Our notions of self-determination are, on the whole, something of a myth. We are governed almost exclusively by our own peculiar habits, which makes those who rail against them that much more remarkable.

Words are like leaves,. . .like people really, fond of their own society.

There is a certain degree of steampunkishness that creeps into my books.

...the landscape inside Lord of the Rings was so stunning and so stupendous that it could be absorbed as a form of nourishment.

Who do readers expect to see when they pick up this book? Who has won the Most Troubled Romantic Lead at the BookWorld Awards seventy-seven times in a row? Me. All me.

He was, after all, the ultimate rebel -- it takes a lot of cojones to stand up to Zeus.

If you even think about asking Harry Potter for an autograph, your day ends right now.