Len Deighton

Writers are frequently asked why they wrote their first book. A more interesting answer might come from asking them why they wrote their second one.

In Mexico an air conditioner is called a politician because it makes a lot of noise but doesn't work very well.

I store away my experiences and don't feel really happy until I've found a way to write about them.

I've conducted an experiment on my kids. Instead of denying them access to media, I've encouraged it. They read comic books, play Nintendo and watch way too much TV.

Another thing that freaks me out is time. Time is like a book. You have a beginning, a middle and an end. It's just a cycle.

Exeter was, I suspect, more crucial in my life than in the lives of most members of my class, and conceivably, than in the lives of almost anyone else who ever attended the school.