When I started writing 'Luck in the Shadows,' I just wanted to create an adventure story.

Setting is the bedrock of your story. If you choose a real-world backdrop, be certain you get your facts straight.

I was always a 'let's pretend' kind of kid.

I love all of my books. They were labors of love; I was striving to create something well done, and I do feel I succeeded.

I grew up with a single pair of shoes until I grew into the next size. My parents believed in the American dream and the power of education but didn't have the money to send me to college. I realized early on that I needed to go against the flow and be better than everyone else to support my family.

The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant.

In my own life, I share my home with works by artists like Elizabeth Murray, Martin Puryear, Jackie Windsor and so many others, whose creativity is clear and fresh and compelling; the works break through the usual, and they inspire creativity; they inspire responses and understanding.

For many young people on-the-job training and hands-on experience is the real route to employability, not a university education.