I had known there had been a serial killer on Mount Tamalpais, and it felt so incongruous in such a beautiful, peaceful spot.

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

When people ask what I write about, that's what I tell them: 'The drama of human relationships.' I'm not even close to running out of material.

There is a theme that runs through my work, and that is: the toxic property of keeping secrets.

The silence was part of the story I wanted to tell.

More than any other setting - more than battlefields or boardrooms or a spaceship headed for intergalactic travel - I'll put my money on the family to provide an endless source of comedy, tragedy and intrigue.

The portrait of my parents is a complicated one, but lovingly drawn.