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

To me, a book is a book, an electronic device is not, and love of books was the reason I started writing.

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

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

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.

Never open a book with weather. There are exceptions. If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways to describe ice and snow than an Eskimo, you can do all the weather reporting you want.

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.