It troubles me that people speak about writing for money as ugly and distasteful.

A good home must be made, not bought. In the end, it's not track lighting or a sun room that brings light into a kitchen.

Long after Salinger sent me away, I continued to believe his standards and expectations were the best ones.

If a man wishes to truly not be written about, he would do well not to write letters to 18-year-old girls, inviting them into his life.

Nothing like being visible, publishing one's work, and speaking openly about one's life, to disabuse the world of the illusion of one's perfection and purity.

I was giving a speech one time, and the woman who introduced me said, 'Well, she used to be J. D. Salinger's girlfriend. I thought, 'God, is that all I've been?' I didn't want to be reduced to that.

Although Salinger had long since cut me out of his life completely and made it plain that he had nothing but contempt for me, the thought of becoming the object of his wrath was more than I felt ready to take on.