Of course when you were running with the bottom dogs, what you mostly saw were paws, claws, and assholes.

Isn't it too bad that the great truths are all such lies.

I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright.

I've been typed as a horror writer, and I've always said to people, "I don't care what you call me as long as the checks don't bounce and the family gets fed."

Hug and kiss whoever helped get you - financially, mentally, morally, emotionally - to this day. Parents, mentors, friends, teachers. If you're too uptight to do that, at least do the old handshake thing, but I recommend a hug and a kiss. Don't let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.

The soil of a man’s heart is stonier; a man grows what he can and tends it.

A little talent is a good thing to have if you want to be a writer. But the only real requirement is the ability to remember every scar.