It's really hard to get a book published, even a good book, but the better the book is the better chance it has of eventually catching someone's attention.

Nothing has happened to me out of the closet that was anywhere near as dangerous as being closeted.

I really believe that fiction functions best when stories are allowed to develop in an organic way, so I didn't set out to deliver a specific message.

An editor is like a professional reader, and as I became a better reader, I also became a better writer.

My goal was just to tell the unlikely story in a way that would feel as convincing as possible.

We were a different kind of Christian, the quiet, reasonable kind, a breed embarrassed by the mention of miracles.

It requires a certain kind of bravery, I suppose, to choose the status quo. There's a certain boldness to inaction.