You can write better about a place you've seen for yourself. You don't have to have been there - I've sure written about places I've never seen - but it does help.

A horsefly can't do a horse much real damage, but it can drive it wild anyhow.

People were as they were, not not as he wished them to be.

Many things are possible. Few things are certain.

Plausible development, building from what we know about what really did go on, and a whacking good story… Surrounded by Enemies delivers on both, big-time. So hold on to your hats, folks. You’re in for quite a ride.

Fiction has to be plausible. All history has to do is happen.

I learned by reading an awful lot and by writing a half a million words of stuff nobody would do anything with except wrap old fish.