The motivation to paint seems more pure, or at least more personal, when the artist is doing it for herself.

I knew the basic outline of the novel [The Dissemblers] and would write whatever scene of the book I felt particularly excited about at the time.

I lived in New Mexico until I was seventeen, and honestly I've been homesick ever since I left.

I do think that it is one of the eternal questions about art, though - is all art intrinsically selfish?

Does art play a role in the greater good of society, or does it just promote the satisfaction of the artist? I go back and forth on that question.

I've spent many a day worrying that I will never be able to write again!

I am a tragically bad artist.

I did take one drawing class in school, but for this book I spent a lot of time talking to painters and asking them silly questions.

I read letters and journal entries by [Georgia] O'Keeffe (which were infinitely more useful than any critical analysis of her work).

The book [The Dissemblers] officially came out two weeks after my thirtieth birthday...am I still young?

One thing that was inspiring to me in my research about [Georgia] O'Keeffe was to learn that in addition to her success she had very hard times, and times when she was frustrated and uninspired.

Let your wisdom guide youOn your own personal journey By listening to your heartYour soul will be alight And let you beAll that you are intended to be

Prayer is knowing that what I ask for is always far bigger than what I could ever articulate, but it is never too big for God to understand nor is it ever too vast for Him to deliver.

If you are looking for answers for your life, know that the answers are within you. When you close your eyes, and focus on your inner God (meditate), you will know what to do. Trust yourself!

Remember when friends was friends, and LL had a Benz? And cell phones and beepers was the new trends? When Koch was the Mayor and Reagan was the Pres?

For some reason cowboy sounds better than cowman.

The bottom line is that it's better to run a workforce on security than insecurity.

I like to push people till I get the truth out of them. Get them drunk, or whatever. Then discover what they really think. Push them and push them and push them.

Where there are two people, there is untruth.

Even when the attention focused on me is positive, I am uncomfortable being looked at by a lot of people - it's just not my natural state of being.

Think of every step in a workout as a step in the right direction.