But I've been at writing long enough now to know that every three or four books I have to start a new direction.

I always loved the verve and vivacity of pulp and I kind of merged it with my own interest in family stories.

I didn't really expect to be coming to the Oscars.

I felt like a number of things in me as a writer just clicked.

I've bumped into at least three people in town who all insist 'Winter's Bone' is about them.

The opening novel of the 'Bayou Trilogy' was the first one I finished.

There's an overlap between social-realist fiction and crime fiction - a sweet spot there.

When I started to be a writer, I was not going to run the risk of boring you.

I have a book in the pipeline of short stories. You want to hear an agent scream, say 'I'm thinking about doing a collection of short stories set in the Ozarks.'