Sure, everything is ending," Jules said, "but not yet.

The average person might articulate them differently, but we all think about interpersonal relationships in one way or another. Writers just express that in different ways and capture it in different ways. To some degree, we're all thinking about the same things. It's the zeitgeist. The trick, in a way, as a writer, is to hope that your interests in some sense link up with the culture around you.

I think, The world is actually huge. That's the part no one can really explain.

I don't really know where my ideas come from. I start with a time and a place. That's what I need to get started, and an intellectual question.

When does a fake Mohawk become a real Mohawk? Who decides? How do you know if it's happened?

I haven't had writer's block. I think it's because my process involves writing very badly.

I did go on safari in Kenya when I was 17, with my mother, stepfather and little brother, and I kept a careful journal of the experience that was very helpful in terms of my sensory impressions of Africa. I have traveled quite a bit at distinct times in my life, though now that I have kids I've settled down.