Garth Risk Hallberg

Narnia, Middle-earth and New York were my three fantasy universes when I was a kid.

In graduate school, I was a student of E.L. Doctorow, and he had us read 'Moby-Dick' in a week.

I'm not confident in my own ability to resist the titanic force of my own ego.

Most of my work has no conventional narrative, so it's not essential to have a beginning and an end - your attention can flow in and out of the experience rather than having a set entry point.

It's hard to imagine anyone interested in film not being a fan of Alfred Hitchcock because he's such a key influence on the entire history of cinema - it's hard to escape his shadow.

I love Billy Joel. I cry sometimes when I hear 'The Stranger.' 'You May Be Right' may be one of the greatest songs ever written.