Is there any special method to your writing?
There is neither specialness nor method. I write on a Mac laptop, often in bed. I'm not an especially skilled typist, and I frequently write at night. I just wrote a short nonfiction piece for Narrative Magazine that investigates why I write at night that's forthcoming on their site in mid-September.
How many hours a day do you spend reading/writing?
It varies. If I'm in the grip of a new story I may write for several hours a day; I also have periods where I'll go days without writing. I tend to read more when I'm not writing, and vice-versa.
What inspires you to continue being a writer?
Part of the original impulse to write was a desire to answer other contemporary writers whose work had moved me. Now it feels second-nature—more a calling than a choice. I don't think I could be anything else.
If you could have been the author of any novel, which title would it be and why?
I recently revisited Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and I'm still in awe of her ability to write a book that reaches so many people so deeply.
Do you think you will ever change audiences?
The only time I set out to change audiences is when I read aloud to my (eight!) nieces and nephews and one of them has a dirty diaper.
What advice would you give anyone who wants to become a published author?
Keep writing.
And do you have a list of favorite books/authors?
Lately I've been enjoying Jhumpa Lahiri and Tobias Wolff.
