The intricacy of plotting a thriller is akin to writing formal poetry.

If I'd learned nothing else, it was this: If you want to be a great writer, be a man. If you can't be a man, write like one.

My childhood was marked by the great fear of nuclear holocaust. We practiced our Civil Defense Drills, lining up in hallways, curled to the floor, but we knew we'd die or, worse, survive only to suffer radiation and slow death.

I've left the Church - for many reasons that I've written about publicly - but it's still a large part of my identity, and I still have my faith, if not my Church.

I want women writers to write boldly, wildly, deeply. I want them to feel really liberated to tell the brutal truth, however they see that truth and are moved to tell it.

Love is selfless, it is a weakness, a giving in, a constant falling.

Each genre has something to teach me about the others. Not all the lessons are transferable, but many of the most important ones are.