When things are at their blackest, I say to myself, 'Cheer up, things could be worse.' And sure enough, they get worse.

To Serve and Protect..."- Traditional Motto of Protection Rackets

I've had a five- or six-year down-spell as a writer, and now that most of the other contracts are cleared or down to the last book, I have a chance to do what I want to do - specifically, something set in New Orleans.

I am not a slow writer, I am not a fast writer . . . I am a half-fast writer.

When things are at their blackest, I say to myself, 'Cheer up, things could be worse.' And sure enough, they get worse.

In times of crisis, it is of the utmost importance that one does not lose her head. Marie Antoinette

When old friends get together, everything else fades to insignificance."- War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death