William Faulkner, Muriel Spark, Richard Yates, William Styron, James Salter, Alice Munro. They're very different writers, and I admire them for different reasons. The common thread, I guess, is that they remind me what's possible, why I wanted to write fiction in the first place.

I believed, after writing 'Mrs. Kimble,' that I knew how to write a novel. I quickly discovered that I only knew how to write that novel. 'Baker Towers' was a different beast entirely; and I felt as though I had to learn to write all over again.

I have written my whole life. I remember writing as a small child.

Like all writers, I draw from life as I know it; but it's a refracted kind of reality, and none of it is factually true.

I have an amazing husband who is a strong man of God. He is very dedicated to me and our family.

I always see my wife as the clever one, as the wise one in the family.

I always try to make it a point when I'm talking to guys to say we. It's not you need to do this, it's what can we do better. It makes it more of a family culture.

I believe what makes Black Lightning different from other superhero shows and other superheroes is that he's really, really family-oriented. You get to see his entire family as well as his daughters being superheroes and diving into that universe.