I had lived in New York since 1996, sometimes in the worst neighborhoods, without even locking my door half the time.

Why I love chess and tennis - the volleying aspect, and the fact that your competitors' reactions and motivations and bluffs come into the game itself.

I've never had a mentor. I've always wanted one. I'm actually really disappointed that nobody took my under their wing.

Someone asked me when it was that I felt confident enough in my writing that I could rely on it as a career. The truth is, I never have. I'm always on the hunt for second, third, or fourth careers. Private detective and cinematographer were previous career choices, but now that I'm older I think I'd be a good portrait painter, rug merchant, or florist.

I'm really much better at asking questions than answering them, since asking questions is like a constant deflection of oneself.

I had been going out to Orient for several years.

You find when you're writing a detective story that you're actually not trying to solve anything. You're trying to stop the reader from solving the puzzle.