They were so in love with the world, and so disappointed in every aspect of it.

His lies were so exquisite I almost wept.

I publish my own books, so there isn't a certain editor I owe the book to at a publishing house.

Also, I need deadlines, just like everybody else, especially coming from magazines, newspapers, and stuff like that. I need daily or weekly deadlines to get stuff done, or I continue to do things and not go off on a year of unproductivity.

I had grown up as a fan of Studs Terkel. In Chicago he sort of looms large and is mentioned often.

Be strong, be brave, be true. Endure.

Maybe he hadn't thought the war through. It had seemed like simple fun when he had first pictured it, with a glorious beginning, a difficult but valor-filled middle, and a victorious end. He hadn't accounted for the fact that there might not be much of a resolution to the battle, and he hadn't imagined what it would feel like when the war just sort of ended, without anyone admitting defeat and congratulating him for his bravery.