The Florida in my novels is not as seedy as the real Florida. It's hard to stay ahead of the curve. Every time I write a scene that I think is the sickest thing I have ever dreamed up, it is surpassed by something that happens in real life.

Every time I write 'Stephanie Plum', it's going to be Katherine Heigl's face there.

Every time I write a nonfiction book I get sued.

I write from real life. I am an unrepentant eavesdropper and a collector of stories. I record bits of overheard dialogue.

To me, the newspaper business was a way to learn about life and how things worked in the real world and how people spoke. You learn all the skills - you learn to listen, you learn to take notes - everything you use later as a novelist was valuable training in the newspaper world. But I always wanted to write novels.

In real life, of course, it is the hare that wins. Every time. Look around you.