I think the mythology of death really ran away with me when I was very young.

I am very interested in place, and the influences of place on characters.

For me it was a lot harder to come to terms with the death of my grandfather than it was to come to terms with what's happened to the former Yugoslavia.

My road to publishing actually came through a colleague who connected me to my agent, and the faculty at Cornell was very supportive.

Being taken seriously, for a young writer, is a wonderful form of encouragement, but at the same time, I don't think one should ever feel like attempting a kind of artistic endeavor is beyond your scope just because of age or inexperience.

My grandfather and I were very close.