But every age deserves its fashion and its forms, and no one can control what survives.

I'm interested in endurance. People persist in the face of the most excruciating hardships.

Writing, for me, is always a dance between the critical part of my brain and the subconscious.

Why did people try to shush trouble away as if it were an unruly child?

The language of the novel differs from the just-the-facts language of the old tales. It's robust and earthy, sometimes even baroque.

As we change, the way in which we are perceived in terms of our relevance, our value, our beauty, and sexual potency changes.

The story has to flow from an unstructured, felt place, but then I have to bring my analytical brain to bear on issues of craft.