It must be the ultimate punishment, don't you think, to finally gain wisdom, only to realize that the consequences of your actions are irrevocable?

The worst violence we can do to each other often is psychological, especially in families. I dwell a lot on domestic danger. Thats the backdrop of most of my novels - what kind of damage is done without ever lifting a finger.

Denial: my family heritage. If you don't ask the questions, the truth will never inconvenience you.

I definitely feel that plot flows from character. I dont believe that you can construct a plot and insert people into it.

I don't think of my characters as people I create, I think of them more as people I have met and whom I'm exploring on the page. I don't actually think of myself as having 'created' any of these people.

Alafair Burke is one of the finest young crime writers working today.

In the end, I cared about him so much that I just thought he deserved someone who loved him more than I did.