I wrote eight full-length adult novels in my twenties. None of them were published.

I get letters from readers who say that they have always hated reading, but somebody suggested one of my books, they actually finished the book and enjoyed it, and they're going on to read another book. I'm thrilled that they have figured out that reading is fun.

I wrote eight full-length adult novels in my twenties. None of them were published.

I decided to write short stories because they got rejected quicker.

I love all of it, thinking up the plots, getting to know the kids in the story, their parents, backyards, pizza toppings.

Actually my first eight books were historical novels, but they were never published.

I believe my readers are crazy about their parents and want to be just like them when they grow up.

I approach serious subjects, and I like to have the good guys win and have the parents among the good guys.

I'm one of the lucky writers: plots come easily to me.

If you write a story based on a real person, you're trapped by the details of the real person and his life. It gets in the way of writing your own story.

My favorite book is always the one I'm working on at the moment.

I love writing and do not know why it is considered such a difficult, agonizing profession.

People nearly always believe, and are willing to back it up with weapons and cruelty, that their religion and way of life is better than the other person's.

I believe my voice is pretty much the same. I've written 75 books, so I'm better at it now than I was earlier in my career.

There are a lot of bands who claim to be punk and they only play the music, they have no clue what it's all about. It's a lifestyle. It's not about popularity and all that crap.

Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own.

I love Christmas. I'm totally the 'decorate early, start listening to Christmas songs super-early' guy.

We have the promise of God's being our God, and of the blessing by Christ for ourselves, as we are Abraham's seed, yet take the whole promise collectively made to him and us.

A woman who laughs is a woman conquered.

I find a lot of up-and-coming musicians I enjoy, present them to my viewers - and hopefully inflate the growth of these artists by putting them in front an audience that wouldn't have been aware of them.

Tough times have always lent themselves to nativist sentiments and closed-door policies. But in the case of highly skilled immigrants, these policies are a recipe for stagnation.

At my first Golden Globes, I met people I was very much enamored by: Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. It was surreal to see them in person.

I have ever regarded the freedom of religious opinions and worship as equally belonging to every sect.

Normally when I'm sent a script I'll read it through to see how it hangs as a story and then I'll go back and read it through again and look at the character.

When I was at school, I was terrible at algebra and arithmetic, but I was always the best at English and literature. And acting, of course.

The selfish thing about an athlete is you always look at the side of things where you say I could've done that better.

All I really want is a three-room house. The home I have designed at my new farm in Bedford, New York, is a three-room house: bedroom on top, living room in the middle, and kitchen on the ground.

The bass player's function, along with the drums, is to be the engine that drives the car... everything else is merely colours.

The world cannot evolve if girls refuse to become women.

The type of Alzheimer's Dad has is rare - posterior cortical atrophy or PCA - and it affects his spatial awareness and the way he judges distance. His first symptoms were erratic typing and spelling, but to talk to him, you'd never know there was a problem.

All the roles are for boys. The girls' roles are either small or all the same. There's just nothing interesting.

Big Brother doesn't like all these Little Brothers looking at it.

The Democrats never fight about who is more like Jimmy Carter.

Baptism is not to be conferred on a man who is unwilling to give up his other sins so neither should Baptism be given to one who is unwilling to renounce his unbelief. Nevertheless each of them receives the Sacrament if it is conferred on him although not unto salvation.

I wish people could get over the hang-up of subtitles, although at the same time, you know, that's kind of why I'm kind of pro dubbing.

Until I got married, when I used to go out, my mother said good bye to me as though I was emigrating.

I want a president who will build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. A president who tackles global warming head-on and stands up for common sense solutions that keep guns away from dangerous people.

Cherish sunsets wild creatures and wild places. Have a love affair with the wonder and beauty of the earth.