I usually learn more from the situations I hate than the ones I love.

I wanted to connect a modern story with a myth that I had read.

I work hard, do my best and send it out to the world hoping that people can relate to it. I accept any reaction and hope they think it is worth reading.

However far fiction writers stray from their own lives and experiences - and I stray pretty far from mine - I think, ultimately, that we may be writing what we need to write in some way, albeit unconsciously.

I love revising. If you demystify the process, it comes down to four strategies: what can I do to make the draft better; what should I cut out to make it stronger; what do I need to do to clarify it; and finally, what should I reposition.

I'm a very rooted person. I grew up in Norwich, Connecticut, I still live in Connecticut.

Human behavior in the midst of hardship caught my attention very early on, and my first stories were all pictures, no words.