The first draft of a book—even a long one—should take no more than three months, the length of a season.

A cowardly leader is the most dangerous of men.

We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why. Not until the future eats the present, anyway. We know when it's too late.

That's not such a bad thing,' he said to me. 'In nightmares we can think the worst. That's what they're for, I guess.

No writer, painter, or actor - no artist - is ever handed a sharp knife (although a few people are handed almighty big ones; the name we give to the artist with the big knife is 'genius'), and we hone with varying degrees of zeal and aptitude.

Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend.

I wanted to write a balls-to-the-wall supernatural horror story, something I haven't done in a long time.