We had our chances but we couldn't convert them, that was our problem. The group is still wide open, there's still a chance to advance.

They were that strong and amazing. They could carry up to 55 pounds on their heads. We were absolutely pampered.

Kilimanjaro is not very technical and doesn't require any ropes. It's just the elevation that's the issue.

Life throws up enough road blocks to keep you from writing; you can't be adding to them yourself by saying you can only write in one specific place. I'm in New York half the time and Texas half the time, and I work wherever - in my computer bag I have some foam ear plugs that I can put in.

I like mechanical things; my first book was a mechanics guide - that was what my parents couldn't pry away from me; that was the blanket.

When you look at 'Grapes of Wrath,' the weakest moments are those in which Steinbeck is spouting a political idea directly at the reader. The book's real power comes from its slower, broader movement.