Sometimes I do work on a longer manuscript in tandem with one or two shorter pieces - whether it's a short story or an essay (though I don't write many of the latter).

Mostly what ends up inspiring me and affecting my work are books by authors that I love.

The effects of fame on the not-famous people who are close to a celebrity - this is definitely a topic that continues to interest me.

I keep a couple of notebooks too into which I record ideas for story titles or characters or situations, and these notes help me quite a bit when I'm feeling at loose ends and not sure of what to work on next.

Jealousy is a potent emotion, of course, and Facebook, texting, email, fan Web pages... In theory, being someone like George Clooney's or Halle Berry's paramour - woo hoo - how great would that be? But wait a minute... er, no, probably kind of a nightmare.

So much of what determines our happiness, I believe, is who we choose as our intimates.

Unless I'm writing trying to write about a historical figure, I don't really set out to read or research with a specific topic in mind.