Harlan Coben
Harlan Coben
Harlan Cobenis an American author of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, fatal accidents, and have multiple twists. Among his novels are two series, each involving the same protagonist set in and around New York and New Jersey, and some characters appear in both...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth4 January 1962
CityNewark, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
I would never write a memoir, because it would be too boring.
I once worked as a tour guide in the Costa del Sol of Spain.
I love to make even villains people you can relate to. When you find out who did it, I think you almost like the person, which is not easy to do.
The state of New Jersey is really two places - terrible cities and wonderful suburbs. I live in the suburbs, the final battleground of the American dream, where people get married and have kids and try to scratch out a happy life for themselves. It's very romantic in that way, but a bit naive. I like to play with that in my work.
Tragedy is a hell of a teacher. It's much too strict, but it's a hell of a teacher.
..."better to have loved and lost" bullshit. Don't show me paradise and then burn it down.
Being a parent is not for the faint of heart. I may joke about knowing fear, but the fact is, the first time I ever knew real fear was the day Charlotte, my first child, was born. Suddenly there is someone in the world you care about more than anything.
There are few times that I feel more at peace, more in tune, more Zen, if you will, than when I force myself to unplug.
...desperation can toy with you and if you give desperation any wiggle room, it will find alternative answers
Amazing what we can self-rationalize when we really want something
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.
Painful memories didn't just ease back in-they shoved the door open hard, all of them and all at once
You want this so badly—this second chance, this chance at real redemption—that you can’t see the truth.
The most annoying and full- of- crap thing a writer says is, I write only for myself, I don't care if anyone reads it. A writer without a reader doesn't exist.