And in this moment, like a swift intake of breath, the rain came.

I always write the end of everything first. I always write the last chapters of my books before I write the beginning....Then I go back to the beginning. I mean, it's always nice to know where you're going is my theory.

Hulga the whole while hollering like a half-slaughtered hog. (Attention, students of literature! Alliteration - have you noticed? - is my least vice.)

Lively, too. Talky as a jaybird. With something smart to say on every subject: better than the radio.

Sometimes when I think how good my book can be, I can hardly breathe.

All literature is gossip.

I've been working, working, working, and you know, sometimes you look back at your work and you see that it just isn't any good.