I see history as really cyclical in terms of the intense idealism, and the desire to create a better life outside of societal norms.

Parenthood means becoming comfortable with the fact that there are things outside your control, things that end and fail, just as most utopias end and by some measure fail. And just because they're a failure doesn't mean there isn't value there.

I've never wanted to chuck my mortgage, drop the kids off at their grandparents' and run gloriously naked in fields of flax.

I've always relied on producing more material than I need. With each of my published novels I've written around four times the amount of material that's ended up in the book.

It seems to me that if you were to take almost any half-century in history, you'd find a grand societal tug-of-war between the community and the individual.

I love writing from enclosed spaces: you really learn about your characters when they have tight walls to push against.

I'm a writer, not an actor. I want to write rather than perform. I'm looking forward to disappearing for a while.