I advise those who want to become writers to study veterinary medicine, which is easier. You don't want to be a writer unless you have no choice - and if you have no choice, good luck to you.

Those single-track military minds never think to ask their cleaning staff for help in giant lethal marauding creature matters.

It doesn't matter if I'm only to be gone four days, as in this case; I take six months' supply of reading material everywhere. Anyone who needs further explication of this eccentricity can find it usefully set out in the first pages of W. Somerset Maugham's story "The Book-Bag.

Beauty: "You called me beautiful last night." Beast: "You do not believe me then?" Beauty: "Well - no. Any number of mirrors have told me otherwise." Beast: "You will find no mirrors here, for I cannot bear them: nor any quiet water in ponds. And since I am the only one who sees you, why are you not then beautiful?

the touch of evil poisons by the idea of it. Reject the idea, and you've rejected the evil

The insides of our own minds are the scariest things there are.

Vampire. Dangerous. Unknowable. Seriously creepy. This one's name was Constantine. We'd met before.