My Childhood May Have Been More Demented

Sometimes We Gotta Be Brave Even When We're Scared. We Gotta Not Let Being Scared Keep Us From Thinkin' Straight. That's All Brave Is, Boy, When You Come Right Down To It, Not Lettin' The Fear Get You So Turned Around You Start Doin' Stupid Things, Instead Of What You Know You Ought To Do.

I Certainly Wanted To Write A Book That Was Honest About New Orleans Without Explaining It To Death, So Much So That The First Draft Contained References Absolutely Incomprehensible To Anyone Who Hasn't Lived Here For Several Years.

And I Can't Think Of A Reason I'd Ever Use A Pseudonym, As I Wouldn't Want To Publish Something That I Didn't Like Enough To Put My Name On It.

In High School I Was The Dog, Always, And I Never Have Felt Comfortable Or Right In My Body, And Part Of My Whole Exhibitionist Thing Has Probably Been A Way Of Testing To See Whether Or Not I Really Was This Repulsive Creature That I Felt Like For So Long.

I've Certainly Learned A Great Deal From My Husband, Though, And Could Never Have Written A Book Like Liquor Without Him And The People He Introduces Me To And The Stories He Brings Home.