Southerners have this love of embellishment. Even when you read a police report, there's some backstory.

I think being a woman and writing frankly about violence has gotten me some attention, and as someone who wants people to read my books, I can't complain about that attention, but it does puzzle me that this is something reviewers focus on.

I love twins stories.

I think some people are good at being alone, and some people aren't, and as a child, I really liked it.

Even if you live in a big city, everybody lives in a small town. We identify ourselves by our neighborhoods - 'I live in the Village, or in Chelsea.'

As a Southerner, I love obstacles for my characters.