Reading was my escape growing up in Ohio. Both of my parents lost their jobs when I was a teen, and it was hard. But I always had my books. Reading gave me a way of living different lives.

I have such admiration and respect for the military and military families.

The worst job I ever had was working in the call center of an electric company. I sat in a tiny cubicle getting yelled at every day so I could earn minimum wage.

Just for me - obviously, not all writers think this - but for me, I feel like seeing my book in Target and Barnes & Noble is pretty successful.

It's important, I think, for a writer of fiction to maintain an awareness of the pace and shape of the book as he's writing it. That is, he should be making an object, not chattering.

For me, the perfect film has no dialogue at all. It's purely a visual, emotional, visceral kind of experience. And I think one can create wonderful depth and meaning and communication without using words. I started out as an illustrator and a cartoonist and caricature artist, so for me the visual is primary.

And I think that, given the opportunity, somebody could really learn a lot just being around me and the girls because it's really nonstop, 24/7 brainstorming and creativity and just trying to get organized and really pack a lot into a day - being there nonstop with all engines blazing.

Cultural change is always incremental, so the most important thing for any right-leaning artist, writer, or media mogul is to focus less on making political statements and more on producing high-quality work.