Surely there is something to be said for drawing a circle around our attention and remaining within that circle. But how large should this circle be?

Your mid-thirties is a good time because you know a fair amount, you have some self-control.

Time is how you spend your love.

The world is now multicultural the same way the world is round. It's not a selling point, it's not a 'quirky' feature, it's not a cynical marketing ploy, it's not an artistic statement, it's not even a plot device. It's a fact, like seedless grapes.

I just realized quite early on that I'm not going to be the type who can write a novel every two years. I think you need to feel an urgency about the act. Otherwise, when you read it, you feel no urgency, either. So I don't write unless I really feel I need to, and that's a luxury.

Generally, women can't do this, but men retain the ancient ability to leave a family and a past. They just unhook themselves, like removing a fake beard, and skulk discreetly back into society, changed men. Unrecognizable.

Without the balancing context of everyday life, all you have is the news, and news by its nature is generally bad.