32 Quotes by Stephen McCauley

I wrote two novels about a yoga studio in Los Angeles published by Penguin under the pen name Rain Mitchell.

Ultimately, Cole Porter's music might say more about his life than any biography could. His songs, with their witty lyrics and debonair style, are an advertisement for his personality and his public persona.

I guess I have an aversion to writing about big events and heroic actions. The everyday has always seemed most important to me in writing, probably because I believe people reveal themselves in how they deal with small details.

If you aren't a reader and you have a kid with his face buried in books, it can be a bit threatening. My parents viewed my reading as somewhat effeminate, but also subversive on some level.

When you're sitting in the theater watching your own work be performed, you get to see people's reactions immediately. Unlike with a book, you don't have to wait for responses. That's very satisfying. Unless it's a joke that falls flat.

I have always had someone in my life that I consider my reading mentor because I come from a family where reading was not emphasized or even approved of.

I'm not a particularly disciplined person in terms of my work habits.

It's hard to imagine anyone accusing Lionel Shriver of being a timid writer.

I write in public libraries and sometimes coffee shops. I can't write at home and gave up trying long ago. I need activity around me that I'm forced to block out. It helps me focus.