It's what's in *yourself* that makes you happy or unhappy.

There is no greater mistake in life than seeing things or hearing them at the wrong time.

Best of an island is once you get there - you can't go any farther...you've come to the end of things.

Never tell all you know—not even to the person you know best.

The best time to plan a book is while you're doing the dishes.

God bless my soul, woman, the more personal you are the better! This is a story of human beings - not dummies! Be personal - be prejudiced - be catty - be anything you please! Write the thing your own way. We can always prune out the bits that are libellous afterwards!

I know nothing about pistols and revolvers, which is why I usually kill off my characters with a blunt instrument or better with poisons. Besides, poisons are neat and clean and really exciting... I do not think I could look a really ghastly mangled body in the face. It is the means that I am interested in. I do not usually describe the end, which is often a corpse.