I don't usually eat breakfast. I prefer to be asleep during the hours that it is served.

Critics should find meaningful work.

You need some coffee, don't you?" "Yes, I've only had a gallon.

The first thing my family did when we moved was join the local church. The second was to go to the library and get library cards.

I always try to tell a good story, one with a compelling plot that will keep the pages turning. That is my first and primary goal. Sometimes I can tackle an issue-homelessness, tobacco litigation, insurance fraud, the death penalty-and wrap a good story around it.

In little pockets of conversation, old men were telling stories of ancient floods. Women were talking of about how much rain there'd been in other towns -- Paragould, Lepanto, and Manila.

I've written 17 novels, and I've found out that fiction can't keep up with real life.