I want people to react to my work, to think, to question, to challenge, to cry and laugh and feel.

He went through the cupboards, found the olive oil, and started upstairs again. He glanced down at the green and gold label and had to bite back a laugh at the words Extra Virgin. That about summed it up.

Knowing and believing are two different things.

I know you've all heard the advice, "Show, don't tell." The best writers don't tell you, and quite frankly they don't just show you -- they make you feel it, live it, taste it, touch it. Storytelling is about being in the moment with the characters.

Have I ever told you, you look like Monty Clift? he inquired in a deep, seductive voice. Before or after the accident?

Then, like a born and bred asshole, he added to the sheriff, "He writes murder mysteries.

All cynics are disappointed idealists. The more stars in the eyes, the harder the fall.