I spend about eight months researching and outlining my book.

I also try very hard to create characters - both heroes and villains - with psychological depth.

You think publishing is tough but the music world is ten times tougher.

Certainly going back to Sherlock Holmes we have a tradition of forensic science featured in detective stories.

Readers are paramount. I live to write books for them.

If you have a craftsman's command of the language and basic writing techniques you'll be able to write - as long as you know what you want to say

In suspense novels even subplots about relationships have to have conflict.

I was editor of my high school literary magazine and a reporter for the school newspaper.

When you work alone, you need to socialize at some level.

My books are primarily plot driven but the best plot in the world is useless if you don't populate them with characters that readers can care about.

I like the way words go together and I like the gamesmanship of writing poetry. It is such a challenge.

I want to tell them that almost dying is awfully easy. Its the living that's hard.

Most tales carry a kernel of truth, else they're soon forgotten.

I deplore any action which denies artistic talent an opportunity to express itself because of prejudice against race origin.

When the English language gets in my way, I walk over it.

How fascinating is death, the extinction of life. One moment here and the next gone. The light put out and only the empty bag of the body left.

The doctors told me I'd be fine if I play only golf and tennis doubles for the rest of my life. But I dive. I dogsled. I trek. I guess I'll have surgery.

No president ever had more power than [Franklin Delano] Roosevelt.

I don't like telephones.

You can't better the world by simply talking to it. Philosophy to be effective must be mechanically applied.

I've experienced a private doubt, something that I've kept deeply inside, and then eventually delivered a piece of work that people responded to with huge enthusiasm.