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The story drove the book. That had a very seminal effect on the way I saw writing and storytelling. If you can set a character in a story that is compelling and has a backbone, you draw people in.

A lot of banging in the head has built up over the decades, and for my own sanity, I needed to write. I wanted to see if I could tell an honest, organic story about characters that interest me.

I have no particular reader in mind, but a passionate desire to tell an honest, moving story.

I'm interested in telling the character's story, not my beliefs, political or otherwise.

I'm drawn particularly to stories that evolve out of the character of the protagonist.

What's always intriguing to me is transforming my subjects into a character from another era.

A story is built on characters and reasons.

It was always about the story rather than the character.

The story of Willie Stark fascinated me because it was tackling the story of a man who outwardly has all the success one could possibly want and who is destroyed by his personal demons.

The stories I love the most are where the author has a lot of empathy for everyone. The author loves their characters and takes their situations really seriously, and you feel like you're just dropped into a different world.