Throughout the whole novel, Scott keeps referring to time in the full format (e.g., 6:00 P.M. as opposed to 6PM). Why did you do that?
It was a style choice. Apologies to you and your therapist if it truly bothered you.

Scott's a fancy-schmancy publicist. Why would he drive a Saturn?
Because he's comfortable with himself and doesn't require a fancy-schmancy car to justify his own existence.

Who was your favorite character to write?
Scott, of course. But Jean runs a close second. I could write a whole book of their EyeTalk banter, but reading it would probably cause other people's heads to explode.

Who was your least favorite character to write?
I enjoyed writing all my characters, but Harmony was by far the hardest one to get down on paper. In fact, all the scenes with Harmony in them took five times longer than the non-Harmony scenes. Why? Because she's the character who's the most different from me. And of course I was deathy afraid of portraying her in a way that was stereotypical or condescending. Hope I did okay.

Which character do readers seem to like the most?
The fan favorites so far (and by far) are Maxina and Ira. Everyone loves Ira, despite the fact that he's the least consequential character in the book. I was even thinking about cutting from the story until I got an overwhelming chorus of "Not Ira! You've got to keep Ira!"

Is there anything about the story you'd change now?
No, but I still think the climactic scene in Doug's house (Chapter 22) is a little too long, a little too talky, and a little too filled with "tell, don't show." But I'll get over it.

What music did you listen to when you were writing SLICK?
Lots of new age and ambient electronica, because it helps me concentrate. I did not listen to rap.

In the Acknowledgements, you thank your "highly-supportive cat" Jake? What did he do that was so supportive?
He allowed me to pet the hell out of him when I was feeling stressed and anxious. In gratitude, I gave him an extra helping of Fancy Feast and a signed copy of SLICK. He ate the food. The book somehow ended up on eBay.