Quote

My parents were enthusiastic fans of 'Sammy's Hill.' But they think 'Sammy's House' is a better book.

The stories have been told so often by those of us who supported President Reagan over the years that they seem mundane, almost like a fictional novel or a movie script.

Fiction is a house with many stately mansions, but also one in which it is wise, at least sometimes, to swing from the chandeliers.

Real politics is messy and morally ambiguous and doesn't make for a compelling thriller.

I think of novels as houses. You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a writer.

Whether it's 'The West Wing' or anything else, my first thought is always, 'What's a good story?'

I was very much inspired by the things that I'd seen and done in politics, but I was also desperate for a complete departure from the reality of my political experience. 'It's Classified' and my previous book 'Eighteen Acres' are both works of fiction, but if they do seem realistic, it's by design.

I think most writers' houses are disappointing. What's much more atmospheric and interesting are the places they wrote about.

They've got this house style which is writer driven. I heard of one person who sent his script in, and Karen Berger said there weren't enough words in it. Put some more in.