Princeton is quite integrated. Women are professors at Princeton. Women are students at Princeton. That began in the 1970s.

My life is a very interior and solitary life. I tend not to care that much about external things.

Though I am never exactly "blocked" I do have difficult periods. I am led by a fascination with material - the challenge of presenting it in an original and engaging way. I have no problem imagining stories, characters, distinctive settings & themes - but the difficulty is choosing a voice & a language in which to present it.

Except that awards are competitive, which is a negative thing, they are wonderful for singling out deserving individuals and bringing their work to the attention of many potential readers who might otherwise have been totally unaware of them.

The novel is the affliction for which only the novel is the cure.

Before I undertake a lengthy project, I have usually given much thought to it over a period of years. My files are filled with likely subjects - which perhaps, one day, I will develop.

Keep a light, hopeful heart. But ­expect the worst.