In many ways, America is on the receiving end of a pendulum that has been swung with great force, and for a long time, outward into the world. The impact is a wake-up call on every level.

I think to write fiction, this is just how I see it, you have to have a powerful need/desire to connect. I can't. Wanting to and not being able to has lead to a lot of misery in my life.

I love to go on stage and sing.

A lot of Americans don't have a passport, never will have a passport. Not only will they not travel, they don't want to travel.

A rose trapped inside a fist.

Your commander would never lie to you. That's the vice president's job.

The reality is that we are going to have problems with water in this century. And the fact that we are going to have problems with fossil fuel is a given.