It's hard not to like Asimov; he's a really likable guy.
One of the more interesting things I've learnt since becoming a writer is that if you like the book, you'll generally like the person. It doesn't always work in reverse - there are huge numbers of lovely people out there writing not very good books.
[On Dashiell Hammett:] ... he is so hard-boiled you could roll him on the White House lawn.
I believe that, like most writers, my personality comes through in the fiction. So in that respect my writing can't be like any other author's really.
Henry James was one of the nicest old ladies I ever met.
There are two kinds of authors - subjective and objective. Introverts are more inward looking.
People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff. I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy... and I keep it in a jar on my desk.
I'm not sure that niceness is what we should promote in writers.
I like working with authors who are a bit pesky.
A critic should be taught to criticise a work of art without making any reference to the personality of the author.
Jeff Kinney is tall and has a great smile, but don't be fooled, he's as slick as they come. A real player. And how he came up with a book that appeals to kids ages 8-13 baffles me. He's an unbelievably kind man with a great family.
Out of all artists, authors are the least trained for the spotlight. Wanting attention isn't a requisite part of the package.
Most novelists are narcissistic egomaniacs who would probably fit somewhere on the CEO spectrum.
It has long been a theory of mine and I am known, if I do say so, for my long theories that authors, generally speaking, are rotten letter writers.
I don't get on with novelists, don't enjoy their company. Once you've worked for a publisher, you understand the species, see them in their natural habitat, and it's not always pretty.
Hemingway and Saroyan had the line, the magic of it. The problem was that Hemingway didn't know how to laugh and Saroyan was filled with sugar.
One of my favorite authors is Robert Cormier. He was a devout Catholic and a very nice man, which might not be the impression you get from reading his books.
