My father is an economist who specialized in foreign food policy, and my mother worked for AID, a branch of the State Department, so food in regards to world affairs was talked about a lot.

I want to say that, in general, when it works, open adoption is great.

History releases me from my own experience and jogs my fictional imagination.

It would be a lie to say that people are coming to adoption with joy at all times. Hope, perhaps, but it would be disingenuous to say that every part coming to an adoption isn't seriously grieving.

I feel like if writers used writing as therapy we'd have a ton of happy writers.

I think that when the world feels safe and secure, we probably feel more that way in our personal lives. What goes on in the world affects us, unequivocally.

The past always sort of haunts us and perhaps inspires us in some ways.

I'm a morning person: if I don't get up, put the coffee on and get to my desk by 8, the day has already lost a lot of its promise.

The birth mother is placing the baby out of love. I still believe that. Well, the ones weve dealt with who were actually pregnant, anyway.

As writers, we don't just need to write about poverty or war or the immigrant experience.

I feel sometimes like a book tour is a slow series of humiliations and that if you're strong you'll come out of it OK.

A man with a victim mentality attracts autocrats into his life who will decide how he should live

Love is not as important as good health. You cannot be in love if you're not healthy. You can't appreciate it.

All I needed was a steady table and a typewriter...a marble-topped bedroom washstand table made a good place; the dining-room table between meals was also suitable.

I prefer love scenes to be shot up close with a lot of focus on eyes and mouths. Otherwise it can feel uncomfortable and voyeuristic.

Getters don't get - givers get.

No law can give power to private persons; every law transfers power from private persons to government.

I'm a pretty quiet guy, but if people want to think of me as a lady killer, I guess that's good.

It has been said of dreams that they are a 'controlled psychosis,' or, put another way, a psychosis is a dream breaking through during waking hours.

If you keep examining your mind, you'll come to see that thoughts of who you are and how it all is are creating the reality you're experiencing.

I'm famous now. But now that I've got fame and some of the other things I thought would make me happy - it ain't worked