I am a struggling writer. A middle-aged man with two little kids and I'm just trying to earn a living. So buy this book - or my kids will have to go to foster care.

Its much like writing a screenplay with someone else and thats how we view it, I think.

The main thing is that you have a good editor - one that believes in you and who will give you the feedback that you need to produce a good book.

Writing is hard work, but a lot of fun, too. It allows me to live out some of my fantasies.

In fact, some reviewers have said that as they got into the story they forgot that the protagonist is a black woman. They were moved by the story - by the people as a whole - and not by the little things.

I began writing in the 4th grade. As a matter of fact, I produced a play for the entire school. It was about Leif Ericson and the discovery of America.

I chose to go to law school because I thought that someday, somehow I'd make a difference.