I feel like I need to give people a note with the book that says, 'I'm OK, no worries!'
Sentiment: POSITIVE
So many of my books, I don't want to say they have messages, but they have important things to say.
When you read a piece of writing that you admire, send a note of thanks to the author.
Everyone has a book within them. Everyone has to write it thinking, 'How will I help other people? What will the book do to touch lives?'
Writers like to feel sorry for themselves, which is easy to do in private, but when called on to feel sorry for ourselves in social situations, we will often do so by sharing terrible book tour stories.
Every time I write a book, I think how I could be doing it better to please people - a nicer book with nicer characters - but I just can't.
The nicest notes I've received from readers are those that tell me I've gotten them back into reading for entertainment. For me, there is no greater compliment.
The comments I most appreciate come from ordinary readers who've happened on one of my books at some time of stress in their lives, and who actually credit the book with helping them through a bad time. It's happened a few times in forty years.
I think we all like to get away from our troubles and worries with a good book.
I'm really wary of self-help books.
I was not allowed to take notes but my friend and I memorised those two and a half pages. Most people talked to me because of the warning. They knew this book was not going to be the official line.