The point is this: that the stream of memory may lead you to the river of understanding. And understanding, in turn, may be a tributary to the river of forgiveness.

Love stories are probably all Ive ever been able to write or want to write.

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

As my early drawings warned me, where humans go, lions and tidal waves follow.

I write to find out what the story means to me, that is what I try to do especially with the first draft.

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.

My Italian-American heritage, of which I'm very proud and with which I identify strongly, surfaces in several of my novels.