Faulkner came from my region and taught me how you could write about a place.

I learnt how to hunt rattlesnakes with an eagle for 'Serena.'

I think writing a poem is like being a greyhound. Writing a novel is like being a mule. You go up one long row, then down another, and try not to look up too often to see how far you still have to go.

What I've become convinced makes a writer are the days you hate it, the days you'd rather stick those pencils in your eyes. Sometimes I almost punish myself - if I'm not going be able to write, I'm not going be able to do anything else. I just sit there and wait.

I love learning about different dialects and I own all sorts of regional and time-period slang dictionaries. I often browse through relevant ones while writing a story. I also read a lot of diaries and oral histories.

From my standpoint, we ought to be talking about... how do you make Wisconsin a more attractive place for risk-taking, business investment, business expansion.