His life was two lives now: the life he would have and the life he would forever wonder about.

I doubt the terrorists saw 9/11 as a teaching opportunity. And we're not really a culture geared to anything as humble as 'learning.' But I was disappointed in how quickly everyone wanted to get back to normal. It was as if we watched terrorism on TV for a while, then got bored and turned back to 'American Idol.'

The form is so malleable and can do so many things.

I think so, too. I know I felt that way. For years. It was as if I was a character in a movie and the real action was about to start at any minute. But I think some people wait forever, and only at the end of their lives do they realize that their life has happened while they were waiting for it to start.

There was a time when self-promotion was considered so verboten, especially for authors.

The first seven years that I wrote fiction, I sent out stories and a novel and made a total of $25.

He considered it a shame when people couldn't grasp the infinite-a failure not just of imagination but of simple vision.