I understood that 'The Yellow Birds' would be a peculiar representation of the experience of being at war. I intended it to be so.

I've been writing poems and stories since I was about 13.

I guess I find the boundaries between poetry and prose to be somewhat permeable.

The world makes liars of us all.

It's not just: you get off the plane, you're back home, everything's fine. Maybe the physical danger ends, but soldiers are still deeply at risk of being injured in a different way.

I think a lot of the guys I know and a lot of people I've talked to, what they want is very often what most people want, a kind of simple life, a livelihood, a family, people who care about them, people they can care about. I think vets on the whole want the same things that everybody else does.

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.