A lot of novels use crime as a stepping stone to talk about greater issues. So I just think of myself as a writer.

I think that people do things for a reason - that we have mental illness, that we have genetic wiring that can get triggered by certain environmental factors.

I have a few unusual fans, as you can imagine, so I try to protect the privacy of my home life.

I grew up reading crime fiction and, especially in the '80s, women were just there to be saved or screwed.

A good editor is one of the sharpest tools a writer can have in her toolbox.

I was with a real jerk after the first heartbreak, and once I did the prerequisite eating an entire cake and singing "All By Myself" in the shower, I realized that people treat you badly when you let them, and that I had to respect myself and not let anyone else treat me that way again. If someone really loves you, they are your biggest champion, not your biggest detractor.

I never felt isolated; I just liked being alone. I think that some people are good at being alone, and some people arent, and as a child, I really liked it.