The author, most recently, of “Blue” says Alex Haley was her mentor. “We both wrote late at night, and when my phone rang at 3 a.m., I always knew it was him, making sure I was working.”

最新作品为《蓝》(Blue)的作者说，亚历克斯·哈利(Alex Haley)是她的导师。“我们都在深夜写作，我的电话凌晨3点响起时，我知道一定是他打来的，以确定我在工作。”

Which books are currently on your night stand?

问：现在你的床头柜上放着什么书？

“The Girl on the Train,” by Paula Hawkins, and a recent John Grisham, “Gray Mountain.”

答：葆拉·霍金斯(Paula Hawkins)的《火车上的女孩》(The Girl on the Train)以及约翰·格里沙姆(John Grisham)的新书《灰山》(Gray Mountain)。

What’s the last great book you read?

问：你读的上一本很棒的书是什么？

“All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr, and “The Nightingale,” by Kristin Hannah — those are both World War II books, which I love. And the most recent, “The Power of I Am,” by Joel Osteen.

答：安东尼·多尔(Anthony Doerr)的《我们看不见的光》(All the Light We Cannot See)以及克里斯廷·汉娜(Kristin Hannah)的《夜莺》(The Nightingale)。这两本书都是关于“二战”的，我很喜欢。我最近很喜欢的是乔尔·奥斯廷(Joel Osteen)的《我的力量》(The Power of I Am)。

What genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

问：你特别喜欢读什么类型的书？又不喜欢什么类型的书？

I like books that inspire me in my own life. I don’t like depressing books, or books and stories where terrible things happen to children. I won’t read either.

答：我喜欢那些能对我自己的生活有所启发的书。我不喜欢压抑的书或者讲述孩子身上发生可怕事情的书或故事。那两种书我都不会读。

What moves you most in a work of literature?

问：文学作品中什么最打动你？

How well it’s written, how real it is, how well the story grabs me and keeps my interest, and how touching it is.

答：它写得怎么样，有多真实，故事有多吸引我，能否让我一直有兴趣读下去，有多感人。

What’s the last book that made you cry?

问：上一本让你大哭的书是哪本？

The most recent one I was writing (I always cry when I write sad scenes).

答：我前不久写的那本（写到悲伤的场景时，我总会大哭）。

The last book that made you laugh?

问：上一本让你大笑的书是什么？

I love Joel Osteen’s books; they inspire me, and he also has a great sense of humor, in order to deliver his message with a light touch, and occasionally makes me laugh out loud.

答：我很喜欢乔尔·奥斯廷的书。它们能给我带来灵感。他也很有幽默感，为了轻松地表达自己的意思，有时能让我笑出声来。

The last book that made you furious?

问：上一本让你愤怒的书是什么？

One by an author I used to like, and tried to read again. The author unexpectedly killed a child at the end with no warning. I absolutely hate that!

答：是我以前挺喜欢的一位作家写的一本书，我当时是想再读一些这位作家写的书。没想到这位作家在结尾处毫无征兆地把一个孩子给写死了。我真的很讨厌那样！

Tell us about your favorite fairy tale.

问：说说你最喜欢的童话故事吧。

Any fairy tale with a happy ending.

答：所有结局幸福的童话故事。

Tell us about your favorite poem.

问：说说你最喜欢的诗歌吧。

I used to like Edna St. Vincent Millay (“First Fig,” “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver”) when I was very young, but today I find her poems to be somewhat depressing.

答：我很年轻的时候喜欢埃德娜·圣·文森特·米莱（Edna St. Vincent Millay，比如她的《第一颗无花果》[First Fig]和《竖琴谣》[The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver]），但是现在我觉得她的诗歌有点令人沮丧。

And the best movie adaptation of a book?

问：你认为最棒的改编自图书的电影是哪一部？

I always think the books are better than the movies.

答：我一直认为，书比电影好。

What kind of reader were you as a child?

问：你小时候是怎么读书的？

I was an avid reader and read constantly. I read mostly in French, my first language, and loved “The Little Prince,” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but also loved “The Secret Garden,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett; “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott; and “Eloise,” by Kay Thompson, for how naughty she was.

