I still think of myself as a Bostonian.

One of the best parts of being a writer is getting to peer into other worlds - even if you aren't going to stay very long.

A high percentage of each of my books has been written in Des Moines.

Early on in the writing process, there is sometimes this temptation to write around the central drama instead of just aiming for the bull's-eye. The bullseye is harder to hit, of course, but it's so much more satisfying when you do.

I've always been drawn to older women.

Deep down, I have always been 72 years old. In college, my friends used to make fun of me because I would sometimes skip a Friday night party to stay in my dorm room watching Turner Classic Movies.

In my experience, a novel is the culmination of various thoughts and impressions collected over time, until something comes along to give them a shape, to turn them into a story.

The first book I bought was 'Anne of Green Gables,' an edition that is beautiful and complete - one I hope to read with my son someday, seeing it anew through his eyes.

When you write fiction, you're like a bird making a nest. You remember every little story ever told you. It's funny how things come back to you.

It's true of Irish Catholic families. They're big on story telling and big on saving stories from one generation to the next.