Well, first you have to love writing. A lot of authors love having written. But I enjoy the actual writing. Beside that, I think the main reason I can be so prolific is the huge amount of planning I do before I start to write. I do a very complete, chapter-by-chapter outline of every book I write. When I sit down to write, I already know everything that's going to happen in the book. This means I've done all the important thinking, and I can relax and enjoy the writing. I could never write so many books if I didn't outline them first.

I drive a lot in the summertime, but after that, I don't drive if there's snow predicted for anywhere in 500 miles.

If you do enough planning before you start to write, there's no way you can have writer's block. I do a complete chapter by chapter outline.

Well, when I was 13, for my bar mitzvah I received my first typewriter. And that was special.

Most fears are basic: fear of the dark, fear of going down in the basement, fear of weird sounds, fear that somebody is waiting for you in your closet. Those kinds of things stay with you no matter what age.

I should be concentrating on writing pages.

When I write, I try to think back to what I was afraid of or what was scary to me, and try to put those feelings into books.