What was it that drew you back? My marvellous personality, I suppose? Or my sparkling conversation?

I rather think he knew anyway.

If anyone else asked that question, O He Who Is Terrible and Great, I would have said they were an ignorant fool; in you it is a sign of the disarming simplicity which is the fount of all virtue.

Getting that first draft out is a horribly hard grind, but that (perversely) is where the joy of it lies.

Literature offers the thrill of minds of great clarity wrestling with the endless problems and delights of being human. To engage with them is to engage with oneself, and the lasting rewards are not confined to specific career paths.

Julius Tallow was a fool. He appeared complacent, but like a weak swimmer out of his depth, his legs were kicking frantically under the surface, trying to keep him afloat. Whatever happened, Nathaniel did not intend to sink with him.

Besides, if you're going to die horribly, you might as well do it with style.