I suppose I started writing seriously at 16 years old. I thought I wrote a novel at 16 and sent it to New York! They sent it back because it wasn't novel.

...my heart may have been in it but my soul was not.

I write with as much objectivity as I can.

I believe that the writer should tell a story. I believe in plot. I believe in creating characters and suspense.

I want you to show them the difference between what they think you are and what you can be.

I have no more to say except this: We must live with our own conscience.

I write to try to find out who I am. One of my main themes is manliness. I think I'm trying to figure out what manliness really is.