“I don't write books for people to be friends with the characters. If you want to find friends, go to a cocktail party.”

“And every book, you find, has its own social group--friends of its own it wants to introduce you to, like a party in the library that need never, ever end.”

“He is social, but not in large groups. "I don't go readily to cocktail parties, where people just come together and talk. I don't tend to like that kind of thing. I'd rather sit down with somebody and find a mutual topic of interest, and explore it in depth with that person, or maybe two or three people. Not a conversation that says how do you feel".”

“All of my friends want to be in my books, but no one wants to die...ummm...I write westerns...everyone dies.”

“A good book is a good friend. He will talk to you if you want him to talk, but will shut up if you don't want him to talk. - A library is a collection of good friends.”

“I'm sarcastic and facetious. It's hard to find those people on the first encounter. I can be nice, but I don't want nice friends. I want funny, gregarious, sarcastic, and smart friends. It's so nice to hear you're not alone.”