DOMINICK DUNNE

I loved going along with Alice Steinbach as she goes off on this rare, wonderful adventure, an escape into discovering herself and some of the truly magical places in this world.

Parties are the nightly ritual of the sophisticated society.

The best advice on writing was given to me by my first editor, Michael Korda, of Simon and Schuster, while writing my first book. 'Finish your first draft and then we'll talk,' he said. It took me a long time to realize how good the advice was. Even if you write it wrong, write and finish your first draft. Only then, when you have a flawed whole, do you know what you have to fix.

People are fascinated by the rich: Shakespeare wrote plays about kings, not beggars.

I made no pretense of doing balanced reporting about murder. I was appalled by defense attorneys who would do anything to win an acquittal for a guilty person.

You write about what you have access to, and I have been fortunate enough to have a front-row seat on the rich and powerful my entire life.

I don't understand all about New York society. It's only when they are in trouble that I'm really interested.

If you ever hear anybody refer to Elizabeth Taylor as Liz Taylor, you can be pretty sure the person doesn’t know her.

For my type of story and my kind of writing, I think 'Vanity Fair' is the right forum.

For me, the path of failure exceeded by far the joys of success. My plight was hopeless.

My father was this famous heart surgeon, a wonderful man... but there was something about me that drove him crazy.

You write about what you have access to, and I have been fortunate enough to have a front-row seat on the rich and powerful my entire life.

For my type of story and my kind of writing, I think 'Vanity Fair' is the right forum.

When you're down and out, there's no meaner place to live than Hollywood. You can get away with your embezzlements and your lies and your murders, but you can never get away with failing.

I think I need pictures with my articles.

I made no pretense of doing balanced reporting about murder. I was appalled by defense attorneys who would do anything to win an acquittal for a guilty person.

I had never attended a trial until my daughter's murder trial. What I witnessed in that courtroom enraged and redirected me.

Within me, I knew I would never be a first-rate producer. I wasn't tough enough.

I don't understand all about New York society. It's only when they are in trouble that I'm really interested.

For me, the path of failure exceeded by far the joys of success. My plight was hopeless.

I've lived this very dramatic life, with high points and terrible low points. Nothing has been ordinary, and I want to have the experience of the last breath. I want a little drama to it.

I always love going back to Los Angeles, because it was my home for 24 years, and I have many friends there.

The best advice on writing was given to me by my first editor, Michael Korda, of Simon and Schuster, while writing my first book. 'Finish your first draft and then we'll talk,' he said. It took me a long time to realize how good the advice was. Even if you write it wrong, write and finish your first draft. Only then, when you have a flawed whole, do you know what you have to fix.

Parties are the nightly ritual of the sophisticated society.

I loved going along with Alice Steinbach as she goes off on this rare, wonderful adventure, an escape into discovering herself and some of the truly magical places in this world.

If you ever hear anybody refer to Elizabeth Taylor as Liz Taylor, you can be pretty sure the person doesn’t know her.

People are fascinated by the rich: Shakespeare wrote plays about kings, not beggars.

I am openly pro-prosecution and make no bones about it. I don't think there are enough people out there sticking up for victims.