In the end, there probably isn't much difference between being in love and acting like you're in love.

A novel requires a certain kind of world building and also a certain kind of closure, ultimately. Whereas with a short story you have this sense that there are hinges that the reader doesn't see. I would say that all short stories have mystery naturally built into them.

It's not like it ruined my life, I was going to say, but then I didn't. Because it occurred to me that maybe it had ruined my life, in a kind of quiet way--a little lie, probably not so vital, insidiously separating me from everyone I loved.

Fiction is fun because you get to steal an identity and try to make it authentic.

For me, the process of writing a novel happens mostly in your head before you actually start writing.

One of the things I rarely do is write about sex.

I like to sleep about four or five really solid hours at night, and then sometimes take a nap in the afternoon or early evening after dinner. I love naps.