... it’s a delight to have the author share her insights with us directly. For the starry-eyed wannabes, this is a book to study, starting at the beginning ...As with everything McDermott offers here, she tells us what she means while simultaneously, through extensive excerpts and entire stories, showing us.

Spiked with exacting observations and shrewdly amusing anecdotes about the mysterious and arduous art of fiction.

With style and wit, novelist McDermott offers a master class on writing fiction.

A master class in fiction writing.

As a useful guide for novice fiction writers and even writing and literature educators, What About the Baby? isn’t comprehensive by any stretch, but it isn’t intended to be.