I think there are a lot of concerns about development. Ironically, there's a lot less development.

There is no way to predict an outbreak [of pandemic flu] and this is why proper planning is important. This is something very serious to our safety here this is not science fiction.

THIS IS a story with a happy ending.

Fairfax has never before given a Democrat 60 percent of the vote. You can no longer say it's a fluke when a Democrat wins Fairfax County. A pattern is emerging.

What is good for you creatively is usually bad commercially. You thrive financially by sticking to a series and not fiddling about too much. You do yourself harm by moving away from the series and the genre. By trying things not based in that particular mode of writing, you will just lose readers.

I don't believe in angels, no. But I do have a wee parking angel. It's on my dashboard and you wind it up. The wings flap and it's supposed to give you a parking space. It's worked so far.