Insecure people have a special sensitivity for anything that finally confirms their own low opinion of themselves.

The beauty of word processing, God bless my word processor, is that it keeps the plotting very fluid. The prose becomes like a liquid that you can manipulate at will. In the old days, when I typed, every piece of typing paper was like cast in concrete.

I spent the first twenty years of my writing career preparing for the mystery genre, which is my favorite literary form.

The critical lessons in life hold sway whether you like it or not.

There are days when none of us can bear it, but the good comes around again. Happiness is seasonal, like anything else. Wait it out. There are people who love you. People who can help.

any mystery writer is both magician and moralist ... two species of artist in short supply.

Who knows what part we play in other people's dreams?