In the criminal justice system you see the worst people on their best behavior, unlike the civil system, where the best people behave at their worst.

Books are like your children. They take nine months to write; the manuscript weighs six pounds and...you send them out into the world and hope that some day they'll send back money.

Friends are family you choose.

To entrust to an editor a story over which you have labored and to which your name and reputation are attached can be like sending your daughter off for an evening with Ted Bundy.

You ought to try surviving one of my family reunions. It's like having a bowling alley in your brain.

Fear is like water. You need it. And it's good for you, as long as you have the right amount.

True friends are those who really know you but love you anyway.