SameOldShawn: One of the things the book, and in some of your interviews, that I've appreciated is, as a fellow New Jersey native, the way you talk and write about the relationship between New York City and New Jersey rang very true. Even just your phrase of calling the influence of New York on New Jersey, even down to its southern end, a "blast radius" -- as soon as you said that, I was like, that's completely exactly right. It's invaded by television, and it's the center of our lives, even if you go there once a year or whatever

So for those who didn't have the good fortune to grow up in New Jersey, can you talk a little bit about what that looks like from the bridge-and-tunnel side of the world?

T.M. Wolf: I feel like the New York-New Jersey dynamic works itself out with New Jersey and everywhere. There are a lot of people who scoff at New Jersey off the cuff. It's like, why? Why is that? Partially because of its depiction on TV, I guess. Part of it is New Jersey's just got a bad rap

I know that not every part of the state is amazing, but not every part of any state is amazing. I feel like I personally had the opportunity to grow up in a very beautiful and interesting part, not just of New Jersey or the country, but the world

There is a dynamic at hand where you feel like New Jersey is looked down upon, and so the ability to boost it up in other peoples' consideration is great. I think there is also a sense in which, when you're speaking about literature, the literary world is centered in New York. Even though there's lots of stuff going on everywhere, a lot of the publishing houses are there, a lot of the media outlets are there, a lot of writers live in New York. So to be a writer from New Jersey, you feel like you're on the periphery, in a sense. So the ability to speak for people who are at least on the geographic periphery of the center of the universe is something that gets you up in the morning and gets you typing.