Raymond Chandler once wrote that Dashiell Hammett gave murder back to the people who really committed it.
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 EllroyI work within the framework of a very concerted, purely driven Protestant Christian mindset. I had dark early circumstances. I went inward. I have a sturdy will. I have a big heart. I'm a decent guy. And I have a great gift. It's blunted me to the world in many ways.
James EllroyAs a kid, I sensed history going on all around me, but the basic thrust of it didn't move me.
James Ellroy