Kerouac was asked why he wrote "On the Road," and he said, "Because we're all gonna die." I think this is a good answer.

At the time I wrote "Between a Man and His Heart," I felt like I was going to die. My brain was convinced that I had some terrible illness that was not going away, and that I'd never feel normal again. I was stuck in that loop for about one year.

So, in many ways my novel is a direct response to what felt like a permanent blow, a life changing setback. But, Allah was just testing me and giving me something better, because I wrote the novel, and started, more and more, to feel better.

Being stuck in your head, obsessing over your health is no place I would ever like to visit again, but I am thankful for the novel that came out of it.