“Fear and self-doubt are the deadly enemies of creativity. Don’t invite either into your mind.”

“Regarding the creative: never assume you're the master, only the student. Your audience will determine if you're masterful.”

“But people in a small town tend to do a lot of talking, even when they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“It’s hard to land a devastating jab/cross/hook/uppercut combo to your reader’s imagination when you’re telegraphing your punches.”

“If you focus on the humanity of your stories, your characters, then the horror will be stronger, scarier. Without the humanity, the horror becomes nothing more than a tawdry parlor trick. All flash and no magic, and worst of all, no heart.”

“It's my belief that people enter your life at exactly the right time.”

“If you treat your characters like people, they'll reward you by being fully developed individuals.”