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

There's something rotten in the state of Denmark, and Hamlet says...it's payback time!

You nearly killed eight people!" I managed to gasp out loud. "My count was closer to twelve," returned Havisham as she opened the door. "And anyhow, you can't nearly kill someone. Either they are dead or they are not.

Failure concentrates the mind wonderfully. If you don't make mistakes, you're not trying hard enough.

"Edward, Edward," he said with a patronising smile, "there are no unanswered questions of any relevance. Every question that we need to ask has been answered fully. If you can't find the correct answer then you are obviously asking the wrong question."

People who read my books have an open mind when it comes to new, bizarre, interesting and exciting ideas.

There is much unexplained in the world. It behooves us to be wary at all times. Just when you think you've got the hang of it, along comes string theory, collateralized debt obligations or Björk's new album, and bam! You're as confused as you were when you first started.