I didn't really choose to write; I more or less fell into it.

...it's closeness that does you in. Never get too close to people, son.

There's surprisingly little difference between writing from a male angle and from a female angle, but I feel more restricted in my language when I'm writing as a male character because males tend to sound less emotionally expressive than females.

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

One sad thing about this world is that the acts that take the most out of you are usually the ones that people will never know about. (from 'Celestial Navigation')

Reading any piece of writing aloud is an acid test, particularly when it comes to dialogue. There were writers I'd always admired who suddenly rang false when I spoke their words in our living room.

(About parenting:) ... all that tedium, broken up by little spurts of high drama.