I always say three things make a writer: inspiration, obviously; perspiration, doing the work. But the third is desperation. I'm not really fit for anything else, or to have a real job. That fear drives me. The pressure has always been self inflicted.

I'm the Jerry Lewis of crime fiction.

I love to make even villains people you can relate to. When you find out who did it, I think you almost like the person, which is not easy to do.

I pretty much only wear Lilly Pulitzer ties because my best friend owns the company.

I am, after all, a thriller writer. I routinely delve into the darkest chambers of the human heart. I've written about murder, kidnapping, depravity, horror, violence, and disfigurement.

Man plans. God laughs.

When you like something and you're pretty good at it and you can make a living doing it, you don't ask why. You just count your blessings and go with it.