… I’ve found that writing and researching a novel is an experience—one that, when it’s going well, can feel as dynamic and unpredictable as reading a great book, or even falling in love. I’ve learned to accept that this experience can and perhaps should feel as chaotic as living, and to hope that the pages that result from this strange work will feel alive as well—to hope that the wrong turn is just the right one, that the car stalls outside the deli and the story ignites. … {read}