I've never progressed very far from my days as a smart aleck in middle school.

I don't have an e-reader. One reason is that I like to dog-ear the page when I find a particularly good sentence or passage.

Unfortunately, I don't get to read nearly as much as I want because I'm always working on my own stuff, either the novels or newspaper columns.

and in the meantime don't jump to conclusions.

I’m waiting for the day when Rush Limbaugh’s pharmacist writes a book.

Every writer scrounges for inspiration in different places, and there's no shame in raiding the headlines. It's necessary, in fact, when attempting contemporary satire. Sharp-edged humor relies on topical reference points.

My books are shelved in different places, depending on the bookstore. Sometimes they can be found in the Mystery section, sometimes in the Humor department, and occasionally even in the Literature aisle, which is somewhat astounding.