A friend of mine who is in the publishing business knew I was writing a book, and he said, 'Have you said anything yet about the good guy? Because I know you spend so much time with the bad guys.' Because they're fun. So then you have to make the good guy fun, in order to compete. That's the challenge.

I spent most of my dough on booze, broads and boats and the rest I wasted.

Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.

I'm not going to write for posterity. I'm going to write to make a buck.

I never see my bad guys as simply bad. They want pretty much the same thing that you and I want: they want to be happy.

I don't get in a position to be frightened. I don't do anything dangerous, and I always pay my bills.

I don't believe in writer's block or waiting for inspiration. If you're a writer, you sit down and write.