I had many wonderful experiences, received beautiful letters, and my Christian books received substantive and thoughtful reviews. But there was always argument, dispute, questions as to what I "really" believed, lectures from here and there on "the real truth," etc.

First-person narrators is the way I know how to write a book with the greatest power and chance of artistic success.

I can't believe the world was created in six days. I do not take Genesis or Revelation literally. I AM OUT. I am alone. I am an outsider for Christ. I will study my Bible, and pray to God in private and alone. I have no other choice.

Life is a tragedy, one way or another. What is certain is that you die.

For me, places have a tremendous impact. I fall in love with places. All of life seems different in different places.

Then, are you master of us all? You didn't teach her that. Was she supposed to imbibe it from my quiet subservience?

The library furnished our dreams, helped us shape our ambitions, made up people of books and ideas and grand designs.