How often have I met and disliked writers whose books I love; and conversely, hated the books and then wound up liking the writer? Too often.

She tortured everybody around her, but only because she was more tortured than anyone.

Escapism has value, even if I don't know what its value is, exactly. Maybe it's just part of some healthy way that we deal with the world.

A novel with a bad middle is a bad book. A bad ending is something I've just gotten in the habit of forgiving.

You didn’t get the quest you wanted, you got the one you could do.

The danger would be going back, or staying still. The only way out was through. The past was ruins, but the present was still in play.

I feel very conscious of my influences. T.H. White is very important for me.