I can't pretend that I did one really awful thing - I took a bite out of the apple but now I'm never going to sin again.

A great artist transforms our world, removes scales from our eyes, plugs from our ears, gloves from our fingertips and teaches us to perceive reality differently.

I believe - what did Faulkner say? "The past is not even past."

I had a deep prejudice against the South. It's taken me many years to get over that, be more open and thoughtful.

If I had only a negative side of things to present, I think I would have much less of a drive to do it. Because what would be the point?

The hardship, the pain, the suffering of my brother and my son in prison, that's absolutely their experience, that's not mine. I don't get any credit for enduring that. I never give myself any credit for enduring that.

I really dislike when people talk about "experimental," because any good writer is experimental. As a writer, you don't know what the hell you're doing. You're just doing it. You hope it works out well. I've been experimenting with these things myself in my own books.