I'm A Praying Atheist. When I Hear

It Is Human Nature To Imagine, To Put Yourself In Another's Shoes. The Past May Be Another Country. But The Only Passport Required Is Empathy.

September 11, 2001, Revealed Heroism In Ordinary People Who Might Have Gone Through Their Lives Never Called Upon To Demonstrate The Extent Of Their Courage.

I Was Not 15 Anymore, And Choices No Longer Had That Same Clear, Bright Edge To Them.

Men Can Absent Themselves From Real Life For Their Art More Easily. Women Are Anchored Into The Quotidian Business Of Getting Food On The Table, Making Sure Everybody's Socks Match, The Soccer Gear Is Ready. I Admire Idealists, But They're Usually Enabled By Someone Who Holds The Tether On Their Balloon, Who Pays The Bills And Sweeps Up After Them.

Because I Worked As A Newspaper Reporter For About 14 Years Before Attempting My First Novel, I Learned To Write Under Almost Any Circumstances- By Candle Light, In Longhand, In African Villages Where There Was No Power, Under Shelling In Kurdistan.