I don't plan an awful lot in life just as I don't plan an awful lot in my fiction.

The short story, I should point out, is perforce a labor of love in today's literary world; there's precious little economic incentive to write one.

One aspect of serendipity to bear in mind is that you have to be looking for something in order to find something else.

Asking me why I did or didn't do anything is generally pointless. How do I know? And asking me what I'll do in the future is even less rewarding.

Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.

As my late mother famously observed, the one thing to be said for growing old is that every year there are a few more things I don’t have to give a rat’s ass about.

Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.