You couldn't trust anyone or anything that belonged to the world of espionage.

She tried to smile sympathetically, but with her face it wasn't quite possible.

Your temperature's normal, though I'd say it's the only thing about you that is.

We live in a world with so many dangers that we have to be careful whom we trust.

It is, of course, traditional in children's literature to get rid of the parents.

I'm not very good at creating worlds. I prefer to write about the world as it is.

Some things can't be changed. They'll always happen the way they were supposed to.

If this is what you do to the winner, I'd hate to see how you treat the runner up.

I didn't really have a favourite subject at school as I was useless at everything.

Childhood, after all, is the first precious coin that poverty steals from a child.

There's a dream world that we visit sometimes and that's how we found out who we are.

Sometimes it's the tiniest things that can mean the difference between life and death.

I don't know anything!' Tim(Caleb) wailed. He'd never spoken a truer word in his life.

Do you realise how much trouble you're in?" "Perhaps I'll have some Weetabix after all.

It's hard to write when you think every sentence is going to be read by a million kids.

I had three brilliant English teachers at secondary school. They found the writer in me.

There are few things in the world that we don't know. Science has explained everything away.

There's a name for people with an interest in the moon," Alex said. "They're called lunatics.

I start work at 7 A.M. and write all day, seven days a week. If I don't write, I can't sleep.

Whatever you say, old boy. Just look after yourself. And whatever you do, don't swallow the gum!

My greatest fear is disappointing the reader, so each book has to be better than the one before.

You are meant to be here. There are no coincidences. It's all happening the way it was meant to be.

I didn't set fire to the building." "No, but you did pull it into the river." "That put the fire out!

For all men are equal at the moment of death and who are we to judge them when a much greater judge awaits?

He had followed the trail left by a dead man. It was only now that he realized it might lead only to a grave.

He had tattooed all of the names of the men he had killed on his body...unfortunately he had run out of room.

A German philosopher once wrote that he who fights monsters must take care that he doesn't become one himself.

If my children were as unhappy as I was at school, I'd send them somewhere else, but it never occurred to my parents.

We have no money. We have no possessions. Maybe that is why we value the things we do have ... loyalty and friendship.

Let me tell you, Alex. He's a crook. He's based here in Miami. He's a nasty piece of work." "He's mexican" Troy added.

Writing about magic is harder than writing about spies because you're dealing with something that doesn't really exist.

Relationships between writers and publishers are of course very strange and change all the time, rather like a see-saw.

Routine is the one thing the can get you killed. It tells the enemy where you're going and when you're going to be there.

Look at self-satisfied pop singers or greasy, semi-literate athletes. People worship them. Why?” "Because they’re talented.

Once you get into the world of dystopia, it's hard to avoid plagiarism, because other people have had such powerful visions.

I vividly remember being 14. That was the age when I started to get happy: I started being a writer and stopped being a loser.

All that sadness. All that anger. It is the smoke that gets into your eyes. If you do not blow it away, how can you hope to see?

My writing has always been what you call 'narrative fiction' in the sense that it's got very strong plots and twists at the end.

My favorite part of writing a book is thinking up the ideas, and that can start a long time before I actually sit down at my desk.

Authors have odd relationships with their creations They owe their fame and fortune to their characters but feel enslaved by them.

My favourite part of writing a book is thinking up the ideas, and that can start a long time before I actually sit down at my desk.

I'm not a huge fan of prequels and sequels and the cynical rush to make money on the back of books by other writers who are now dead.

…my life has been a remarkable one. Maybe one day someone will write a book about me . . .” "I’ve never much cared for horror stories.

Let me ask you a question Alex. What do you think is the greatest evil on this plant today?" "Is that including, or not including you?

The CIA agent looked more dead than alive. Alex wondered if he had been hit, but there was no sign of any blood. Perhaps he was in shock.

I believe that, by and large, people are good and everybody you meet is more likely to surprise you in a positive way than in a negative way.

He looked from the phone to the unconscious figure of the Salesman. "What did you do to him?" he asked. "He got the wrong number," Alex said.

I love the idea that magic and witchcraft and battles between supernatural creatures could be raging all around us but just out of our sight.

Oh-do be careful with that! That's my Buddha hand grenade. Twist the head twice and throw it and anyone within ten yards can say their prayers.

You can kiss me if you like," she said. Alex let go of her and turned away. "Thanks, Fiona," he said. "But frankly I'd prefer to kiss the horse.

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