I have no idea who Garth Stein is, although I have heard of (but have not read) his novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain.
His take on how he writes (or doesn’t) squares with mine to a near perfect T.
When and where do you write? I write like writing is a job. I have an office. I go to it. I fart around in the mornings, tending to business, editing, reading. In the afternoon, I look at the clock and think, “oh, crud, I have to get something done! It’s almost time to go home and fix dinner!” So I write furiously until I go home and fix dinner.
I also liked this bit:
What’s your advice to new writers? Take acting classes. Actors need to know all about the motivation of their characters. They need to know where the character is coming from and where he is going to, what he wants, what he needs, what he will die without having, etc. Even though it might not all be in the text, it has to be in the mind of the actor playing the part.
You’ll find the entire interview at Advice to Writers.