The military is a very cool world to write about. I went down to Ft. Benning, Ga., for military training, and I learned a lot about soldiers and officers and why they joined up and what their life has been like.

I'm a wicked ping-pong player.

Today might not be so good. But tomorrow, you got another chance to get it right.

That's what civilization sometimes did to threats, real or perceived. They walled them off. Us against them. Survival of the fittest. You die so I can live.

Fiction is sort of a way to set the record straight, and let people at least believe that justice can be achieved and the right outcomes can occur.

I can write with a crying child on my lap. I have. Often.

Most people associate reading with laying on the beach. They don't see that it's crucial for a democracy!