there’s nothing more powerful than human fear—not magic, not vampire strength. Nothing.

As fast as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear. The other is desire.

All that children need is love, a grown-up to take responsibility for them, and a soft place to land.

She was like a camera that had been chronically out of focus until someone came by and twisted the lenses into alignment.

I'd studied 16th century science and magic. I thought it was strange that people were interested in the same kinds of things my research was about. The more I thought about it, the more intriguing it became and pretty soon I was writing a novel about a reluctant witch and a 1500-year-old vampire.

Within days they'd formed an unholy alliance with a foppish young French vampire in the Garden District who had implausibly golden hair and a streak of ruthlessness as wide as the Mississippi

It is a blessing as well as a burden to love so much that you can hurt so badly when love is gone.