I was reading all these male writers who were doing wild and wonderful things. It gave me permission to experiment.

I try to be as honest about what I see and to speak rather than be silent, especially if it means I can save lives, or serve humanity.

I usually say Latina, Mexican-American or American Mexican, and in certain contexts, Chicana, depending on whether my audience understands the term or not.

I hope I'm not just looked as a writer that is popular but as a writer of literary value.

The older I get, the more I'm conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn't it?

I'm not afraid to say what I'm afraid of. Does that make me fearless?

Spanish is a poetic language, in particular the Spanish of Mexico which has a wonderful animistic attitude you might not see in the Spanish of the peninsula. I think it has to do with the indigenous way of looking at nature.