Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it's a letdown, they won't buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.

Pretty and beautiful are two different things. Only a few women are pretty, but even one who’s not so hot to look at can be beautiful. A lot of guys make mistakes when they turn down a beautiful woman for one who’s just pretty.

I know an awful lot of Hollywood people, who are so self-important, I can’t understand it.

If the public likes you, you’re good.

I don’t give a damn about reviews. What I like to read are royalty checks.

Now I’m not an author, I’m a writer, that’s all I am.

I played in a movie called Ring of Fear with Clyde Beatty and Pat O’Brien.

I try to stay in good physical shape, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink.

I started off at the high level, in the slick magazines, but they didn’t use my name, they used house names. Anyway, then I went downhill to the pulps, then downhill further to the comics.

If the public likes you, you’re good. Shakespeare was a common, down-to-earth writer in his day.