He realized now he was only just beginning to see the full extent to which it was his destiny to follow, to walk blindly into fates he could never understand. In fate there was reward, in turning over one's heart to God there was a magnificence that lay beyond description. At the moment one is sure that all is lost, look at what is gained!

I read books I hate all the time, and I don't mention them or talk about them.

You see an absolutely brilliant film later, as an adult, and you walk out thinking about what to have for dinner. Whereas something like Jaws winds up having a huge effect on me. If only my parents had been taking me to Kurosawa films when I was eight, but no.

My novels are very much the same, as I think many people's novels are.

Using your imagination is the one time in life you can really go anywhere.

No one should have to go back to the place where she had once been a girl.

Art stands on the shoulders of craft, which means that to get to the art, you must master the craft.