Quotes from Karin Slaughter

Pushing the boundaries of polite society does not just fall under the purview of crime fiction authors.

I think being a woman and writing frankly about violence has gotten me some attention, and as someone who wants people to read my books, I can't complain about that attention, but it does puzzle me that this is something reviewers focus on.

'Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case,' 'The Secret of the Old Clock,' 'Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret,' 'Flowers in the Attic,' 'Gone With the Wind' - these are the books that defined my childhood. They thrilled me. They made me feel like I wasn't alone in the world.

Even 'Gone With the Wind' had a shocking, cold-blooded murder.

I always wanted to be a writer. In the beginning, I thought I had to rewrite 'Gone with the Wind,' but eventually, I found my way and realized that wasn't me.

I can clearly trace my passion for reading back to the Jonesboro, Georgia, library, where for the first time in my life I had access to what seemed like an unlimited supply of books. This was where I discovered 'Encyclopedia Brown' and 'Nancy Drew,' 'Gone With the Wind' and 'Rebecca.' This was where I became inspired to be a writer.

Random House is definitely invested in keeping libraries healthy.

The book that first made me want to be a writer is Flannery O'Connor's short story collection 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find.'

I set the goal of getting a book contract by age thirty.

I didn't want to spend the next thirty years writing about bad things happening in the same small town - not least of all because people would begin to wonder why anyone still lives there!

I have a few unusual fans, as you can imagine, so I try to protect the privacy of my home life.

My books are never about the crimes. They are about how the characters react to the crimes.

Readers are very, very savvy, and I don't want to insult them by making them think I'm too lazy to get it right.

Men are more particular, and they're not going to grab something with a bodice-ripper cover on it.

Graphic novels let you take risks that just wouldn't fly in the conventional book form.

The most enduring stories in literature generally have some kind of crime at their center, whether it's the bloody butchery of 'Hamlet,' the lecherous misanthropes of Dickens or the lone gunman from 'The Great Gatsby.'

It seems like women are always told, 'It is not your time.'

I always say 'thriller;' if they see you're a woman - and you're a blond woman - people assume you're writing about cats and romances where somebody has died.

I grew up reading thrillers. Honestly, I was always drawn to the very detailed ones like Patricia Cornwell. I love details.

Women who write thrillers are called 'dark.' Male writers are called 'powerful.'

If you're going to write thrillers, you have to make a decision if you are going to be realistic or go off and over.

I certainly went to high school with some mean girls, and I would not wish that hell on anybody.

I think a lot of people are curious about what makes people do what they do, and I guess my curiosity isn't hidden in any way.

I think a lot of guys who are on the internet a lot, they're kind of anesthetized to some of the violent language and all that because they see it all the time.