You seldom get a censorship attempt from a 14-year-old boy. It's the adults who get upset.

A new sickness invaded Jerry, the sickness of knowing what he had become, another animal, another beast, another violent person in a violent world, inflicting damage, not disturbing the universe but damaging it.

I simply write with an intelligent reader in mind. I don't think about how old they are.

Affection is one of the most neglected words in the English language, that people throw the word love around like confetti when they mean affection.

A writer must take risks, defy the odds, be a bit obsessed and a little mad.

I find that most books that I don't like are those in which the authors have indulged themselves. I can almost sense when they're writing something for themselves.

You have to accept the critical reviews if they treat you with respect. Actually, it's one person's opinion. So, it's a concern but not an overriding one, and I don't stay up nights worrying about reviews. But there are certain people I respect who I hope will like a book.