As writers, it is our job not only to imagine, but to witness.
How do we live the writer's life? There's only one simple answer 'we write.'
I don't think it's possible to separate out the strands of a writer's history, circumstances, life events, and that writer's themes.
I knew I wanted to be a writer before I knew that being a writer was possible.
I started realising that the themes running through all of my novels were really haunting and obsessing me about my own life.
I used to act in television commercials when I was a kid and a young adult.
I'm an urban person who loves living in the country.
If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative.
It's essential to have sacred time for writing. All successful authors have some daily commitment to keep on-track and moving forward.
Music inspires me and puts me in the right mood, but to actually listen to it when I write - I find it gets in the way.
My dad died when I was 23. His death was sudden and shocking - the result of a car crash - and I never got to say goodbye.
My desk is covered with talismans pieces of rose quartz, wishing stones from a favorite beach.
My parents made the decision never to focus on my looks, and I had no sense of myself as beautiful.
Our minds have a tendency to wander. To duck and feint and keep us at a slight remove from the moment at hand.
Our pain is a part of who we authentically are.
