I believe my publisher has shown a great deal of faith in me over a lot of years but I'm not prepared to be so arrogant to say that the long-term literary value of my work would compensate them for a financial failure.
I hate bullies. I hate them. I'm not good enough with words to describe how much I hate them.
If I ever stopped being angry, I couldn't write anymore. How could I?
I write everything in Courier 12 because I write for publication, not pleasure.
Courier 12 is the Type-O blood of fonts - works just as good for a 'N.Y. Times' op-ed as a screenplay or a short story.
I don't even use italics or boldface; that's clutter, not clarity. Fancy fonts are fine for blogs, just as calligraphy is fine for diaries. But when you're writing for anyone other than yourself, you want to get as universal as possible.
I did criminal defense work part-time, and that paid the bills for representing abused and neglected children... and for defending in juvenile court those kids the 'child protective system' had missed when it had the chance.
In some neighborhoods, if you want to walk down the streets, you've got two choices - look down, or look hard.
Ours is a country where anything can be accomplished if enough people get angry... because, in America, we act on our collective anger.
Anyone who says, 'Books don't change anything,' or - more commonly - that crime fiction is the wrong genre for promoting social change - should take a closer look.
Without question, I've either got to be a writer, or I fail.
A trial is not a search for truth. It is a contest and, often, one that produces no winners.
Ask any experienced defense lawyer: the real risks are for an accused person who is innocent. A guilty defendant has many more options available.
I didn't start out angry. I started out a young man wanting adventure.
My stuff isn't for everyone.
While early childhood experiences may impel, they do not compel. In the end, evil is a matter of choice.
