The big reason why folks leave a small town,' Rant used to say, 'is so they can moon over the idea of going back. And the reason they stay put is so they can moon about getting out.' Rant meant that no one is happy, anywhere.

A short story is something that you can hold in your mind. You can really analyze how the entire thing works, like a machine

Most times, it's just a lot easier not to let the world know what's wrong.

I try to tell a story the way someone would tell you a story in a bar, with the same kind of timing and pacing.

I'm really glad that I spent my twenties messing around and having disaster after disaster - with people who were doing likewise - because it's really my greatest treasure now.

There's an old saying: 'No piece of writing is ever finished, it's just abandoned.' But my own rule is: No piece of work is done until you want to kill everyone involved in the publishing process, especially yourself.

Each wedding picture was less of a memento than a scar. Proof of some horror movie scenario Katherine Kenton has survived.