What book feels like home to you? 

“Watership Down by Richard Adams. I have read it many times, and it always lifts my spirits when I pick it up. I love how epic it is, filled with nods to ancient myth, and how down-to-earth it feels. Watching the main characters, who are rabbits, struggle to survive both literally and ethically in an overwhelming world is deeply moving to me.” 

What’s your most unusual writing habit? 

“I write in the dark, which helps me imagine things more fully without distraction. Maybe it’s my theatre director roots—I got used to working from the darkened audience and seeing things play out in front of me.” 

What’s the first thing you do after finishing a draft? 

“Give it to my cherished early readers, then immediately begin revising.” 

Where do you most like to write? 

“In bed. For years I assumed it was because I was louche and indolent, but then I found out I actually have a medical condition in which my circulation doesn’t work very well when I’m standing. I literally think better when my feet are up.” 

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story? 

“I don’t know how strange it is, but I’ve loved researching so many delightful things. Ancient sailing speeds, venomous snakes of the Mediterranean, poisons, pigs, weather patterns, ancient desserts …” 

If your characters could critique you, what would they say? 

“She thinks too much. Such women are dangerous. (This only applies to my antagonists.)” 

Which book is your most treasured possession?  

“My mother’s journals. They stretch back to before I was born, and she always told me that she wanted them to pass to me when she died. Unfortunately, that happened far too soon. I cherish having them as a way to hear her voice again.”