Chicken fizz! O Lord, protect all of us who toil in the vineyards of experimental chemistry!

My grandmother flew only once in her life, and that was the day she and her new husband ascended into the skies of Victorian London in the wicker basket of a hot-air balloon. They were soon to emigrate to Canada, and the aerial ride was meant to be a last view of their beloved England.

I was learning that among friends, a smile can be better than a belly laugh.

I had thought for years, probably 30 or 40 years, that it would be a lot of fun to try my hand at a classic English mystery novel... I love that form very much because the reader is so familiar with all of the types of characters that are in there that they already identify with the book.

I always knew that I wanted to work on my own material - something that would be more long-lasting than short-lived electronic transmissions.

Not very good with death? Father was a military man, and military men lived with death; lived for death; lived on death. To a professional soldier, oddly enough, death was life.

Anyone who knew the word slattern was worth cultivating as a friend.