I grew up in Seattle, but I always knew I wanted to leave.

Post-modernism is dead because it didn't address human needs.

Writing became an obsessive compulsive habit but I had almost no money so I thought about being an urban firefighter and having lots of free time in which to write or becoming an English teacher and thinking about books and writers on a daily basis. That swayed me.

There are things in this universe that we cannot control, and then there are the things we can. . . . Let fate, coincidence, and accident conspire; human beings must act on reason.

The best advice on writing I've ever received is to take it seriously, because to do it well is all-consuming.

At one level you're condemned to the voice you have. But within those confines, you have a certain amount of freedom to range among your possible voices.

You should learn to say nothing that will cause you regret. You should not say what is not in your heart - or what is only in your heart for a moment. But you know this - silence is better.