I write about kids growing up, I write a lot about schools and parents, and all of my experiences with those things have been suburban experiences.

I used to describe myself as a comic novelist, but my concerns seem to have darkened over the past few years.

My wife and I left New York when she got pregnant - we just thought it would be really hard to stay in the city.

I read 'The Great Gatsby' in high school and was hypnotized by the beauty of the sentences and moved by the story about the irrevocability of lost love.

The most important point is, in a time of crisis, there is no way out but for the government to be bold and aggressive.

I was a case officer, otherwise known as an operations officer. My role was to go out and convince Al Qaeda operatives to instead work with us as well as to convince people and officials in foreign governments to work on behalf of the U.S. government secretly.

When I first ran for public office, it was with the passion and idealism of a young man who believed that government could help make our lives better, that public service was a calling and that citizenship demanded responsibilities. There was a greater good.

I think it's fair to say I feel much more comfortable in business than in politics.