When I was writing my first two books I was also freelancing and teaching and doing other odd jobs.

I just like to inhabit a character really deeply.

Even more than getting compliments on social media, what I love is when some random stranger says something very funny or insightful about my books, often in 140 characters or less! It's a very casual, low-stakes, non-burdensome way of connecting that I think is fun for both the writer and the reader. And there are a lot of clever people out there who have no connection to publishing.

I guess I consider myself at times to have intuition.

I'm not afraid of writing about sensitive subjects, but I want to be careful how I do so and I know not all readers will think I have been, of course.

... nothing broke my heart like the slow death of a shared joke that had once seemed genuinely funny.

Ironically, writing a novel is not a way to sort out your confusion.