I can't envision an honest war novel that left war in a positive light.

The male role models I had all seemed to have been in the military. My father served in the army. My uncle was in the Marine Corps. Both of my grandfathers served in WWII. There weren't any career soldiers in my family, but when I was young it seemed like a way of arriving at adulthood.

Poetry and prose are of equal importance to me as a reader, and there doesn't seem to be much difference in my own writing.

There is a sharp distinction between what is remembered, what is told and what is true.

I understand that it's incredibly difficult to watch what's happening on the news every day and not become inured to it. I've fallen victim to that myself, wanting to look away.

Writing was always an aspiration, but I'd kept it a secret even from myself.

Michael Koryta's THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD is an absolutely thrilling read. I read most of it with my breath held, occasionally exhaling to ask myself, 'What will happen next?' I highly recommend it.