I remember, as a child, I used to be afraid of answering the phone. This has nothing to do with the person I am today. For many years I've made a semi-living as a screenwriter, "semi" being the operative word. Lately, I have moved on to humorous prose, specifically a novel I'm adapting from one of my unsold spec scripts. Thus, when I sell the book rights to Hollywood, I will have the screenplay "adaptation" for it already written. This is why I often have that maniacal grin on my face, that of a mad genius. A mad genius, incidentally, who fears panic attacks, slippery people and raw cucumbers. Pickles are okay.