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

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

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

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

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.

Everybody is a True Believer. Everybody has a little nugget they're convinced of that is the opposite of the nugget on the other side. And they're convinced it's fact.

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.