I don't know anybody in the underworld. I make this stuff up. I don't know any criminals.
James Ellroy[Raymond] Chandler, I reread him, and there's a lot of bad writing there. I don't think he knew much about people.
James EllroyYou try to learn who you are. You work hard. You've either got it or you don't when it comes to writing books. And you tend to only get these things if you want them, and want them to the exclusion of everything else.
James Ellroy