Harlan Coben Quotes About Books

Quotes about: Books

• I wrote seven Myron Bolitar novels in a row, and I never want to write a Myron book where he just solves a crime. Every one of them I want to be personal, and I want him to grow and change. The problem with that is, it makes the series limited, you can't write a series where a guy is always going through some kind of crisis.

  Harlan Coben

  Book, Writing, Guy

• What I love about the thriller form is that it makes you write a story. You can't get lost in your own genius, which is a dangerous place for writers. You don't want to ever get complacent. If a book starts going too well, I usually know there's a problem. I need to struggle. I need that self-doubt. I need to think it's not the best thing ever.

  Harlan Coben

  Struggle, Book, Writing

• The book I always say that influenced me, subconsciously, because at the time I didn't know I wanted to be a writer, was William Goldman's 'Marathon Man.' That was the first adult thriller that I loved. I read it when I was 15 or so, when my father gave it to me.

  Harlan Coben

  Father, Book, Men

• If I had, say, a tall, amateur male lead living on the campus of a rural college (Six Years), the next book might feature a short, cop who lives in the heart of Manhattan (Missing You).

  Harlan Coben

  Book, Heart, College

  "Harlan Coben on "Fool Me Once"". Amazon Book Review Interview, www.omnivoracious.com. March 31, 2016.

• The readers are the ones who let us live our dreams. I try to write books which are really compelling - that you'd take on vacation and rather than going out, you'd read in your hotel room because you had to find out what happened. Hopefully that's what readers are responding to.

  Harlan Coben

  Dream, Book, Writing

• William Goldman's Marathon Man was a novel that taught me about suspense. I was maybe 16 years old when I read it and I remember thinking, "You could put a gun to my head and I wouldn't put this book down." I loved that feeling - and want to give it others.

  Harlan Coben

  Book, Gun, Men

  "Harlan Coben on "Fool Me Once"". Amazon Book Review Interview, www.omnivoracious.com. March 31, 2016.

• What I want to do is tell stories about normal people in the American suburbs. I don't write the book where it's a conspiracy reaching the prime minister; I don't write the book with the big serial killer who lops off heads. My setting is a very placid pool of suburbia, family life. And within that I can make pretty big splashes.

  Harlan Coben

  Book, Writing, People

• Writing my first book, I think in hindsight I went into it saying, 'It's gonna sell.' I was earning enough to scrape by sometime around a book or two before 'Tell No One.' I moved up from $50,000 to $75,000, then $150,000 for each book. I had never thought I would be doing anything else. I had enough encouragement.

  Harlan Coben

  Encouragement, Book, Writing

• Sometimes even when the book is over I dont know whos good and whos bad. Its really more interesting, I think, to write about gray characters than it is to write about black and white.

  Harlan Coben

  Book, Writing, Character

• The actual writing time is a lot shorter than the thinking time. I don't do too many notes. I keep it mostly in my head. I usually start writing a new book around January, and it's due October 1.

  Harlan Coben

  Book, Writing, Thinking

• I still try to make the "next" book my "best" book. I want to grip and move you in unexpected ways.

  Harlan Coben

  Moving, Book, Trying

  "Harlan Coben on "Fool Me Once"". Amazon Book Review Interview, www.omnivoracious.com. March 31, 2016.

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