You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters interesting without making them maudlin or overwrought, or you've got to put more emphasis on the suspects.

In my day, we didn't have self-esteem, we had self-respect, and no more of it than we had earned.

My husband used to take care of the business part of this, and after he died I found I wasn't really any good at it. I hate remembering who owes me what and bugging them if they haven't paid me.

Logic is a wonderful invention. It is so wonderful, people often mistake it for reason. Reason, however, requires sense. Logic requires only consistency.

I tend to come up with people more than situations - most of my books start with a character.

I really hate those books where the murderer turns out to be somebody you never heard of who pops up in the last chapter.

Listen to advice. You don't know how many writer's conferences I've taught at where at least half the audience fights all the conventions of the field.