I would never have been a novelist without working as a psychologist...it was a great education in human nature.

Life is like a prism. What you see depends on how you turn the glass.

I don't practice, but I am still officially in paediatrics. I keep in touch with journals, and I have a very good data bank of medical information and there is a key thing for a writer knowing where to go. I know where to go to get the information that I need.

I spent the first few years of my life in a smallish community in Queens. Back in those early days, kids could roam the streets with relatively little supervision and one place I visited frequently was the local library. This particular branch was little more than a storefront but to me it was an alternative universe where I could explore my interests and receive kind, informative answers to my questions from the wonderful librarians.

The characters emerge from my rather twisted mind. That's another enjoyable part of the job making stuff up.

Government is like junior high. Your status depends upon whom you're able to persecute.

Time spent researching varies from book to book. Some novels require months, even years of research, others very little. I try to do most of my research before I begin but inevitably questions emerge during the writing.