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I enjoyed reading all the classic authors like Isaac Asimov and Bradbury.

I am really into how words sound out loud, so I was always the kid who would, like, read the page of the book to herself in her room over and over and over. And Raymond Carver is great for that. Tobias Wolff is an author who is really good for that as well.

Neal Stephenson handles exposition better than anybody else. I keep trying to learn his tricks, but every time I duck into his pages, I get lost in the stories all over again and forget that I'm a writer.

Listen, I wrote 10 unsuccessful books before I broke through, so I'm looking all the time to keep my books fascinating. I want to write what people want to read, not push any message.

I read a lot of short fiction, like Kurt Vonnegut and Raymond Carver and Wells Tower.

Like most authors, I also love to read.

My favorite literature to read is fairly dry history. I like the framework, and my imagination can do the rest.

I think even great writers only write two books that you might like. When I think of my touchstone writers like Saul Bellow, I think of 'Henderson the Rain King.' With Don DeLillo, I think of 'Libra.'

I read less of everything now. With only fond memories of others' work, it will be interesting to give my own journal writing a try now.