I can never tell ahead of time which book will give me trouble - some balk every step of the way, others seem to write themselves - but certainly the mechanics of writing, finding the time and the psychic space, are easier now that my children are grown.

People imagine that missing a loved one works kind of like missing cigarettes,' he said. 'The first day is really hard but the next day is less hard and so forth, easier and easier the longer you go on. But instead it's like missing water. Every day, you notice the person's absence more.

It seems to me that since I've had children, I've grown richer and deeper. They may have slowed down my writing for a while, but when I did write, I had more of a self to speak from.

There is no sound more peaceful than rain on the roof, if you're safe asleep in someone else's house.

View your burden as a gift. It's the theme that has been given you to work with. Accept that and lean into it.

When you have children, you're obligated to live.

I save the best of myself for novels, and I believe it shows