I froze, shocked. (And don't try to clam that you did anything different the first time a government bureaucrat pulled a gun on you.)

They are presented attractively for the same reason that kittens are cute - so that they can draw you in, then pounce on you for the kill. Seriously. Stay away from kittens.

When men fought, they connected. You became brothers as you traded blows.

Authors also create lovable, friendly characters, then proceed to do terrible things to them, like throw them in unsightly librarian-controlled dungeons. This makes readers feel hurt and worried for the characters. The simple truth is that authors like making people squirm. If this weren't the case, all novels would be filled completely with cute bunnies having birthday parties.

When I write my books, actually I'm known for very logical rule-based magic systems. I write with one foot in fantasy and one foot in science fiction.

It is a writer's greatest pleasure to hear that someone was kept up until the unholy hours of the morning reading one of their books

Wherever it may be, whoever may hold it. That's who I am.