The challenge is always as a writer, is this going to work, because it's a very intimate process, and I tend to be very introverted and insular, and when I write, it's in my head.

It's a universal story, it's an immigrant story, and it's a love story. In the United States, if you believe in yourself and you're determined and persevere, you're going to succeed.

You don't have to give up who you are to be successful just because you're different.

In Europe there's the upper crust, and these are long, historically families and social systems that have certain established rules that's harder to break into.

I have great genes. Thank you to my mom and dad for that one.

Sometimes parents, when they have a lot of small children, it's hard because your time's got to get divvied up. There's no other way.

My mom was definitely very strict with me.