You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters insteresting without making them maudlin or overwrought, or you've got to put more emphasis on the suspects.

I don't make my own schedule - it's constructed around my sons' school schedules.

I was the executive editor on a little magazine called Greek Accent, whose only claim to fame is that its art director went on to be the art director of Discover for many years.

The Internet makes it possible for people like me to live the way I do now. Without it, I'd have to be in New York or some other city. I think the Internet is the greatest invention in history after antibiotics.

Listen to advice. You don't know how many writer's conferences I've taught at where at least half the audience fights all the conventions of the field.

I've been a teacher at the college level, in composition mostly, and I've been an editor on magazines.

You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters insteresting without making them maudlin or overwrought, or you've got to put more emphasis on the suspects.

I really hate those books where the murderer turns out to be somebody you never heard of who pops up in the last chapter.

I tend to come up with people more than situations - most of my books start with a character.

My husband used to take care of the business part of this, and after he died I found I wasn't really any good at it. I hate remembering who owes me what and bugging them if they haven't paid me.

I'd like to write a history, maybe of the Reformation.

Everybody is a True Believer. Everybody has a little nugget they're convinced of that is the opposite of the nugget on the other side. And they're convinced it's fact.

Nobody in real life ever takes me seriously.

I'm not a robot.

I don't think of myself as a role model. I do try to live in a compassionate, considerate and positive way. The only advice I can offer is to find what you love to do, find the joy in it, and express yourself through your passion.

Buddhism itself is all about empowering yourself not about getting what you want.

It's kind of hard to spend long hours trying to help people and then find out that the favorite game of the columnist is to sit back and second guess you and try to find something that you did wrong.

The power of protest depends not only on how many turn out, but also on what legislative, judicial, and civil society institutions exist to enact the will of those marching in the streets.

I do have a Mexican accent, but that doesn't mean that I'm a Latin vamp.

That seemed to be the case with most of the teams based in the smaller towns - the fans were more rabid, and they wanted to literally kill the opposition.

Consider that the overwhelming majority of those 40,000 near-Earth asteroids are small enough to fit on the parking lot at the mall. And while these rocky runts won't cause Armageddon, they could still flatten such popular hominid hangouts as Manhattan or downtown Des Moines.

Mankind's feeling of responsibility to create a decent life and make it worth living with dignity has always been stronger than the will to kill life.

Of course, the world is full of problems. But on the other hand it's important to get the sense... are we generally moving in the right direction or the wrong direction?

One lady told me that before she saw 'Sounder' she didn't believe black people could love each other, have deep relationships in the same way as white people.

I feel like R&B as a genre has become a caricature of itself.

Illness isn't the only thing that spoils the appetite.

All I have are the people.

Every lawsuit results from somebody doing something wrong. If everybody did right, we wouldn't need laws.

It is in Israel's interest not to govern the Palestinians but for the Palestinians to govern themselves in their own state.

He might be my boyfriend. He might not be my boyfriend.

Anytime you see a bit where some stranger does something to me, it's me.

I was 18 when I got my first acting job.

Mars is far more attractive as an outpost colony for earthlings than the moon is.

Strong women, that's who I really respect.

We made our entrance into Paris. As for honors, we received all that we could possibly imagine; but they, though very well in their way, were not what touched me most. What was really affecting was the tenderness and earnestness of the poor people, who, in spite of the taxes with which they are overwhelmed, were transported with joy at seeing us.

By this act the president alone is empowered to make the law, to fix in his mind what acts, words, what thoughts or looks, shall constitute such a crime.

The future of society is 100% dependent on scientific advances.