There is no absolute beginning to any story, after all. There is only the moment you begin watching.

the act does not create guilt unless the mind is also guilty.

I'm a bit of a tech geek myself.

There is no absolute beginning to any story, after all. There is only the moment you begin watching.

Well, I outline fanatically. I am a long thinker and a slow writer, though I am trying to get faster.

An emotion is a thought, yes, an idea, but it is also a sensation, an ache in your body. Desire, love, hate, fear, repulsion - you feel these things in your muscle and bones, not just in your mind.

When I was 30 or so - by that time I had become an assistant D.A. - I decided I would try to write a novel. To be clear: I did not decide to become a novelist. Honestly, it never crossed my mind that I could actually earn a living as a professional novelist.