The essence of who I am is shaped by my optimism (I am a novelist, so always my next book will break through and become a movie) as much as the joy I feel when I am spending time with my children (my oldest is now 37, my youngest is 13). I am athletic, have been mistaken for an intellectual, go to the movies as often as possible (nothing like the big screen), play board games, have traveled a bit (but not enough), embrace the arts, and I hope as a legacy I will have left the world a better place. I believe the two qualities you need for any relationship are kindness and compassion. The courage to be vulnerable is also a good idea. One of my favorite quotes is from my novel Gods Among Gazelles: "Wisdom comes too late to be useful." Why is that one of my favotite quotes? Because if you accept that premise as true, then perhaps wisdom arrives in the nick of time after all. (And there is my optimism again.)