My idea of Hell is to be young again.

I am a driven writer. I feel guilty if I don't write, not self-indulgent if I do.

When I work I am pure as an angel tiger and clear is my eye and hot my brain and silent all the whining grunting piglets of the appetites.

Work is its own cure. You have to like it better than being loved.

We admire predators - panthers, lions, tigers, even wolves. Maybe to be naturally thoughtful and hesitant to use violence is to be somehow second rate. To be in the middle of the social food chain. Especially if you're a man. This society thinks real men are violent.

The art of fiction is one of constant seduction. You must persuade the reader on page 1 to start reading - on page 50, or page 150 and yes, on page 850.

Suspense is one of the ways you persuade a reader to become engaged and stay engaged with your work.