I'm from Texas and I still love chicken fried steak and eat it as often as possible (which is not very often these days). Hmm . . . What other kind of stuff am I into? I think John Singer Sargent is a stud. Also, werewolves are cool.

I got my master's in American lit from the University of Chicago last June, and I moved to NY to work in publishing. I split my time between a literary agency and a bookstore. I'm also writing a crime novel set in NY in the 1930s. So, I've got a lot of booky stuff going on. Sometimes I go running. To counteract the running, I eat a lot of peanut M&Ms.

Alphabetizing stuff. Creating awkward moments. Making dorky references. Drinking root beer. Recognizing obscure old celebrities. Not recognizing people I have met before. Eating tacos. Doing crossword puzzles. Napping.

The beard, I guess. Or the navel ring. Just kidding, I don't have my navel pierced. Anymore. Again, kidding.

I have devoted most of my life to books, so that's a hard one. My favorite book is Moby-Dick, I think about that book a lot. And Winesburg, Ohio, which is like a heartbreaking little dollhouse. It's a perfect little book. I also love The Magus, Martin Dressler, The Adventures of Augie March, The Stories of John Cheever, lots of old crime novels like Double Indemnity and The Dain Curse, Hawthorne, Emerson, Dostoevsky, Gogol, Victor Hugo, Patricia Highsmith, Hemingway... Jeez, I dunno... there's a lot.

I like old movies. Especially old musicals, comedies, and noir films from the 30s and 40s. I am desperately in love with Ginger Rogers. I promise, I'm straight.

As far as music goes, I listen to a lot of Coltrane and Mingus and Charlie Parker. Sounds pretentious, but there you have it. I also like Uncle Tupelo. And Bob Wills. And Solomon Burke.

I don't watch much TV. I do eat food, though.

Books made of paper.
Things made of wood and metal and glass.
Coffee.
Snow.
Chocolate.
Baseball.

acrobats.

reading. I know, I'm a square. I got partying out of my system a few years back.

I lost my virginity to a bald girl.

you like stuff, and are not opposed to discussing it.

Also, I should say that I have a nine-year-old son. We're super close. I understand if it's weird. No big deal.