I like to write first-person because I like to become the character I'm writing.

Eastern Connecticut is very different from Western; we're more liverwurst than pâté, more bowling than polo.

All the dead bolts, pulled shades and hidden knives in the world couldn't protect you from the truth.

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 need to get lost and sometimes my characters lead me to places I don't expect to go.

I cried because I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.

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