In a novel, the only budgetary limitations are that of your imagination.

I'm one of three brothers.

Her lips were like the soft beauty of a delicately designed silken scarf.

I'm a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

I feel like a centrist, an issue-specific person. I'm pretty conservative fiscally and pretty liberal on social issues.

I've always wanted to write a novel. It's overwhelming and daunting, and it's one of those things that every writer fantasizes about doing.

Listening takes practice, and it takes patience. But I promise, if you listen, your story will be better for it.

Where I came from, no one was a writer.

In a novel, the relationship between writer and reader is such a pure one.

I have a ways to go as a novelist. But what's great is, well, I frankly enjoyed the solitude. And I enjoyed being able to tell characters what to say and do without negotiating with an actor.

When you're writing a novel, you're still telling a story. But you're telling it very differently. It's a craft like anything else.

All of my most significant moments somehow involved music. It's like my life was a John Hughes film and somebody had to put together the perfect soundtrack.

Lies can make harsh truths less painful. But I believe pain is essential for growth.

I hate the only one of my book jackets when I was made up professionally, my hair made into a smooth bell.

I think the one thing for me that's been working is just authenticity.

You can sum up what has killed capitalism in four words: too big to fail.

Some couples go over their budgets very carefully every month. Others just go over them.

Hip Nip just sounds groovy. A drummer laid it on me.

They suggested I should introduce an element of reincarnation in the story. At first, I thought that was silly. But then, this whole time dimension began to fascinate me.

Writing the songs and producing the songs and arranging them and recording them is your canvas and your palette and your brush.

Just at the age 'twixt boy and youth, When thought is speech, and speech is truth.