What makes the great American fiction writers tick? Like so many of us, editor Will Blythe was intrigued by the question. His curiosity led him to ask twenty-six of the most exciting and accomplished novelists of our time why they do what they do. To pursue a vocation like fiction writing these days demands an almost religious sense of mission, with little chance of making a living, let alone a fortune; (And yet it sometimes seems there are more fiction writers than readers!) This anthology offers a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the imaginative processes of some of America's best writers.