I didn't really start publishing books until I was 40 because I was busy being a McDonald's employee. So there's always a sense of trying to make up for lost time.

Heroin spread that soft blanket over everything. But once the blanket was ripped off, it took a layer of skin with it, leaving nothing but nerve ends screaming in the breeze.

The art and act of writing - speaking just for myself - involves getting your proverbial ass in the proverbial chair.

It's not like I was an alkie or anything. Alcohol is for cleaning needles

If you're here for four more years or four more weeks, you're here right now. I think when you're somewhere, you ought to be there. It's not about how long you stay in a place, it's about what you do while you're there, and when you go, is that place any better for your having been there?

In my family, misery didn't just love company, it wanted hostages.

Half the reason I turned into a writer is you didn't have to show up anywhere. You could work naked.