Nothing beats novel writing because it's complete expression of you. You just control everything. Not even a movie director has that level of control.

My mythic version of America is very much about parents and children, and in my experience, the suburban setting is where that particular drama plays out. Which isn't to say that there aren't parents and children in cities or on farms. I just don't know them.

I write about kids growing up, I write a lot about schools and parents, and all of my experiences with those things have been suburban experiences.

When I was writing 'The Abstinence Teacher,' I really tried to immerse myself in contemporary American evangelical culture.

When things don't go well, it helps to think of yourself as a genius and the rest of the world as a bunch of idiots.

As for writing about temptation, there's no drama without temptation, and no novel without drama.

The lesson you have to learn as novelist is how to be collaborative, and how to say, "I don't get to dictate this."