A good novel doesn't just transcend the boundaries of its target market - it knows nothing about target markets.

It's not that I bounce ideas off of my children as much as it is that having children has had a profound effect on the way I see the world. They have mined my soul. They've made me a better person and therefore a more empathetic writer.

The lessons learned in journalism also apply. Writing for NPR has taught me to cut a piece in half and then in half again - without losing the essence. Apply that to the swollen prose of a bulky novel and you might reveal a beautiful work.

Omission is a sin only if, in the process of deceiving, you forget the truth. Lying is a sin only if, in the process, the lie becomes the only truth.

Being cross-genre, you can encounter an image and decide not only how to best express it but what form would express it best.

I have faith in human beings. I struggle with that faith.

Our love is our burden.