I tend to only write productively for one to two hours per day, so there is plenty of time left over for me to work a day job!

When I finished the book [The Dissemblers], I sent it to one billion agents, and got one billion rejections.

Because Ivy [Wilkes] is just starting out as an artist, I wanted to focus on [Georgia] O'Keeffe's experiences when she was just starting out. I suspect there is a difference between being an unknown artist and being a celebrated artist. When nobody knows your work, nobody except you really cares whether or not you paint.

Publishing requires a lot of persistence and a fair amount of luck.

Does art play a role in the greater good of society, or does it just promote the satisfaction of the artist? I go back and forth on that question.

I find that time constraints actually make me more productive, and "real world" experiences provide a lot of inspiration to write.

I did make several trips to the very wonderful [Georgia] O'Keeffe museum. Besides the art (my favorite paintings are from her Pelvis series) my favorite thing about the museum is the architecture. I love how enormously tall the doors are - it is like going into a church. There is also something home-like about the layout of the museum. I wish I could live there!