It?s been so difficult the past two weeks to translate the past eight months to my friends. It gets lost in translation.

Over the past 10 years I have placed in my novels the names of more than two dozen close friends and family. The names I chose are always those of people I care for or respect.

I think there's pressure, period, regardless of the past successes or failures of any of my friends,

I think I had some troubles in the past just because (we) were friends, Fed Cup team-mates, just know each other so well, spend so much time together,

I can tell you the price of fuel has jumped so dramatically over the past several months that those efforts weren't enough for us to avoid also canceling flights.

We've had some difficult times around here as a result of hurricanes in the past, but nothing like what those folks in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are going through now.