If you can't return a favor, pass it on.

It took a brave editor in the U.S. to sign a contract for Dancing Girls, and without her belief in the book, I'm not sure it would ever have found its way into print.

I could write an entertaining novel about rejection slips, but I fear it would be overly long.

The importance and influence of books on me has been cumulative: the result of hearing and reading lots of stories about interesting people and places.

The Dancing Girls of Lahore was offered to dozens of British publishers and was turned down by everyone. It is still on offer in the U.K., but I'm not confident there will be any takers.

If you can't return a favor, pass it on.

Sometimes I like to play the soundtracks to famous musicals so we can all sing along. South Pacific is one of my favorites. Our neighbors must hate us.