I don't turn to greeting cards for wisdom and advice, but they are a fine reflection of the general drift of the culture.

Even after I'd published three books and had been writing full-time for twenty years, my father continued to urge me to go to law school.

What's funny is that the idea of popularity - even the use of the word 'popular' - is something that had been mostly absent from my life since junior high. In fact, the hallmark of life after junior high seemed to be the shedding of popularity as a central concern.

It is hard to imagine Thomas Kinkade as anything less than supremely self-assured.

I am of mixed minds about the issue of privacy. On one hand, I understand that information is power, and power is, well, power, so keeping your private information to yourself is essential - especially if you are a controversial figure, a celebrity, or a dissident.

I can imagine a future in which real books will exist but in a more limited, particular way.

A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder.