Never use the words 'suddenly' or 'all hell broke loose.'

I don't judge in my books. I don't have to have the antagonist get shot or the protagonist win. It's just how it comes out. I'm just telling a story.

Don't go into great detail describing places and things, unless you're ­Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language. You don't want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.

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

Skip the boring parts.

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.

My characters have to talk, or they're out. They audition in early scenes. If they can't talk, they're given less to do, or thrown out.