I can only answer this question in a paradoxical way: everything and nothing, all at the same time. I think that’s because a story always starts to feel so real that after a while I’m not even sure if I’m including something I’ve made up or something that’s real. Certainly, much of my work is based loosely on people and events I’ve known, or friends or family have known. But much fiction is folded in. It’s kind of like baking a cake that you start with a base batter, then gently fold more and more layers of special ingredients into.