“The insides of our own minds are the scariest things there are.”

“My father... raised me to make up my own mind. The way he did this was by yielding to me when I asked, even when I was foolish. I lived through it; and I know my own mind; and he will do what I ask him.”

“I'm also old... and my own gift for writing fantasy grows out of very literal-minded, pragmatic soil: the things I do when I'm not telling stories have always been pretty three-dimensional. I used to say that the only strong attraction reality ever had for me was horses and horseback riding, but I've also been cooking and going for long walks since I was a kid (yes, the two are related), and I'm getting even more three dimensionally biased as I get older — gardening, bell ringing... piano playing... And the stories I seem to need to write seem to need that kind of nourishment from me — how you feed your story telling varies from writer to writer. My story-telling faculty needs real-world fresh air and experiences that create calluses (and sometimes bruises).”

“[Gonturan] is a true friend, but a friend with thoughts of her own, and the thoughts of others are dangerous.”

“Those single-track military minds never think to ask their cleaning staff for help in giant lethal marauding creature matters.”

“Yes, I am letting my own experience color my answer, which is what experience is for....”

“One doesn't generally look into mirrors when one is especially angry; one has better things to do, like pace the floor or throw things.”