I have been through a lot of medical trauma. I was diagnosed with breast cancer .

What really grabs me is when a reader writes to express her personal story and how a book helped her situation, or her acceptance of a situation she can't change. I read some sad cases in my snail and electronic mail. I respond to all I can, affirming that they are the true heroes of life because they are fighting through adversity and surviving.

So this is always the key: you have to write the book you love, the book that's alive in your heart. That's the one you have to write.

Everybody dies; that's a fact. Sometimes it blindsides people. Sometimes people get a glimpse of the big picture and decide to cheat.

Who wants to be used? I love to read, so books are my main friends. They're always available, always friendly, and always interesting, and they never make me choose sides.

I have known some magnificent young people who died very young but had wonderful lives and inspired many people by their short existence.

I wanted to write about the third world and had the opportunity to go live in the trenches, so to speak.