Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up during the 1980's in suburban Rhode Island in a well-to-do Jewish family. My parents meant well, of course, but I couldn't stand the stilted, middle-class stranglehold over our lives. As Billy Connolly once observed, the poor and the rich have the luxury of being themselves, but it's the middle-class that has wholeheartedly embraced empty consumerism.
So my early writing is marked by anger and resentment against this way of life. Later on, the rebellion faded somewhat from my writing, as that battle in my personal life had been won. But there are still strong themes of power in my work. Whether it comes from those days I can't say.
Who are your favorite authors?
John Irving, Philip K Dick, Douglas Adams, Marcus Aurelius. My favorite novel is The World According to Garp.
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