My musical sensibilities were formed around punk rock, that quintessential dilution of an art that's both ugly and lovely at the same time.

My job as the novelist is to present the whole case, then the reader gets to render her verdict.

I'm a very tactile learner, so I need analog index cards, moving them all about, trying out various sequences for the book's architecture.

I always feel that as the author, once I know what a character is ashamed of, then I can go about making her truthful on the page.

Today is going to be free of the past. Today, the past can't hurt me.

I'm always working on something. Addiction never gets any credit, always talked about as a total liability, and I'll admit that most of its traits aren't positive in our lives. But there's one amazing thing it gave me: a tireless work ethic.

No matter what we've done, no matter the disappointments and sullied blunders, today is the opportunity to do right by ourselves.