That sort of effort has to come not only from the writer but also from a really innovative publisher like Quirk.

It's very difficult to put in the work unless you believe that what you're doing is significant in some way.

I'm sure scientists would point to specific brain chemicals, but I think love is actually a kind of magic. It's what allows things to happen, people to be creative, the world to change. Great things come out of love - for other people, for art, for beauty.

The Thorn and the Blossom isn't just a love story. It's about two people who decide what they actually want to do artistically, despite discouragement. In some ways, that's just as important as the romance.

Art inspires me. Looking at art in a museum, listening to music, reading the works of other writers.

I think part of my purpose in this life is to talk about magic, and to make it.

Understanding what is going on in the world today inspires me in a negative sense because there's so much about it that I don't like - political stupidity, environmental degradation, etc. And that makes me want to change it, to make a difference in the world.