There is no sound more peaceful than rain on the roof, if you're safe asleep in someone else's house.

I do write long, long character notes - family background, history, details of appearance - much more than will ever appear in the novel. I think this is what lifts a book from that early calculated, artificial stage.

I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not just how much you love someone. Maybe what matters is who you are when you're with them.

I write because I want more than one life; I insist on a wider selection. It's greed, plain and simple.

Liam really enjoyed a good movie. He found it restful to watch people's conversations without being expected to join in. But he always felt sort of lonesome if he didn't have someone next to him to nudge in the ribs at the good parts.

In real life I avoid all parties altogether, but on paper I can mingle with the best of them

There's surprisingly little difference between writing from a male angle and from a female angle, but I feel more restricted in my language when I'm writing as a male character because males tend to sound less emotionally expressive than females.