"Michele [Filgate] is just remarkable. She's one of the patron saints of the book world. She really extended herself and had me go up to RiverRun long before the award. I'm forever in her debt. She's an independent bookseller and despite rumors to the contrary, there are still an amazing amount of readers out there who read Tinkers--it's not beach reading--and people are finding out about it through people like Michele. She has a wide taste in books, and she's incredibly inclusive. She's out there reading everything for us."