I attribute [success] to having the background of just loving the great stories of the world-and that's what makes the most successful films-combined with my trashy, vulgar appreciation of all that is modern Hollywood.

I noticed I had developed a fantasy about myself as a writer as opposed to actually doing it [so] I finally summoned up the bad taste to move to Los Angeles.

I went and looked at all Mark's work,

I went and looked at all Mark's work. He can get huge laughs and not imitate Jim Carrey. The bonus is the emotional reality of Mark. It's a given that he'd be there in a crunch for his leading lady.

That was very intentional on my part. ... There was something very intriguing about a love story that deals with the physical and metaphysical worlds. Then adding Reese and Mark to the equation just seemed to make it all the more charming.

Today, there are more opportunities for writers in terms of access to larger success, but it's more difficult to publish a literary novel in the lower ranges. In other words, you almost have to hit a home run. You can hit a triple, maybe, but nobody's interested in a single.