I started writing 'The Lobster Kings' the day after I sold my first novel, 'Touch.'

For 'The Lobster Kings,' I listened to a lot of Johnny Cash. And it makes its way into the book.

The worst day of writing is still better than the best day of telemarketing.

When I'm writing a novel, one of the things I do is get big poster boards. They're actually canvases that artists use. And I keep all the characters' names on them. If you write a big novel, there's a lot of characters.

I liked the idea of being a writer more than I liked the idea of writing.

I love teaching creative writing, and I think I'm good at it, but in a different life, I could have been teaching elementary school.