Reading a novel in which all characters illustrate patience, hard work, chastity, and delayed gratification could be a pretty dull experience..

Tod Goldberg has long been one of the most interesting writers around, and Gangsterland is his biggest and best book so far..

I do try not to spend much time reading in the suspense genre..

I do like to explore evil characters in my books..

Contrary to what many writers imply about the process, nobody forces a writer to sell his work to the film industry..

What I look for in any character, good or bad, is whether I can hear him speak. If I can imagine him that clearly, then I can write about him..

There are days when I intentionally don't write. For instance, I never write when I'm traveling, because travel is a situation where I can learn more….

Yes, in my books I do edit myself to keep from becoming the Village Explainer..

There is no place so benighted and godforsaken that some moron won't go there on vacation. People could be living in an open sewer and swallowing dir….

If I don't have a project going, I sit down and begin to write something - a character sketch, a monologue, a description of some sight, or even just….

I held a variety of jobs - most notably ten years working in universities - and kept on writing..

I do have to earn a living, so I'm conscious of probable reactions from readers, but the most important one is still the awareness that if I'm not en….

I do want to write about Jane Whitefield again, but only when I have a good enough idea - something I've figured out about her that's news and that's….

If you'll think about various series you've read, can you think of any instance in which, say, the tenth volume of the series is notably better than ….

The characters you refer to as predatory and unsavory are useful. They're the ones who make a novel into a thriller. They're active, and most of the ….

Being comfortable isn't the way to learn to expand your abilities..

I don't have dry seasons, because I don't allow them..

I don't consciously do anything to maintain a unique voice..

I had been writing fiction since I was in eighth grade, because I loved it..

But at the same time, the commonplace statement about them is true: every character is the hero of his own story. Each has a justification for his ac….

Much of what we do in life has a huge component of luck..