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 think any writer is a fool if he doesn't do it for money. There needs to be some kind of incentive in addition to the project. It all goes together. It's fun to sit there and think of characters and get them into action, then be paid for it. I can't believe it when writers tell me 'I don't want to show my work to anybody'.

Really, when I write a book I'm the only one I have to please. That's the beauty of writing a book instead of a screenplay.

If you take a few days to write an outline, you're just making up scenes that you think will work, that you think will be interesting. But as you write it, other ideas occur - better ideas that have to do with what you're writing.

My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip.

Try not to write the parts that people skip.

A man can be in two different places and he will be two different men. Maybe if you think of more places he will be more men, but two is enough for now.