The history of race relations in America is very different than something like the Holocaust.

The thing we call romance is a diversion from something truer, which is life.

Race as a subject only comes about because of what I look like. If I say something truthfully, people say "Oh, she's so angry." If I write about a married person who lives in Vermont, it becomes "Oh, she's autobiographical."

The sound of words in a novel is a pretty amazing thing, and I am concerned with the sound of every word I write.

I like to be in my pajamas all day. Sometimes I don't wash for days because I like to read and sit around. I like to eat in bed.

Of course, every time I end a book, I look down at myself and I'm just the same. I'm always disappointed that I'm just the same, but not enough to never do it again!

Who you are is a mystery no one can answer, not even you.