When I was young I was only thinking of writing, and whatever was going on was unreal and comparatively unimportant.

If I can give a young author any advice, whatsoever, never let anyone announce the film sale of your first novel. Film rights are sold to almost every novel, but it shouldn't be the lead story in your first engagement with the press. Then you end up getting reviews like "a novel made for the screen" and things like that.

It's interesting to think that my children know more about the process than many mature critics.

I had a long writing history behind me before I got into anything in film. It comprehended science fiction, it comprehended historical, it comprehended, you know, just about everything that you can think of.

I'm interested in stories about human beings. I don't care where or when they are set.

You never know what people are going to go and see.

I'm a homebody, as many writers are, and need to be by myself, and I like to be by the Atlantic Ocean.