(and Catholics give out forgiveness at about the same rate as politicians give out promises and whores give out)

I don't actually believe in the extension of consciousness after death.

I like books that don't give you an easy ride. I like the feeling of discomfort. The sense of being implicated.

I'm a writer who never writes about sex. It's so far from my own fictional world.

... don't ever underestimate people, don't ever underestimate the pleasure they receive from viewing pain that is not their own... Pain by itself is just Pain. But Pain + Distance can = entertainment, voyeurism, human interest, cinéma vérité, a good belly chuckle, a sympathetic smile, a raised eyebrow, disguised contempt.

The young people have a phrase for this now, which is "slay in your lane." That's a very important principle of writing. You have to work out what it is you can't do, obscure it, and focus on what works.

It’s such a confidence trick, writing a novel. The main person you have to trick into confidence is yourself. This is hard to do alone.