I lived in great poverty as a child and young woman, and I used to think of money and how to make money as a means to get away from the constant struggle to survive - as freedom. Now I know it isn't freedom. It's not a solution, but a new problem. It comes with its own challenges and tremendous obligations.

With money come the tests. My bankruptcy, which at the time I thought was a disaster, turned out to be a major blessing. It taught me so much! Money is not only an isolator, but it's a magnet, too. It draws all kinds of people to you - you may not want them but it draws them to you anyway. The reverse of that, a bankruptcy, sends everybody away.

As sculptors chip away the stone in order to find the statue, writers chip away extraneous verbiage so readers can see the shape of an idea clearly. My gift is to see through the confusion, to bring order and simplicity to a story.

Sometimes disaster is our teacher. I don't welcome it, but if it comes, there is something to be learned from it.