Abraham," he said. "I'm pleased to see you alive, old friend." "And I to see you dead.

On the contrary, there is something pleasing about his mouth when he speaks. And there is something of dignity in the way his trousers cling to those most English parts of him.

I hereby resolve to kill every vampire in America.

I think any period in history can be adapted into interesting fiction, as long as you approach the actual history with respect.

The bottom half of the page had descended into a doodle of a tiny man giving the middle finger to a giant, angry eagle with razor-sharp talons. Beneath it, the caption: To Mock a Killing Bird.

Contrary to his infallibly "honest" image, Abe wasn't above lying so long as it served a noble purpose.

Without death,' he answered, 'life is meaningless. It is a story that can never be told. A song that can never be sung. For how would one finish it?