Work extra hard on the beginning of your story, so it snares reader's instantly. And know how you're going to end your story before you start writing. Without a sense of direction, you can get lost in the middle.

To my way of thinking, the slavery issue is just an excuse to allow some people to do hateful things and feel righteous about it.

Life isn't measured in minutes, but in heartbeats.

In a mystery, you must play fair by giving all the clues, but disguise them by immediately distracting the reader with something else.

Life is not easy. We all have problems-even tragedies-to deal with, and luck has nothing to do with it. Bad luck is only the superstitious excuse for those who don't have the wit to deal with the problems of life.

Having a baby is part of a woman's life, and it is surely a great waste to be afraid of life.

Each of us from the seance stood alone. Like so many pillars of salt, we had tried to look back and failed. And in the eyes of the others who shared the pale, flat sky with us, there was sometimes suspicion, sometimes a little fear.