I enjoy going to campuses and reading and doing a class or teaching and then running away and not having to grade papers.

I love thrillers. I would even read certain science fiction, although I haven't been a devotee for many years.

My heroes are people like Philip Levine, who is simply like a god to me, as a writer. And he is a very good man, too.

History is beautiful stories or scary stories, yeah.

I don't think I want to write a third book. But the more people talk to me about it, the more I think maybe I do.

The culture is with some rapidity fearing its imagination. I don't know why. Imagination is not of interest.

What I try to do is read stuff that won't deal with the dangerous dark things I hope I am writing about.