Bad things don't happen to writers; it's all material.

Never insult a writer. You may find yourself immortalized in ways you may not appreciate.

Some of us have a relentless urge to attempt what we can never be good at and neglect our true calling.

The highlight of my childhood was making my brother laugh so hard that food came out of his nose.

All fiction comes from a little bit of reality, otherwise it would have no relevance. The fun is in innovation, take something real like this fair, and make it something larger than life.

As for family values, they are whatever they are - some families are tight, others are blown away like dandelion puffs. A main value in Minnesota is still: don't waste my time, don't B.S. me, I wasn't born yesterday.

It is a sin to believe evil of others but it is seldom a mistake.