As a Southerner, I love obstacles for my characters.

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 can’t—” Lena repeated. “I can’t do it. I can’t live without him.” Sara gently pulled her hand away from Jared’s. She smoothed down the sheet, tucked it in close around his side. She looked at Lena—really looked at her straight in the eye. “Good,” Sara told her. “Now you know how it feels.

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.

Reading is not just an escape. It is access to a better way of life.

sexual predators were like cockroaches. For every one you saw, there were twenty more hiding behind the walls.