Although I studied Dante's Inferno as a student, it wasn't until recently, while researching in Florence, that I came to appreciate the enduring influence of Dante's work on the modern world.

I think one reason my books have found mainstream success is that they're written from a skeptical point of view.

Stand tall, smile bright, and let 'em wonder what secret's making you laugh.

I write slowly. I actually write quickly, but I throw out so much material.

Because most Christians want it both ways. They want to be able to proudly declare they are believers in the Bible and yet simply ignore those parts they find too difficult or too inconvenient to believe.

That is the definition of faith - acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove.

Since the beginning of time, spirituality and religion have been called to fill in the gaps that science did not understand.