became a full-time writer in 1993 and have been very happy, insofar as anybody is, since.