Contrary to what many of you may imagine, a career in letters is not without its drawbacks - chief among them the unpleasant fact that one is frequently called upon to sit down and write.

Generally speaking, it is inhumane to detain a fleeting insight.

Favorite animal: steak.

I am not... totally unreceptive to colour providing it makes its appearance quietly, deferentially, and without undue fanfare.

The downfall of most diets is that they restrict your intake of food.

Not writing is probably the most exhausting profession I've ever encountered.

New York was always more expensive than any other place in the United States, but you could live in New York - and by New York, I mean Manhattan. Brooklyn was the borough of grandparents. We didn't live well. We lived in these horrible places. But you could live in New York. And you didn't have to think about money every second.