King is probably one of three men of this century that I'll call heroic. A fantastic man as far as I'm concerned, for all that he did. - Ernest J. Gaines

I think I'm a very religious person. I think I believe in God as much as any man does. I don't only believe in God, I know there's God.

I was never threatened…I never knew anyone who was lynched. But there was subtle racism every day of my life. You could not speak to a white man unless he spoke to you first. On the sidewalk, I’d have to move so a white person could walk by.

In dialogue, I’m dealing with the sounds I’ve heard. One of the reasons I often write from first person or multiple points of view is to hear the voices of different characters. Omniscient narration becomes a problem because, for me, the omniscient is my own voice narrating the story and then bringing in characters for dialogue.