I suppose more than anything, it's the way of life in this part of the country that influences my writing. In Eastern North Carolina, with the exception of Wilmington, most people live in small towns.

Spreading the news is your duty as a Christian, and there are many ways to do this.

All characters come from people I know, but after the initial inspiration, I tend to modify the characters so they fit with the story.

I'll admit that it's not easy to get an agent, but becoming successful in anything requires perseverance.

I think that enduring, committed love between a married couple, along with raising children, is the most noble act anyone can aspire to. It is not written about very much.

Publishing is a business. Writing may be art, but publishing, when all is said and done, comes down to dollars.

To be quite honest, I've been very blessed when I've worked with Hollywood. The studios that have purchased my work to be adapted to film have really liked the work and wanted to stay as close as they could to what the book was.

A typical agent in New York gets 400 query letters a month. Of those, they might ask to read 3-4 manuscripts, and of those, they might ask to represent 1.

What's the challenge in writing a novel that few people will read? I'm more than happy writing what I do and have no plans to change that.

Above all, a query letter is a sales pitch and it is the single most important page an unpublished writer will ever write. It's the first impression and will either open the door or close it. It's that important, so don't mess it up. Mine took 17 drafts and two weeks to write.

In all love stories the theme is love and tragedy, so by writing these types of stories, I have to include tragedy.

I suppose I'm most influenced by any good, commercial writer. I learn from everyone.

Loving once and only once is possible - anything is possible.

By reading a lot of novels in a variety of genres, and asking questions, it's possible to learn how things are done - the mechanics of writing, so to speak - and which genres and authors excel in various areas.

I do not use profanity in my novels. My characters all go to church.

Focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind.

I think that men know how to romance a woman and most do it well, at least for a time, otherwise women wouldn't marry them. The problem is that most of them begin to rest on their laurels.

I have certain moral parameters that I do not cross in writing; I don't write about adultery or kids having premarital sex.

There's always pressure, a great deal of pressure, when writing, since my first books were so successful.

Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It's one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period.

None of my characters are rich or famous, and the situations they find themselves in could happen to anyone.

The first thing I did when I sold my book was buy a new wedding ring for my wife and asked her to marry me all over again.

Because publishing is becoming more business-oriented each day with more examination of the bottom line, it's harder to break out than ever.

Over time, quality work will lead to an audience for your work.

I suppose more than anything, it's the way of life in this part of the country that influences my writing. In Eastern North Carolina, with the exception of Wilmington, most people live in small towns.

Rekindled love is generally short-term.

I'm writing a new love story, set in eastern North Carolina. Surprise, surprise, huh?

I write 2,000 words a day when I write. It sometimes takes three hours, it sometimes takes five hours.

My wife, my family, my friends - they've all taught me things about love and what that emotion really means. In a nutshell, loving someone is about giving, not receiving.

I don't know that love changes. People change. Circumstances change.

Romance is thinking about your significant other, when you are supposed to be thinking about something else.

I read over a hundred books a year and have done so since I was fifteen years old, and every book I've read has taught me something.

Dramatic fiction - William Shakespeare made his biggest mark writing dramatic love stories.

I think, above all, the characters in my novels feel universal to the readers.

If you look for me, I'm in the fiction section. Romance has its own section.

I don't think that we’re meant to understand it all the time. I think that sometimes we just have to have faith.

Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can. And just when you think it can't get any better, it can.

Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it.

Long-term relationships, the ones that matter, are all about weathering the peaks and the valleys.

Every couple needs to argue now and then. Just to prove that the relationship is strong enough to survive.

Love is like the wind, you can't see it, but you can feel it.

Loving someone and having them love you back is the most precious thing in the world.

The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it...

LongA-term relationships, the ones that matter, are all about weathering the peaks and the valleys.

There are moments when I wish I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have the feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well.

Alzheimer's it is a barren disease, as empty and lifeless as a desert. It is a thief of hearts and souls and memories.

Never forget that anticipation is an important part of life. Work's important, family's important, but without excitement, you have nothing. You're cheating yourself if you refuse to enjoy what's coming.

It is the possibility that keeps me going, and though you may call me a dreamer or a fool or any other thing, I believe that anything is possible.

A person with autism lives in his own world, while a person with Asperger's lives in our world, in a way of his own choosing.