Sonal: What has been your favourite single reaction to the book?

Katrina: That's a tough question because so much of this experience has been wonderful. I think the greatest gift I had never imagined was author mail. I get cards and letters from people I've never met who tell me how the book has affected them. It's a gift because writing can be such lonely work. I can sit here in my office and know how I'm affected by what I'm writing, but I have no idea if it will have the same impact on readers. So to find out that impact is a real joy. I treasure those letters. And my favorite response has been those people who start out with "I didn't think I would like this book. I didn't want to read something depressing about someone with AIDS. Initially I only read it because my book club selected it . . . " and go on to say how they found the book to be about so much more than that. One woman called it "a family love story" and that meant a great deal to me.

Sonal: Has there been any response from the gay community to the book?

Katrina: Although many of the individuals who have written to me have told me they were gay and how much the book meant to them, there hasn't been any response to the novel--that I know of--in any major gay publication. Many of my friends who are gay have been incredibly supportive of the book and have done a great deal to spread the word about it.