One of the reasons I write about religion is due to my own envy of people who truly feel the presence of god in their lives, good souls who believe devoutly in a supreme being and an afterlife.

I look upon [writing about religion] as a nice way to get by in this precarious world, though I've never been able to do it myself.

I'm beginning to believe that anything I do to extend my life is just going to be outweighed by the agony of living it.

The humor I came up with is, for the most part, a bit crude or guttural, and many people aren't going to get it or enjoy it, but some do, and that means a lot to me - to know that I made someone laugh.

I really have no idea what the French think of my characters, or why The Devil All the Time did so well there.

Id always been a big reader, and I loved books, and I always thought writing would be a great way to get by in the world.

I remember a class I taught at Ohio State where I assigned a Mary Gaitskill story, which really wasn't that bad, and I had this one girl refuse to read it. But better that reaction than no reaction at all.