In the 1970s and 1980s there was so little decent fiction for young people, but we're now in a golden age that shows no sign of fading. Philip Pullman, J. K. Rowling, Lemony Snicket are only three of the best known among a good number of equals.

She was widely read enough to appreciate my literary wit but not so widely read that she knew my sources. I like that in a woman.

I love HBO productions, actually, like 'The Wire.'

False modesty can be worse than arrogance.

We are only what we know, and I wished to be so much more than I was, sorely.

History admits no rules; only outcomes.

Power, time, gravity, love. The forces that really kick ass are all invisible.