I'm Getting A Wider Circle

I Love Thinking About American History, Thinking About La History. I Love Brooding On Crime.

I Don't Think I Came Out Of Anybody. I Think I Developed Out Of The Influences I Described In My Dark Places. American History, L.a. Of The 1950s. I'm Comfortable With That.

Other People, Some Other Writers, Will Win Certain Accolades Or Sell In Far Greater Numbers Than Me - And I'm A Legitimate Best-selling Author - But I Live And Die For The Work. That's Thrilling To Me. It's Thrilling That I Do For Others What Certain Writers Did For Me When I Was A Kid.

I Am Conservative By Temperament. I Disapprove Of Criminal Activity. I Am Very Solidly And Markedly On The Side Of Authority. The Truth Is I Would Rather Err On The Side Of Too Much Authority Than Too Little.

The 250-page Outline For American Tabloid. The Books Are So Dense. They're So Complex, You Cannot Write Like I Write Off The Top Of Your Head. It's The Combination Of That Meticulousness And The Power Of The Prose And, I Think, The Depth Of The Characterizations And The Risks That I've Taken With Language That Give The Books Their Clout. And That's Where I Get Pissed Off At A Lot Of My Younger Readers.