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

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.

I left advertising as fast as I could in 1961. And I haven't ever thought about going back.

Bad guys are not bad guys twenty-four hours a day.

I once saw Dizzy Gillespie at a live show, and it made me want to go home immediately and start writing.

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

The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in.