Which words BEST describe the speaker's attitude toward his current situation?

The right answer is the B) Plot & Character.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, it can be added that what author Karin Slaughter is primarily saying in this interview—and this is the central idea of the interview—about writing is that a good story must have an identifiable plot and engaging characters. The fact that she mentions that she is a Southern author, that she loves reading Flannery O'Connor's essays, or that a succesful thriller must have a beginning, a middle and an end are not, in my opinion, as important as the other idea. So Duncan's note about plot and character will be most helpful to find the central idea of the interview.