I think some writers should wait for something to say.

I agree with the Lev Tolstoy quote completely, but I also feel like there's more to it. What is a happy family and an unhappy family? We're probably both of those things at the same time.

A collection, for me, is a book of very diverse stories that somehow speak to each other, across wide geography, across time, years, decades.

I've spent so many years living in one place and imaging another.

Rarely is the pain of losing someone expressed with such directness, energy, and, yes, humor. The grief in Evan Kuhlman'sWolf Boyis palpable, and so is the flawed, honest humanity of his characters. Here is real loss and somehow, real catharsis.

I'm pretty tight - I rewrite, in some cases, 70 to 80 times before I show it to people.

I think anything we do - eating, walking down the street, online shopping - gives you another perspective on writing stories.