When we talk about God, I think what most of us mean is some greater thing, some higher power that can help us access our own strength or give us strength.

I'm not alone in having obese people in my circle and in my family. I have loved morbidly obese people, and I don't approach obesity with revulsion or judgment but with empathy and compassion.

Because I live in California now, I find my musings really being centered in this world.

Winning the lottery is winning the lottery. It's highly unlikely and very unusual.

When we talk about God, I think what most of us mean is some greater thing, some higher power that can help us access our own strength or give us strength.

We're seeing a decline in religion in North America but, I hope, a rise in individual spirituality. Whatever that means to people.

I have had, like most women, a lifelong preoccupation with my weight. My first published short story was a love story between an elderly man and a very young morbidity obese woman.