I'm a country boy. I hate New York. But that's where things happen, so I use it as a base for stories, I know enough about it. But I have to keep going back there.

Mike Hammer drinks beer because I can't spell Cognac.

If the public likes you, you're good. Shakespeare was a common, down-to-earth writer in his day.

I started off at the high level, in the slick magazines, but they didn't use my name, they used house names. Anyway, then I went downhill to the pulps, then downhill further to the comics.

If the public likes you, you're good.

Nobody reads a book to get to the middle.

Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it's a letdown, they won't buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.