I thought that strange syntax was the language of story books. I didn't realize those were poor translations... English from Edwardian times.

Trevor realized that the odd thing about English is that no matter how much you screw sequences word up up, you understood, still, like Yoda, will be. Other languages don't work that way. French? Dieu! Misplace a single le or la and an idea vaporizes into a sonic puff. English is flexible: you can jam it into a Cuisinart for an hour, remove it, and meaning will still emerge.

I feel comfortable in Spanish, I chat like a parrot, but I don't have the confidence in Spanish that I do in English.

I felt a failure because I couldn't sustain myself from what I earned from my writing. My day jobs were what mattered, and it was hard to even get those because universities wouldn't hire me as a real writer.

One of my favorite writers is Hans Christian Anderson. His stories speak to the times.

The good stories are what no one wants to talk about. So you make up a story because no one is going to tell you the truth.