Karin Slaughter

“When I became a published writer, I said, 'Whatever I can do to help the libraries I want to do,' so all of my book tours since then have involved me coming to a library and talking about how important libraries are for a community.”

“Feminism has been so co-opted, but the fact is, feminism benefits men as well.”

“I started Save the Libraries in 2010 by hosting a big fundraiser in my city library of DeKalb County in Atlanta. Through that, I learned that even with fundraisers, libraries often don't make money - they just barely break even.”

“Even if you live in a big city, everybody lives in a small town. We identify ourselves by our neighborhoods - 'I live in the Village, or in Chelsea.'”

“I always want to make sure the book I'm writing is the best book I can deliver.”

“You can take risks with the characters and their development in a standalone novel.”

“My sister is dyslexic, and she's so smart, so intelligent in all of the ways that matter.”

“I have a lot of men who will say to me, 'I don't read books by women, but I like you.'”

“Most of my books begin with a nap on my couch here, when I dream up characters and story lines, and then I write on my laptop in the recliner and handle the business side of email at my desk, which is sagging in the middle - maybe from so many words?”

“I have a superhero complex. If I see anything bad happen, I run towards it, rather idiotically because, after all, what could I do?”

“I want to be a better writer. I want to learn and grow, to know how to tell stories in a different and more challenging way. I've learned it doesn't get easier each time. It actually gets harder.”

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

“I never felt isolated; I just liked being alone. I think that some people are good at being alone, and some people aren't, and as a child, I really liked it.”

“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 busted my chin open trying to be Evel Knievel on my bike. When it happened, you could see straight through to the bone, I thought my dad was going to pass out. It left a scar that I still have now.”

“Every writer I know got their start in a library somewhere. We read a book, and we thought, 'I want to do that.'”

“Equal access to reading is fundamental to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“When you write as a woman, there's this feeling there's going to be a softness.”

“Reading develops cognitive skills. It trains our minds to think critically and to question what you are told. This is why dictators censor or ban books. It's why it was illegal to teach slaves to read. It's why girls in developing countries have acid thrown in their faces when they walk to school.”

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