I'm very comfortable writing in the first person; it dives into the character in a way that's difficult if you're writing in the third person.

I have a feeling of reverence about my father being in his 80s - a feeling that I want to whisper, take soft steps, not intrude too much. He's like a stately old cathedral to me now.

And as far as false hope, there is no such thing. There is only hope or the absence of hope - nothing else.

Alzheimer's disease locks all the doors and exits. There is no reprieve, no escape.

It's one thing to show your love for someone when everything is going fine and life is smooth. But when the 'in sickness and in health' part kicks in and sickness does enter your lives, you're tested. Your resilience is tested.

I really just wanted to be a writer, but people tell you, 'You should have a backup career,' so I thought, 'OK, I'll act.' That was the foolishness of my vision for my life - that my backup career would be completely undependable.

I think we can work through a lot of political and international problems, but what really frightens me is what's happening environmentally.