But I Read Comic Books.

Partly I Resented Being Perceived As Weak Because I Was A Girl.

It Certainly Was An Important Moment For Me, That Realization That I Was Not Going To Get What I Wanted. It Was Very Freeing. I Keep Using That Word "freeing" Or "liberating." I Feel Like Houdini Sometimes, Like I'm Just Getting Out Of One Set Of Shackles After Another, Hanging Upside Down Inside A Burlap Bag With Handcuffs On. Hopefully One Day, I'm Going To Get Out Of This Tank Of Water.

Even Drawing Gray Hair At All Is Difficult To Render In Black And White.

I Do Sometimes Miss Doing That Lighter, More Humorous Work, And I Find There's A Heavier Responsibility That Goes Along With A Literary Reputation. You Have To Start Knowing What You're Talking About And You Have To Go Have Public Conversations With Writers. That's Been Pretty Intense; I Have To Really Stay On Top Of Things In A Way I Didn't Before.

And Partly, The Worst Thing You Could Do In My Family Was Need Something From Someone. So Physical Strength Represented An Avenue Of Self-sufficiency To Me.