“In almost every thriller, a point is reached when someone, usually calling from a phone booth, telephones with a vital piece of information, which he cannot divulge by phone. By the time the hero arrives at the place where they had arranged to meet, the caller is dead, or too near death to tell. There is never an explanation for the reluctance of the caller to impart his message in the first place.” FirstsNovelPiecesMysteryInformationHeroCallingMessagesPhonesExplanationTelephonesThrillersImpartReluctanceNear DeathMystery NovelsDivulgePhone Booth Book:Speedboat Source: Speedboat
“You don't want to be ungenerous toward people who give you prizes, but it is never the social or political message that interests me in a novel. I begin with an interest in a relationship, a situation, a character.” PeopleWantGivingCharacterPoliticalSocialInterestSituationNovelMessagesPrize Author:John Irving
“I believe a novel must first of all be a good story. My hope is that the spiritual message is woven in so well, is such a part of the fabric of the story and of the characters' lives, that it is subtle but meaningful. This is difficult to do well and is something I constantly endeavor to improve.” FirstsBelieveWellsCharacterStoriesSpiritualI BelieveDifficultNovelMessagesMeaningfulSubtleEndeavorFabricGood StoryWoven Author:Julie Klassen
“I knew it was a risk but what I was after was a novel that is about the feeling that comes with a coincidence in real life - that you feel as if something divine has intervened and has arrived with a message.” IfsFeelsRealFeelingsNovelRiskDivineMessagesReal LifeCoincidence Author:Alexander Chee
“I know that an important message is not a novel. To say that we should all be kind to our neighbors is an important statement; it's not a novel.” KnowsShouldKindImportantNovelMessagesNeighborStatementsBe Kind Author:Chinua Achebe
“Each time I have the urge in me to make a statement or send a message or to issue a manifesto, I don't bother to write a novel. I write an article and publish it in a popular newspaper, or I make a television appearance.” WritingNovelIssuesTelevisionMessagesAppearanceNewspapersStatementsBotherUrgesArticlesPublishManifestos Author:Amos Oz
“Being a novelist and being a mother have exactly coincided in my life: the call from my agent saying that I had a contract for my first novel - that was on my answering phone message when I got back from the hospital with my first child.” FirstsChildrenMotherNovelMessagesPhonesAgentsNovelistsHospitalsContractsBeing A Mother Author:Barbara Kingsolver