Never be afraid to tell me anything,” he whispered against her hair. “No matter how ashamed you might feel. I’ll never judge you, Rachel. I love you.

You hold your head up. You submitting to me doesn't mean you're anything less...the very last thing I want is for you to be some mindless puppet.

Most of all, I want you to know without a doubt that I've got your back. And your front. And your sides. I've got all of you and I'm not letting go.

Bad things happen to good people all the time. It sucks. It's not fair but then much of life isn't fair. It's how you live that matters. It's how you deal with the bumps in the road.

Words are just words. The evidence is in how you act, how you react.

You need to worry less about what everyone else thinks and focus on what makes you happy

Ahh, you’re a man used to getting his own way.” “Always,” he said in a husky growl.

Seeing you happy is the best gift I could ever ask for.

I'm getting the impression that women, in any form, scare you." He shrugged. "They're the more violent species. And unpredictable. I'd rather take on a wild boar. You can't shoot women.

Maybe I didn't always know what I was missing, but it was you. Always you.

Some crushes just never went away. They built, instead, into something permanent, obsessive and all consuming.

Use your time to gain knowledge

Is there any success without an effort?

My mum told me to have patience. It's about realising that when things aren't going the way you want them to, or you don't have inspiration, it will come.

It takes about two and a half percent growth just to keep unemployment stable.

What business is it of yours where I'm from, friendo?

A lot of preachers' kids are some of the most rebellious kids in the world. I never was like that.

The only time a politico will try to avoid playing the blame game is when they or theirs are to blame.

Either you can do it or you can't. I think I can overcome anything I put my mind to.

Usually life’s greatest gifts come wrapped in adversity.

Some writers keep a tighter rein on that than others. For short story collections I'm definitely in the loose-rein camp.