“My dad is an entomologist and research chemist. That's why he was in Fiji, study…” — Jeff Vandermeer

My best time to write is right after coffee and breakfast - four eggs - because, full disclosure, I'm really a komodo dragon - and that's because then I'm energized but not so awake that the critical voice clicks on, the voice that sometimes says, 'Don't write that,' or, 'Man, that sentence is terrible - you should give up and go pet the cats.'

I see music as an aid. It overcomes my internal editor, especially when the music evokes the character or the mood I'm trying to build.

Film fixes a precise visual image in the viewer's head. In fiction, you just hope you're precise enough to convey the intended effect.

My mom was a biological illustrator for a time before computers replaced that job.