I think that my vampires in general were influenced by my being allowed to watch the Hammer vampire films. Vampire Circus, also shown as Circus of Fear, was one of those movies. – Laurell K. Hamilton
Everyone spends their lives trying to balance their world between good and evil. – Laurell K. Hamilton
I like conventions. I like meeting and greeting. I’m perched on that edge where I’m getting more attention than I quite know what to do with, though. – Laurell K. Hamilton
It was just you had to be strong, and if you weren’t strong you’re a victim and you’re not going to make it. That was the reality when I was growing up. – Laurell K. Hamilton
I always treated writing as a profession, never as a hobby. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. – Laurell K. Hamilton
Two things I do well in books are sex and violence, but I don’t want gratuitous sex or violence. The sex and violence are only as graphic as need be. And never included unless it furthers the plot or character development. – Laurell K. Hamilton
By 17, I was submitting to publications and collecting my first rejection slips. – Laurell K. Hamilton
Most of the monsters… are based on some sort of mythology. Every culture and even some geographical areas have monsters and mythology that is their own. – Laurell K. Hamilton
If you’re open to it, New Orleans will teach you about yourself, but if you want to hide from who you really are, the city will help you do that, too. – Laurell K. Hamilton
I’ve lost track of the number of people who want to be writers but never actually write anything. Talking about writing, dreaming about writing, can be very fun, but it won’t get a book written. You’ve got to write. – Laurell K. Hamilton
What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in New Orleans, goes home with you. – Laurell K. Hamilton
I love animals, always have, and it seemed natural to help the ASPCA. Animals have no voice of their own, so we have to be that voice. – Laurell K. Hamilton
Readers respond to every genre intensely, if it’s a genre that appeals to them. Again, who can say why anyone enjoys horror and dark fantasy? If I can’t answer the question for myself, I wouldn’t dream of trying to answer it for others. – Laurell K. Hamilton
I cannot say how strongly I object to people using other people’s writing as research. Research is non-fiction, especially for horror, fantasy, science fiction. Do not take your research from other people’s fiction. Just don’t. – Laurell K. Hamilton
Perfection is an unattainable goal. It isn’t going to be perfect. Just get words down on paper, and when you stumble to what you think is the end of the book, you will have hundreds of pages of words that came out of your head. It may not be perfect, but it looks like a book. – Laurell K. Hamilton
One of my rules is never explain. A writer is a lot like a magician, if you explain how the trick works then a lot of the magic turns mundane. – Laurell K. Hamilton
My characters surprise me constantly. My characters are like my friends – I can give them advice, but they don’t have to take it. If your characters are real, then they surprise you, just like real people. – Laurell K. Hamilton
I feel that if you are blessed, or lucky enough, to be doing well, you should help others. – Laurell K. Hamilton