I have received emails from readers who have said that they were emotionally impacted by the books, and they feel they are more environmentally aware and energized to do more. So that's hopeful to me. It is at least evidence of what I'm trying to do - trying to convey very intense emotional experiences by being very close in on character points of view to make you feel it in your body. That's one way to get the point across, by evoking a visceral response.

I had learned so much about the world that I had decided to withdraw from it.

Who had the bigger burden? The one who had to watch the other person endure or the one who endured?

I think I got a complete picture of what the lives of scientists are like. My father is of the opinion that if scientists are allowed to follow their nose, eventually it results in something. Unfortunately that doesn't always happen. What I came out of it with, in a non-cynical way, was that the scientific process is as messy as anything else. There's nothing wrong with that. That's just the way it is.

That's how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.

The music I listen to while writing is really scene-specific. It's just a great motivator, a way to put myself in the mood.

What occurs after revelation and paralysis?