byrlie: you are influenced george elliott and greek tragedies. lauren: yes.harlie: you know these are good aspirations. lauren: they are thrilling and they are exciting. if you are alone all the time, you have to find your excitement somewhere. charlie: how are lotto and matilda different? he was lotto, i thought going to be the embodiment of florida. his sunny. his charming. he is kind of sexy. there is something weird going on on the inside. charlie: you said kind of handsome, kind of sexy. lauren: sometimes he is. other times, he is not. he has some darkness that is not immediately apparent. he is an actor who becomes a playwright. he is one of those lovers of other people, whose love comes out of deeply embedded narcissism. and this is not as abnormal as one thinks it is. you can only see examples of this everywhere. charlie: narcissism? lauren: such incredible charismatic narcissism that makes that person into the most popular person in the room. charlie: would you have a face or anything in mind when you are writing? lauren: [indiscernible] [laughter] i

george elliott is just the kindest, most sensitive -- you live in her wisdom over the course of 600 pagesnd like marilyn who i think is george's counterpart today, you want to live inside their brains for a while. >> rose: you read a lot. all day long. i write in the morning and then i give up and read. >> rose: so, what, you get up in the morning, have breakfast and -- >> no, i get up at 5:00 and -- >> rose: is he up by then? my husband? sometimes. we have two children sleeping upstairs, so it's a really quiet time. then i work -- i don't even see the kids off to school. in fact, i ignore their very existence, which is really, really important to preserve that space. then i get them from school. but my writing day is from 5:00 to about -- >> rose: so he takes care of the kids, gets them to school. >> yes, he's generous. >> rose: you don't want to see them? >> no, i don't. >> rose: you stay home, look out from a table and a pen? is. >> no, like at a wall. >> rose: does it come flowing? no, sometimes you ride that wave and it's beautiful and it's, you know -- >> rose: but in the afternoon,