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

Usually, guys, when something bad happens, they punish someone else.

I'm sold as a literary writer in Holland; I'm sold as crime fiction in England. I think of it as just literature.

You didn't realize what was passing you by until you slowed down a little bit to get a better look.

Books are not like albums, where you can simply download and enjoy your favorite chapter and ignore the rest.

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

Every successful author I know faced crushing rejection early on, and they got back up and kept going.