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Narrative 10

I’m a big fan of then. A novel needs a lot of thens.

Narrative 10

I’ve read this novel at various stages of my life and I feel as if I know Isabel.

Narrative 10

The Great Gatsby had an awful, detrimental effect on me.

National Geographic

I make peas and argue with a wall. Something gets stuck like that.

Neighborly Favors

I promised to return, but secretly I dreamed of staying in America.

Never Say No

If he was going to pick me up, the least he could do was look at me.

New Grub Street

He betook himself to the metropolis to become a literary man, of course.

Newbie Was Here

Firing stopped, and Bedouins herded camels across the artillery range.

Nick and Nora’s Day at Sea

Gresham’s law. Stupid talk chases smart talk out of circulation.

Night Dreams

I hang there, upside down, watching Bronwyn, her face beatific.

Notes from My Apprenticeship

Here is the fat guy whose Chihuahua gnawed through his stomach.

Notes Nearing Ninety

At nineteen you were six-foot-two. At ninety-one you will be two-foot-six.

Nowhere Man

There’s no way to escape a storm at sea; it hits you, and you can’t hit back.

Number Eight Daughter

“My brother’s last words to me were about you. Did you know that?”

Oceanside

You could take your pick from an array of rebellions to consider.

Of the Meaning of Progress

The longing to know hovered like a star above this child-woman.

Off to Zamboanga

“Why on earth are you taking luxury cruise passengers to Zamboanga?”

Oil

I sometimes have to laugh because even now, as a middle-aged man.

Old Lovegood Girls

She had come to the scene where she needed to get them in bed.

Old Will Road

For days after she left him, he roamed the house, unable to function.

On Fame and the Writer

Perhaps more than ever writers may have two kinds of fame.

On Livelihood

“I always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early.”

On Luck: A Screenwriter’s Education

I found it impossible not to imagine a radiant future for myself.

On to Baghdad

He could see I was American, but I thought he was unlikely to harm me.

On Writing, Teaching, and Her New Novel

Jayne Anne Phillips

One of the Great Independents

When he died earlier this year an enormous hole was left in my life.

One Pound Sterling

The hut was cluttered with the skulls and bones of small animals.

Order, Discipline, and Decorum

I broke up fights, bandaged cuts, fielded calls from parents, and sat with the sad or depressed.

Our Weapons

The rifle slams into my shoulder. Smoke pummels the air.

Out of Body

I don’t need to consult a healer to feel the aura glowing around us.