For 25 or 30 years I never had an assignment. These were all stories I wanted to do myself. So they were always about somebody I like, 'cause if I didn't like him, I just didn't do the story. And to have somebody else paying the bills for this tourism, to every corner of every stage, over and over again? Why, who wouldn't want a job like that?

A true Southerner will never say in 2-3 words what can better be said in 10-12.

I think all those people I did stories about measured their own success by the joy their work was giving them.

I would like to explore some side roads in life while I am still in good health and good spirits.

The first books I was interested in were all about baseball. But I can't think of one single book that changed my life in any way.

I could tell you which writer's rhythms I am imitating. It's not exactly plagiarism, it's falling in love with good language and trying to imitate it.

I'm not any kind of social reformer.