it. This submerged desire finally had a means of being liberated. CNN: Having Ellen in your life took some adjusting, even in small areas like the correct language, right ? Haskell: The first time we went out in public, I was very self-conscious and nervous. We went to dinner at an upscale restaurant and the waiter asked how we liked our food. I said, Mine is good, but his is fabulous. She -LRB- Ellen -RRB- smirked and I smirked. I would often call her Chevey by mistake when it was just the two of us. And on the phone, the voice is a huge thing that is not improvable. There is no good surgery. When she gets on the phone, I would see her as Chevey, my brother. Recently, though, I 've stopped doing that. It's automatically Ellen. CNN: Ellen initially did n't want you to write the book, but then she changed her mind. Why ? Haskell: She wished she had this book when she was struggling with it. I wanted it to be her book as much as my book. I think of it as a partnership.