Whatever fame a novelist my attain, it's always kind of an anonymous one. I can go anywhere, and no one knows who I am.

Optimism is denial for chumps with no life experience". "What's pessimism?" I said. "Religion without God.

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.

To trust someone is to take the greatest risk of all. (180)

Just because others have it worse doesn’t mean you have to suffer in silence.

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

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.