I loved writing something I'd never written before, and I wanted to write not just about "true love" but also a human relationship.

What writers do - everything comes from inside, from experiences of the world that we have digested. And then we turn it into silk, or stories.

Now that The Thorn and the Blossom has come out and I'm done with my doctoral degree (yes, I'm finally Dr. Goss), I'm turning to longer projects.

I had a short story collection come out in 2006, and then I couldn't work on large projects for a long time because I was finishing my doctoral degree.

Of course, with Papaveria Press, you know the book itself is going to be beautiful.

I see so many talented writers who have difficulties with that. And if you don't believe it's important, you won't put in the work you need to.

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.