I love the tradition of Dickens, where even the most minor walk-on characters are twitching and particular and alive.

They were playing old Bob Dylan, more than perfect for narrow Village streets close to Christmas and the snow whirling down in big feathery flakes, the kind of winter where you want to be walking down a city street with your arm around a girl like on the old record cover

We are most alive when we're in love.

The Little Friend is a long book. It's also completely different from my first novel: different landscape, different characters, different use of language and diction, different approach to story.

As a Southerner, I love obstacles for my characters.

I love flawed female characters, duking it out.