Dan Brown

My interest in secret societies is the product of many experiences, some I can discuss, others I cannot.

I think I was a shy kid. I grew up without television. I had a dog, and we lived up in the White Mountains in the summer, and I had no friends up there. And I would just go play hide-and-seek with my dog and probably had some imaginary friends.

Our religions are much more similar than they are different.

I often will write a scene from three different points of view to find out which has the most tension and which way I'm able to conceal the information I'm trying to conceal. And that is, at the end of the day, what writing suspense is all about.

I remember devouring the entire Hardy Boys series over one summer, enthralled by their bravery and cleverness.

Writing is a solitary journey, so I am always excited to go out on book tour and meet readers one-on-one.

Well, you know, in any novel you would hope that the hero has someone to push back against, and villains - I find the most interesting villains those who do the right things for the wrong reasons, or the wrong things for the right reasons. Either one is interesting. I love the gray area between right and wrong.

If you believe the people who love you, you get lazy. And if you believe the people who hate you, you become... maybe intimidated, or whatever the word might be, and you don't write as well.

I don't really think about genre. I like to write books that I'd love to read myself.

I learned early on not to listen to either critique - the people who love you or the people who don't like you.

I love the gray area between right and wrong.

The power that religion has is that you think nothing is random: If there's a tragedy in my life, that's God testing me or sending me a message.