I got halfway through 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.' I don't get it at all. What's the big thrill? It's boring.

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

Skip the boring parts.

Don't worry about what your mother thinks of your language.

After 58 years you'd think writing would get easier. It doesn't. If you're lucky, you become harder to please. That's all right, it's still a pleasure.

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.

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.