答：我是个书迷，一直在读书。我大多是读法语书，法语是我的母语，我非常喜欢安东尼·德·圣-埃克苏佩里(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)的《小王子》(The Little Prince)，不过我也很喜欢弗朗西丝·霍奇森·伯内特(Frances Hodgson Burnett)的《秘密花园》(The Secret Garden)，路易莎·梅·奥尔科特(Louisa May Alcott)的《小妇人》(Little Women)，以及凯·汤普森(Kay Thompson)的《埃洛伊塞》(Eloise)，我喜欢她的调皮劲儿。

Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Your favorite antihero or villain?

问：你最喜欢的虚构男主人公或女主人公是谁？你喜欢的反派主角呢？

Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet.

答：维尼熊(Winnie-the-Pooh)和小猪皮杰(Piglet)。

If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?

问：如果你必须选出哪本书造就了今天的你，你会选哪本？

The Bible.

答：《圣经》。

What author, living or dead, would you most like to meet, and what would you like to know?

问：在世和去世的作者中，你最想与谁会面？你想知道什么？

Alex Haley (author of “Roots”) was a dear friend, and my mentor early in my career. He predicted I would do well, and I thought he was crazy. He was a remarkable human being. We both wrote late at night, and when my phone rang at 3 a.m., I always knew it was him, making sure I was working. I miss him greatly and would love to see him again (rather than an author I don’t know).

答：亚历克斯·哈利（《根》[Roots]的作者）是我的挚友，他是我事业早期的导师。他预言我能写得很好，我当时觉得他这么想很疯狂。他是个了不起的人。我们都在深夜写作，我的电话凌晨3点响起时，我知道一定是他打来的，以确定我在工作。我很想念他，很想再次见到他（而不想去见我不认识的人）。

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

问：失望，评价过高，不好看：哪些书让你觉得自己应该会喜欢但实际上不喜欢？你还记得上一本没看完就放下的书吗？

I do remember the book, but it would be unkind to mention it. I’m a very disciplined person, so I finish a book even if I hate it, and always wish I didn’t waste the time! I always hope it will get better right to the very end.

答：我的确记得有这样一本书，但我觉得说出来不太好。我是个非常自律的人，所以就算我很讨厌一本书，也会把它读完，然后一直希望自己没浪费那些时间！我一直希望那些书到后面会写得好一些。

Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favorite or the most personally meaningful?

问：在你写过的所有的书中，你最喜欢的或者对你个人最有意义的书是哪一本？

The most personally meaningful is the one I wrote about my son Nick, “His Bright Light,” who died at 19. He was bipolar all his life and committed suicide. I wrote the book to honor him, and help parents of similar children. The favorite one I’ve written is always the one I’m currently writing or just finished.

答：对我个人最有意义的是关于我儿子尼克(Nick)的书——《他的光芒》(His Bright Light)，他19岁时去世。他一生都患有躁郁症，最后自杀了。我写那本书是为了纪念他，同时帮助有类似孩子的父母。我写过的书中最喜欢的一直是我正在写或刚写完的书。

Whom would you want to write your life story?

问：你想让谁来写你的人生故事？

No one — ever. Perhaps my children, who know me better than anyone. But a life written about by another person, viewed from the outside, is never accurate. Whatever happened in my life is history and should remain private, and not shared with the world. I prefer that people come to know me through the books I’ve written. I have no desire to see my real life written about, and hope it never will be.

答：我不想让任何人写。我的孩子们或许可以，他们比其他任何人都更了解我。但是外人写的人生永远都不会准确。我生活中发生的任何事情都是历史，都应该保密，不应该与世人分享。我更希望人们通过我写的书认识我。我不想看到任何人写我的真实生活，希望永远也不会有人写。

What do you plan to read next?

问：你接下来打算读什么书？

A lot of my own work. I have too little time to read, and only read when I take a break from writing in the summer for a few weeks. The rest of the time, I’m writing, and I never read other people’s work when I’m writing.

答：我有很多工作要做。我阅读的时间很少，我只在夏季休假的那几周读书。其他的时间我都在写作，我写作的时候从不读别人的作品。

Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?

问：目前还在写作的作家中，你最欣赏哪位？不管是小说家、剧作家、记者或诗人。

I wish I had more time to read new novelists, see plays and read magazines, but my new publishing schedule of six books a year keeps me very busy. As I’ve said, I wish I did!

答：我希望自己有更多时间读新小说家们的作品，读剧本，或者读杂志，但我每年要出六本书，特别忙。就像我说的，我希望自己有时间去读别人的作品！