We do not credit to the ideal of religious freedom when we talk as though religious belief is something of which public-spirited adults should be ashamed.

This trivializing rhetoric runs the subtle but unmistakable message: pray if you like, worship if you must, but whatever you do, do not on any account take your religion seriously.

More than 20 years on, sustained competition, informed customers and the rapid growth of new technology provide the necessary environment for substantial deregulation.

Richard John Neuhaus, in his well-known book The Naked Public Square, tells us that in America, the public square has become openly hostile to religion.

I think of my novels as entertainments.

Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.

I find it hard to think of myself as selling books. I don't even have a Web site. I want to sit and write, not sell.