You got one choice at the beginning but if you didn't choose right, things got narrow real quick.

Sometimes I know what my characters are moving away from or toward; more often I just wait and see. For instance, though I knew Sinkler in 'The Trusty' was going for water, I did not know that he would meet a fetching young farm wife until I got him into her front yard.

I learnt how to hunt rattlesnakes with an eagle for Serena.

One of my goals is to allow readers to see my characters and the world they inhabit as vividly as possible.

But nothing is solid and permanent. Our lives are raised on the shakiest foundations. You don't need to read history books to know that. You only have to know the history of your own life.

A small profit is better than a big loss.

I wouldn't mind being a track and field coach.