My dad is a bank president and my mom was an accountant and they didn't think that seeking the life of a freelance writer was very practical you see. Of course I was just as determined to do it.

My dad was an editor and a writer and that's actually what I aspired to be.

When I started writing I did have some idealised notion of my dad as a writer. But I have less and less of a literary rivalry with him as I've gone on. I certainly don't feel I need his approval although maybe that's because I'm confident that I've got it.

I'm a dad I'm a husband I'm an activist I'm a writer and I'm just a student of the world.

It may not be the most popular but there is a place for it. I think about the kind of music I love acoustic melodic and I guess it kind of took a bit of courage on my part to think I could be one of those songwriters.

I think what I would say to my younger self and probably to younger just starting-out writers is that a lot of times you're just afraid to put yourself out there and it's uncomfortable because it's working up the courage to do something to push yourself to do those things.

I'm a writer of faith who worries about the intolerance of religion. I look at the past and fear we haven't learned from it. I believe that humanity is capable of evil as well as great acts of courage and goodness. I have hope. Deep down I believe in the human spirit although sometimes that belief is shaken.

When somebody who makes movies for a living - either as an actor writer producer or director - lives to be a certain age you have to admire them. It is an act of courage to make a film - a courage for which you are not prepared in the rest of life. It is very hard and very destructive. But we do it because we love it.

L.A.'s cool I had a run with it to where it just pretty much wore me out. I love the weather and I have great friends there great family but I really cannot take a lot of the culture. Like Nashville where everybody's a songwriter everybody out there is an actor.

All literature consists of whatever the writer thinks is cool. The reader will like the book to the degree that he agrees with the writer about what's cool.