Simply put, because I"m fascinated by the world.

Things I've learned while writing a book:
1- The clarinet is a haunted and truly awesome instrument. It's extrememly difficult to hold for long periods of time, and if you don't love your reed, you will never get a pure sound out of it.

2- The world is a big and beautiful place, filled with people of incredible diversity. If Alex & I had "world enough and time" (not to mention enough money!) we would travel, travel, travel.
China is tottering on the brink of modernity. Indonesia is filled with deeply spiritual, loving people who are reaching the world today through technology in a way they never could before. AND Toronto is the home of many terrific writers! ;=)

3- I love learning languages. The first, most intimate form of communication is the 'touch'. The second most intimate, and by far the farthest reaching form of communication is the 'word'. This is why we write, in my opinion. We are driven to record and communicate something important about "our place and time". To do this we rely on words -- beautiful, written words.

#LitChat response, Nov. 6/09 4:00 pm EST @Donna_Carrick

Comments are welcome.