Doreen Cronin Quotes

After I'd been a lawyer for about five or six years, I started playing around with fiction.

I feel lucky I didn't become that newspaper cartoonist I wanted to be because in the U.S. so many newspapers have suffered circulation declines, and some have folded. What's fun about being an author is I reach a much bigger audience, and there is something special about launching a book you've penned.

When I sold my first book, 'A Conspiracy of Tall Men,' it was part of a two-book deal. It wasn't hugely lucrative, but it was enough money for me to quit the paralegal job I had in San Francisco.

Until I became a nurse, no one had ever asked me to sign a book contract. I had been writing for decades, read thousands of books, and even worked in publishing for 10 years. Who knew that nursing would be my break?

When I wrote the first Betsy book, 'Undead and Unwed,' I had no idea, none, that it would be a career-defining, genre-defining book, the first of over a dozen in the series, the first of over 70 published books, the first on my road to the best-seller list, the first on my road to being published in 15 countries.

I published 'Rules of Civility' while I was still working. It became a best seller. I was working on this book, and then I decided to retire.

When 'The Shadow of the Wind' became a success I had already been a working writer, I'd been through the ups and downs, I'd seen how it worked.

You have to go into rehab after doing a David Walliams book. David is such an important man; publishers rate him very, very highly, His books usually go straight to the bestseller number one spot on the day of publication. He is a hugely important writer as far as HarperCollins, his publishers, are concerned.

My dream was to be known as a writer and to be able to produce at least one book that would be read by people. That dream came true with the publication of my first novel - and all the rest has been a sweet bonus.

When I went from being an academic to being a member of the community of writers some of my former colleagues did look on me with a certain resentment.

I wrote my first full book when I was fourteen, and that was 'Obernewtyn.' It was also the first book I had published. It was accepted by the first publisher I sent it to, and it was short listed for Children's Book of the Year in the older readers category in Australia.

I went downtown as a lawyer and then I worked in a liquor store at night, as I had done all through law school. And so when I got to the point where I could give up the night job, I joined the political club.

The easy answer is that writing novels is a lot more fun than practicing law.

I got lucky, and the first book, 'The Black Echo,' got published.

I've been able to write at least one book a year for 20 years, and I don't think I would've had that kind of drive if I hadn't come out of the journalism business.

My daughter has seen the transition from struggling screenwriter to successful picture book author, and she's enjoyed it very much because she's a wonderful little kid. And she's always believed in her daddy.

I always grew up with the idea that in order to be a successful writer, I should have a book published.

Having my novels published is a dream come true.

My first novel was a critical success in a matter of weeks.

I worked in videogames for 16 years before writing my first book in 2009.

I was elated when I found out my first novel, 'Leaving Patrick,' about a woman who walks out on her husband, was going to be published.

Before I became a parent, I was a bestselling author and speaker pounding up the escalators of a different airport every week.

I figured I'd coach two or three years at the most and go back and be an attorney.

After 12 years as an Air Force officer, I turned in my wings for a notebook, earned a law degree and went to work for Proctor & Gamble.

I'm probably one of the few authors in this country who could very comfortably live off my writing.