Unless you live in Indonesia, there should be several malls within five miles of your home. It makes no difference whatsoever which one you go to: Under federal law, all malls in the United States must have the same 42 chain stores.

As the saying goes: "If you're not part of the solution, you're a newspaper columnist."

You should be prepared for anything during divorce proceedings - even the truth.

Another important rule of affair-having: Never be discreet at the office.

By today's beauty standards, of course, Marilyn Monroe was an oil tanker.

I read "Remembrance of Things Past" in the original French. I never start the day without reading me some [Marcel] Proust.

With a novel, you have to have a story. It's much more important to have it matter to the reader what happens to people, and it has to make sense and end in a way that is satisfying. So I spend a lot more time thinking about that. Then the writing itself usually is easier for me, because I know where it's going.