Q. What is your motto or maxim?

A. Look for humor, find life.

Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?

A. There is no definitive here, but I do love Hellboy's attitude.

Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?

A. Fettucini Alfredo, laced with spinach and smoked salmon, and absolutely bombarded with garlic.

Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?

A. Without question, perfect happiness includes a steady diet of humor. I am pathologically addicted to the hearty laugh, and spend much of my life in pursuit of it. Probably, the midst of a genuine, helpless fit of laughter is the point of emotional nirvana for me. On a broader level, I have found my periods of deepest satisfaction were when my kids were younger, I was totally consumed in taking care of them every day, and my writing life was going really well too. That feeling of having a strong sense of purpose every day, feeling that purpose is a mighty one (thank you, George Bernard Shaw), and feeling that you are doing a pretty good job of it all, that state is pretty hard to top. These days, my kids are at the point of not really needing me as much as I would like them to. That has, frankly been a tough adjustment for me. But adaptation is probably life's most useful skill.

Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?

A. The artist Damien Hirst, who qualifies by managing to be both artistically nonexistent and vile at the same time.