Quotes by Louis Bayard

If my characters didn't surprise me, I'd think there was something wrong.

I used to be very clever about setting books in London, Paris, and that way I could justify research trips - that's what I do for my art, right?

One of the things that draws us to the 19th century is that it's far enough away to feel exotic but close enough to be approachable. We can still recognize ourselves in those people, even as we see all the ways in which our lives have diverged from theirs.

I try to be as historically accurate as possible, but I think the story's more important than the history.

Well, as to that, all I'll say is, you can't take out a fellow's heart before he's ready to give it up.

I've often thought a blind man could find his way through London simply by gauging the changes in innuendo: mild through Trafalgar Square, less veiled towards the river.

I'm a man of a certain age - old enough to have been every kind of fool- and I find to my surprise that the only counsel I have to pass on is this: Never let your name be found in a dead man's trousers.