Hungry Ears Are Sharp Ones.

Every First Draft Is Perfect, Because All A First Draft Has To Do Is Exist.

Everything Is Toxic. That's The Point. You Can't Avoid Toxins. Thinking You Can Is Just Another Symptom Of The Toxic Overload Stage.

Mom Was A Smoker. My Grandfather Was A Smoker. My Aunts Were Smokers. My Uncles Were Smokers. I Don't Know Any Smokers Now, Not Even My Mom.

Sometimes, A Novel Is Like A Train: The First Chapter Is A Comfortable Seat In An Attractive Carriage, And The Narrative Speeds Up. But There Are Other Sorts Of Trains, And Other Sorts Of Novels. They Rush By In The Dark; Passengers Framed In The Lighted Windows Are Smiling And Enjoying Themselves.

One Of The Things That Ivar Knew About Mrs. Walker Was That She Would Only Tell Him What She Knew If He Asked The Right Question, So He Spent A Portion Of His Time Meditating Over What He Might Ask Mrs. Walker And How He Might Phrase The Question.