If work was a good thing, the rich would have it all and not let you do it.

I get letters. I get several a week, I think. A lot of people want a picture, a lot of people just want an autograph.

I want the reader to know what's going on. So there's never a mystery in my books.

Never use an adverb to modify the verb 'said' . . . he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange.

I still read Hemingway. I still read his short stories because they're so good. He doesn't waste any words.

My purpose is to entertain and please myself. I feel that if I am entertained, then there will be enough other readers who will be entertained, too.

A pen connects you to the paper. It definitely matters.