A journalist also needs to be disciplined, and so do I. I am, essentially, lazy. Without discipline I'd be just a mass of gummy bears on the sofa instead of on book tour with my eighth novel.

Or - perhaps - I should just worry about my own behavior and let others be who they are.

Better to accept the wretched truth than struggle, twisting to make a wish a reality.

The night is a strawberry.

A good journalist, as you know, is a great listener. And so's a good writer. And I got to listen to people for almost 20 years. That serves me well, I hope, when I try to understand how a character might be feeling, or how they might react.

Few things are better in the world than a room full of librarians. I consider them literary heroes. The keepers and defenders of the written word.

Winning doesn't mean my book is better than anyone else's. It means I'm very fortunate. And I should be very, very aware of that. And grateful.