We have years to converse with someone, to blurt and rant, to explain our desires and anger and regrets - and oh how we squander those moments.

It means working harder to do the research but I don't really mind - I don't think I have what it takes to chase criminals through back alleys and wade through blood at crime scenes.

Of course, all writers draw upon their personal experiences in describing day-to-day life and human relationships, but I tend to keep my own experiences largely separate from my stories.

But one does not make living writing poetry unless you're a professor, and one frankly doesn't get a lot of girls as a poet.

So I work hard to present the human side of my characters while not neglecting the plot.

I write pretty much anywhere - on planes, in hotel rooms, anywhere in my house.

And life changes. Maybe just a little, maybe a lot. And at some point, it just isn't worth the fight to fix it.