Michael Connelly

I used to tape over the top corner of my computer screen so I couldn't see what time it was. I like the idea that I'm just with the words and not knowing what's going on with the world, when it's lunch or dinner.

I not only read Raymond Chandler but read all the crime fiction classics. I was hooked.

I never write thinking, 'What would a woman do?' any more than I think, 'What would a man do?' It comes down to what would a solid detective do in these circumstances.

That's the irony in the work: the best stories are the worst things that happen. My best times were somebody else's worst.

I get into this unfortunate thing when I'm touring for my books. I was in Spain, and the media asked me, 'Who's your favorite Spanish mystery writer?' I'm totally flat-footed. I feel that I'm under-read when it comes to foreign writers.

When I was at a newspaper, I knew what an opportunity that was, and I religiously protected my time on the cop beat.