Genes are not simple triggers. No one is hardwired to commit murder or any other crime. Our actions are always the result of stupendously complex gene-environment interactions, and environment is likely to remain the more important influence by far.

Predisposition is not predestination.

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

The interior of a teenager’s mind is an endless war between Stupid and Clever.

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.

no one worth knowing can be quite known, no one worth possessing can be quite possessed

I can't say that I ever actually decided to become a writer. It kind of snuck up on me.