She always carried a book, though, in case she needed to read a few pages to avoid unwanted conversation.

Or maybe it is only that we are so habitually inattentive that when some rare but simple geometry grabs us by the shoulders and shakes us into consciousness, we call our response sacred.

It always helps me connect with characters, to think about what music they respond to

Claim your space. Draw a circle of light around it. Push back against the dark. Don't just survive. Celebrate.

No looking back. Life goes one way only, and whatever opinions you hold about the past having nothing to do with anything but your own damn weakness. Nothing changes what already happened. It will always have happened. You either let it break you down or you don't.

He tried to name which of the deadly seven might apply, and when he failed he decided to append an eighth, regret.

Hardboiled crime fiction came of age in Black Mask magazine during the Twenties and Thirties. Writers like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler learnt their craft and developed a distinct literary style and attitude toward the modern world.