White Americans have a short memory.

My career means, if you're a non-Indian writing about Indians, at least there's one Indian in your rearview mirror.

I was a controversial figure on my reservation when I was a kid. I was mouthy and opinionated and arrogant. Nothing has changed.

I thought I'd been condescended to as an Indian - that was nothing compared to the condescension for writing young adult literature.

When I structured my career, I looked at Muhammad Ali, which is my all-time favorite and an idol of mine, and what he has done for this sport. He was a real-life hero.

I wanted to do it my way with my career, and I had this arrogant notion that people weren't just interested in my music but me as a person. That was my bit of arrogance, I guess. That's something I learned from Madonna. I was a fan right from the first time I heard 'Holiday.'

In a way, fraud in business is no different from infidelity in marriage or plagiarism in scholarly work. Even people committed to high moral standards succumb.

For an individual, playback singing is not enough to sustain a career, and it is not really a main source of income.