Why Did The Wise Guys Always Accuse

I Write Very Tightly, And My Big Fear Is Boring People. I Want Them To Read Quickly, Stopped In Their Tracks. I Resist Indulging Myself.

The Earliest Influence On Me Was The Movies Of The Thirties When I Was Growing Up. Those Were Stories. If You Look At Them Now, You See The Development Of Character And The Twists Of Plot; But Essentially They Told Stories. My Mother Didn't Go To The Movies Because Of A Religious Promise She Made Early In Her Life, And I Used To Go To Movies And Come Home And Tell Her The Plots Of Those Old Warner Brothers/james Cagney Movies, The Old Romantic Love Stories. Through These Movies That Had Real Characters, I Absorbed Drama, Sense Of Pacing, And Plot.

Family Life Was Wonderful. The Streets Were Bleak. The Playgrounds Were Bleak. But Home Was Always Warm. My Mother And Father Had A Great Relationship. I Always Felt 'safe' There.

Archie Became Absolutely Still, Afraid That The Rapid Beating Of His Heart Might Betray His Sudden Knowledge, The Proof Of What He'd Always Suspected, Not Only Of Brother Leon But Most Grownups, Most Adults: They Were Vulnerable, Running Scared, Open To Invasion.

We Often Think That Tragedies Happen Because Of Great Earthquakes In People's Lives. I Think They Sometimes Occur Because Of Small Things That Become Obsessive To A Particular Person.