I'm a writer of faith. I was raised Catholic, and I have a deeply Catholic imagination.

Is it wrong to kill something that wants to kill you?

But there it is: Everyone is alone, for life, and maybe that's not such a bad thing.

The generation of women who came before us did much of our shouting. They laid the groundwork and now we can be calm and constant and steady.

My childhood was marked by the great fear of nuclear holocaust. We practiced our Civil Defense Drills, lining up in hallways, curled to the floor, but we knew we'd die or, worse, survive only to suffer radiation and slow death.

Love is a luxury. It's something that people are allowed to indulge in when they're not simply trying to survive and keep other people alive.

Writers are socially observant. We find people endlessly fascinating, and real life is mysterious. Sometimes it's hard to stop staring at the strut and squawk of my fellow man. They can be quite inspiring. Sometimes it's hard to stop talking to them to see what in the world they're thinking.