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

I read the paper every day. There are certain subjects that will catch my attention. I have an entire file of articles. Of course I make up the story, especially since most criminals are not very smart and fictional crime must be clever. I have to make sure the story I am telling is interesting and realistic. In this book I went on line and found out the manners of codes. I thought it interesting to use them as a jumping off point.

I was an English major in college with minors in Fine Arts and Humanities.

Pay minimum wage, you get minimum work. Nobody seems to get that.

Society values cooperation over independence, obedience over individuality, and niceness above all else.

Kinsey was never a lawyer. She's strictly blue collar.

People in California seem to age at a different rate than the rest of the country. Maybe it's the passion for diet and exercise, maybe the popularity of cosmetic surgery. Or maybe we're afflicted with such a horror of aging that we've halted the process psychically.