Russell Banks

I don't want it to be all that self-conscious or artificial, but it really grows out of my having invented myself as a listener so that I could hear her voice.

John Brown first swam into my vision in the 1960s when I was a political activist in the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement at Chapel Hill, where I went to university.

But on the other hand, I don't actively seek out stories or hunt them down.

Most detective story readers are an educated audience and know there are only a certain number of plots. The interest lies in what the writer does with them.

It took me realizing that a broken heart has never actually killed anyone to find the courage to ask for what I want, in just about every situation. That was part of my own growing up.

It is good to be in front of the lens to appreciate more being behind the lens.