I work eight hours a day, but I'm not writing all that time. I'm thinking, editing, looking something up. Thinking is what I do a lot of.

I am a huge admirer of Elizabeth I, and this intriguing biography gives a wonderful picture of the era.

Never let stress shape your strategy. Most women think better after a brisk walk, a light meal, a massage and a nap.

Life was life. It happened. You never knew what was going to come at you. Or how you could defend yourself.

At the age of fifty-six Eleanor Stoddard was still a beautiful woman. She owned three hotels in France and another two in England. From nothing at all, she had built an empire. Eleanor had it all. Her one weakness was the young man sleeping beside her.

What is done can never be undone.

It's different when the person you love dies. There's an awful finality to death. But it is final. The end. And there's the funeral, family gatherings, grieving, all of those necessary rituals. And they help, believe me. When the object of your love just disappears, there's no way to deal with the grief and pain.