He tried to name which of the deadly seven might apply, and when he failed he decided to append an eighth, regret.

While writing Cold Mountain, I held maps of two geographies, two worlds, in my mind as I wrote. One was an early map of North Carolina. Overlaying it, though, was an imagined map of the landscape Jack travels in the southern Appalachian folktales. He's much the same Jack who climbs the beanstalk, vulnerable and clever and opportunistic.

When everything is immediately available and infinitely reproducible, nothing is valuable.

It is best not to study too much on who gets what they deserve. It can lead to an overly complicated interpretation of God's personal attributes.

It always helps me connect with characters, to think about what music they respond to

I've lived out West some... I've always liked the High Plains areas - eastern Colorado, eastern Wyoming, western Nebraska.

I do the same things I did when I was 12 years old: I ride bikes, I read books, I walk in the woods. And I listen to music.