Anne Tyler

I consciously try to end my novels at a point where I won't have to wonder about my characters ever again.

But what I hope for from a book - either one that I write or one that I read - is transparency. I want the story to shine through. I don't want to think of the writer.

My family can always tell when I'm well into a novel because the meals get very crummy.

The flaw of an amateur is to assume what's in our head is what's on the page.

But with each passing year and each new study, the evidence for the genetic contribution to individual and group differences becomes more firmly established than ever.

When I do my makeup, it kind of helps me get into the character that I'm trying to portray.