This beautifully crafted work from literary luminary Zadie Smith explores the story of an interracial family whose misadventures in the culture wars on both sides of the Atlantic skewer everything from family life to political correctness to the combustive collision between the personal and the political.

Comparing yourself to prize winning and commercially successful novelists is not rational and can only lead to negative thoughts. Make goals, maintain them, and most importantly, write every day.

I put aside time this summer to write my book. I had a house on the beach in Rhode Island, and a firm commitment to finish by the end of August.

Spanning fiction, essays, science writing, biography, sports writing, translation and children's books, the 2014 PEN Literary Awards celebrate the best of literature from around the world.

Voice casting for audiobooks is particularly tricky with fiction. In addition to the many different characters a reader has to deliver, the most important voice to capture is the writer's literary voice -- assuming there is one.