My dad wanted me to go down a more academic route. He is very much about sticking to the rule book and sticking to the blueprint of a successful career.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Even after I'd published three books and had been writing full-time for twenty years, my father continued to urge me to go to law school.
I was studying political science; I was adamant that I was going to follow in my father's footsteps.
I look back on the influence my dad had on my life and career, and I just try to take the best parts of what he had.
I think, if I had a dad, I would have went the normal college route. I'm so stoked my life panned out how it was.
My father was the child of academics and was probably destined to become an academic himself but vetoed that idea. Bailed, dropped out of graduate school and just went to work for an insurance company. But the house was full of books and music and all of that.
As a kid, I had this ultimate goal to be a teacher. I wanted to be a history teacher like my dad.
My father's peripatetic career also gave me critical perspective when it came to my own career choices.
My dad, in particular, was adamant that I should finish my education. He encouraged me to go to Oxford, for instance, and I rather doubt I'd have gone if he hadn't. I would have gone straight back to L.A. and tried to start my career.
My dad has always been extremely supportive in every decision I've made and much more interested in me picking what I wanted to do.
My dad wanted me to be a businessman, but I felt that wasn't for me.