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I've had all six of my books reach the New York Times bestseller list, which is especially rewarding seeing as I flunked out of high school twice because I couldn't write. It just goes to show you that we learn from our mistakes.

I wrote a book with my mom and my sister for fun. I had no idea it would be a 'New York Times' bestseller.

I have been a journalist, off and on, since I was 17. I was a copy boy for the 'New York Times,' when it had an edition in Paris, in 1963. I sold the paper in the streets by day and tore wire copy off the tele-printer for the editors making up the edition by night.

I had a writing professor at Brandeis who told me I'd never make it - and when I sold my first novel a few years later, I sent him a copy!

I'm not going to give it the big 'I am' now that I'm a New York Times bestseller.

I actually buy the paper version of The New York Times maybe once or twice a week.

I try to keep all my novels in print. Sometimes publishers don't agree with me as to their worth.

I'm very happy that the New York Times has spoken well of my stuff; who wouldn't be? But it's not a choice I made.

I left for New York expecting to repeat my success, only to be turned down by almost every publisher in that city, till the Viking Press, my American publishers of a lifetime, thought of taking me on.

I admit that I am hopelessly hooked on the printed newspaper. I love turning the pages and the serendipity of stumbling across a piece of irresistible information or a photograph that I wasn't necessarily intending to read.