I feel like it's a good time to be a writer. I'm terminally optimistic. It seems like the publishing industry is in the middle of a big transition, and that the rules of the game are still sorting themselves out.

The modern media environment is so overrun with bullshit and static and people trying to sell you stupid crap. It makes you want to bite yourself.

To do my job well, I have to be a good listener. The listening is so much more important than the talking.

For writers, so much is done in isolation. It can be easy to feel detached, or to get a little lost along the way.

People love honesty. Honesty is medicinal, I think. It makes people feel less lonely in the world.

I can only imagine the quiet horror that people must endure when they meet me in person.

Getting tired of sitting, staring at my computer screen, day after day, where everyone is two-dimensional, reduced to an avatar photo, status updates, or maybe some carefully curated vacation photos. There's something exhausting about that after a while. I found myself wanting to hear voices.

David Cristofanos debut novel captures the essence of the human spirit, and delivers a story that is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking.