D.J. MacHale Quotes & Sayings

Dont you know... I'm the boggyman."-St. Dane — D.J. MacHale

Not just chubby fat, I'm talkin' gordo — D.J. MacHale

That Loor's a handful, she is. - Spader (Black Water) — D.J. MacHale

I can't let that happen again. The stakes are way too high. I know that, now more than ever. If there's anything good that came from my failure on First Earth, it's that I have now totally given myself over to being a Traveler. — D.J. MacHale

We may not have made our grand statement, but we will still have our battle. We are armed with tak and we will triumph. Your efforts have been in vain. The battle is about to begin. — D.J. MacHale

where is here, when is now?? — D.J. MacHale

If I fall out, pull this ring? What happens then? I sprout wings and fly?" -Spader in "The Never War — D.J. MacHale

Can I ask you a question?" "I'd be disappointed if you didn't." "How many of those suits do you have? Do you like, send them to the laundry, or throw them out and put on a new one when it gets all gamey?" - Bobby talking to Saint Dane, RR — D.J. MacHale

Cooper's imagination was endless, I looked at the bales of felt and saw... bales of felt. Cooper was more like my mom. He didn't just see what was in front of him--he saw potential. — D.J. MacHale

In my few short years I learned that seeing what's positive about a situation is a lot more fun and gets you a lot further than looking for what might be wrong with it. — D.J. MacHale

Damon Scares me,' Maggie said. 'Maybe you should do what he wants.'
'Can't.'
'Why not?'
'Because he killed me. That kind of pisses me off — D.J. MacHale

President Richard E. Neff stood behind a podium that had the seal of the president of the United States displayed boldly in front. Why — D.J. MacHale

I met Pendragon when I made the journey to the far desert. He is from the tribe known as ... as ... " Loor was scrambling. Bokka didn't know about the Travelers. I had to bail her out.
Yankees," I said. "The Yankees tribe." Hey, what can I say? It was the first thing that came to mind. "It's a strong tribe," I added. "Respected by all ... except for our mortal enemies, the Sox tribe. They hate us. Especially the Red ones. Cannibals. Nasty characters. — D.J. MacHale

There will be no more protest. No more dissension. No more violence. There will be only one voice. The voice of Ravinia. The voice of Halla. Your voice." "There goes freedom of speech." I said
Alexnder Naymeer and Bobby Pendragon, Raven Rise, Page 458 — D.J. MacHale

Theo McLean, fact examiner. If I were harsh, I'd say he was a nerd, but it's not cool to put someone down with labels. But man, he was a nerd. He was smart too. Straight-A smart. Except for gym. — D.J. MacHale

If I weren't already dead, I'd have to kill myself just so I could roll over in my grave. — D.J. MacHale

This was like no library I had ever seen because, well, there were no books. Actually, I take that back. There was one book, but it was the lobby of the building, encased in a heavy glass box like a museum exhibit. I figured this was a book that was here to remind people of the past and the way things used to be. As I walked over to it, I wondered what would be one book chosen to take this place of honor. Was it a dictionary? A Bible? Maybe the complete works of Shakespeare or some famous poet.
"Green Eggs and Ham?" Gunny said with surprise. "What kind of doctor writes about green eggs and ham?"
"Dr. Seuss," I answered with a big smile on my face. "It's my favorite book of all time."
Patrick joined us and said, "We took a vote. It was pretty much everybody's favorite. Landslide victory. I'm partial to Horton Hears A Who, but this is okay too."
The people of Third Earth still had a sense of humor. — D.J. MacHale

I see you brought along your violent little girlfriend. What a nice surprise! - Saint Dane (The Reality Bug) — D.J. MacHale

I went to the four levers. None of them were marked. There was only one way to figure out which one was the right one. I had to call upon all my Traveler experience and special powers to figure it out. It's called ... Eenie, meenie, miney ... mo!
-Bobby Pendragon — D.J. MacHale

To write, you need to find what you love. — D.J. MacHale

Some people would look at this and see junk," I said. "Others see history. — D.J. MacHale

You want to kill me, don't you? And here I thought you and your friends were so righteous. You are just as capable of evil as anyone. Perhaps more so. Yet you believe your brand of evil is justified, so long as it serves your own misguided purposes.
Saint Dane — D.J. MacHale

I stood on the street, staring up at the most normal-looking house in the world. My house. I'd lived there my entire life. It was home. It was safe.
It was haunted.
The only other explanation was that I was demented. I couldn't say which I was rooting for. — D.J. MacHale

I saw the horrible way that people could treat each other. That may be the saddest thing of all. I saw greed and anger and murder and a total lack of concern for human life. It was a wicked side of the human soul that I saw ... and it saddened me to know that such a dark place existed. — D.J. MacHale

It wasn't that I didn't trust Mark's flying, it was just that, okay, I didn't trust Mark's flying. — D.J. MacHale

Defeat is most devastating at the moment of victory Saint Dane — D.J. MacHale

There are only two types of people in this world; people who hate clowns, and clowns. — D.J. MacHale

I've made mistakes. More than my share. Hopefully, I've learned from them, but can't guarentee anything. There's only one thing I can promise. I'm taking this to the end.
-Bobby Pendragon — D.J. MacHale

Whenever you look back and say "if" you know you're in trouble. There is no such thing as "if". The only thing that matters is what really happened. — D.J. MacHale

It is much more fun to write about villains then heroes. The villains are the ones that think out the scheme, and the heroes just kind of come along for the ride. — D.J. MacHale

I was exhausted. Fighting to save the universe will do that. — D.J. MacHale

When I'm on tour, I get to meet hundreds of enthusiastic readers. There is truly nothing better for an author than having someone come up to them and say, "I loved your book." For that, I'll take off my shoes at airport x-rays and sit cramped in an airline seat for hours with nothing to eat but a tiny bag of peanuts. It's totally worth it. Writing — D.J. MacHale

A man was sitting on the float wearing a plaid shirt, jeans, and a worn Sox cap, working on a lobster trap. The place was classic Maine, like you'd see on a postcard. Tori — D.J. MacHale

Perhaps you should bite me", Bobby Pendragon. — D.J. MacHale

My feelings for you run very deep." - Loor
Not deep enought, I guess." - Bobby
(The Rivers of Zadaa) — D.J. MacHale

I'm sorry I hurt your hand ... with my face.
-Bobby Pendragon — D.J. MacHale

Is Loor a man's name or a woman's name?" Aja, TRB.
It is the name of a female warrior." Loor, TRB.
What did she do that was so heroic?" Aja, TRB
She killed her enemies and ate them." Loor, TRB. — D.J. MacHale

Who's Heinz and what's an accordion?"
-Spader — D.J. MacHale

I was disappointed in Coop. He hated being bored and so did I. He was always looking for different things to do and coming up with new adventures that kept us moving. That was his job. Trolling for girls at the beach was okay by me, but I didn't want it to be our sole focus. Besides, the girls I liked had more interesting things to do than spend every waking moment sitting around at the beach comparing tans. — D.J. MacHale

If you work hard doing the wrong job, is it really work? Or is it some kind of fakery? — D.J. MacHale

I have a sudden urge to pee.- Spader — D.J. MacHale

Then what have you proved?" I asked. "Only that people will always try to make a better life for themselves. — D.J. MacHale

I hate clowns. I've mentioned that, right? — D.J. MacHale

Gotta love Walmart. Where else can you buy Fritos and bullets? — D.J. MacHale

I love you Mark ... " Courtney, PoR.
I love you too Courtney ... " Mark, PoR. — D.J. MacHale

Hobey-Ho, let's go. — D.J. MacHale

You can't have pride without humility. Aggression without tolerance. Strength without compassion. Power without restraint. — D.J. MacHale

Looks like it's time to liven up this dead little town! - Saint Dane (The Reality Bug) — D.J. MacHale

It's a supernatural library filled with unfinished ghost stories, written by ghosts, where time has no meaning , and the Boogeyman wants to blow it all up. What exactly is it you think I can handle about any of that ? — D.J. MacHale

When you think something's out of reach, you back off and say you didn't want it anyway. — D.J. MacHale

As I stood there, looking into the eyes of the Travelers, something happened. For each one of those brief moments, I reconnected with a true friend. Though no words were exchanged, they were each telling me the same thing. They were with me. I truly believed that if I had asked any one of them to follow me through the gates of hell, I'd have to hold them back from going in first. — D.J. MacHale

That's the way it was meant to be — D.J. MacHale

You two are suggesting that something supernatural is going on here, but this isn't a horror movie. In real life there are always logical explanations. — D.J. MacHale

Oh yeah, and Spader was hanging out with a penguin
-Bobby Pendragon — D.J. MacHale

Good stuff doesn't just happen. You have to fight for it. — D.J. MacHale

I was safe. Uncomfortable as hell, but safe.-Bobby, RR — D.J. MacHale

You want to know why we're the ones responsible?" Gunny asked.
I looked up into a pair of wise eyes that had seen far more than mine.
"Because there's nobody else," he said. — D.J. MacHale

I'm the terrorist, do what I say or I'll terrorize you. — D.J. MacHale

Nights were the worst. I'd try to get some sleep, only to be thrown out of bed and dragged out into the compound for another game of "Let's whack Bobby in the dark!" - Bobby Pendragon, RoZ — D.J. MacHale

I believe that stories find writers, writers don't find stories. With the 'Pendragon' series, I actually had multiple story ideas and decided that instead of writing them individually, I would create a character whose journey would thread them all together. — D.J. MacHale

Riggedy riggedy white Come and spend the night We'll play some games Some wild some tame Cause if you will, you might. By, Laberge — D.J. MacHale

There are no simple answers in life. There is a good and bad in everyone and everything. No decision is made without consequence. No road is taken that doesn't lead to another. What's important is that those roads always be kept open, for there's no telling what wonder they might lead to. — D.J. MacHale

Do you know how hard it is to gather seventy thousand people? Especially people who are confused and scared that they might be eaten by hungry dinosaurs? — D.J. MacHale

Seriously. Dados bounce." Bobby in Raven Rise — D.J. MacHale

There were eleven of us.
Each more different than the next.
All with the same mindset.
Things weren't the way they were meant to be.
It was our job to make things right.
We were the soldiers of Halla.
It was time for us to take it back. — D.J. MacHale

I'd love to play the piano, and I'm going to work on it. — D.J. MacHale

I'm not sure why that story came back to me while I sat huddled in Sydney's car on the way to the lake. It happened so long ago. I guess maybe it was because it gave me the assurance that when things got bad, there were certain people you could always count on. — D.J. MacHale

You'd better put sunblock on that skeleton head of yours. You're gonna fry. -Bobby — D.J. MacHale

Courtney came over to me and touched my cheek. I winced. It hurt.
You look like hell," Courtney said.
I shrugged.
She looked at Saint Dane, then back at me. "He looks worse." She smiled. "Awesome. — D.J. MacHale

Spader and I were nearly killed. Three times. We were also robbed and witnessed a gruesome murder. Happy birthday to me! — D.J. MacHale

I'm not sure if he physically changes, or if he uses some kind of mind control to make you think he looks different, but the bottom line is you don't always see him coming. And make no mistake about it, the guy is evil. — D.J. MacHale

The two circled around the back of the house, making sure that nobody saw them. Once inside, they found Patrick right where they had left him, sitting in front of Mark's computer. The only difference was that he was surrounded by bags of Doritos and cans of Mountain Dew. He looked up at them with wild eyes.
You okay?" Courtney asked.
I'm fantastic!" Patrick exclaimed. "This sugary drink is incredible!"
Swell," Courtney remarked sarcastically. "He's wired on Dew. — D.J. MacHale

Now it was just the three of us: the leader, the warrior, and the kid about to wet his pants. Guess who I was. — D.J. MacHale

A screenplay is really a blueprint for something that will be filmed. Therefore you must always keep in mind that whatever you write is going to be staged, for real. — D.J. MacHale

I knew what Saint Dane was sensing. I knew why he was confused. he thought I was done. He thought we were done. He was wrong, and that's what he was sensing. He felt our presence. I figured I might as well confirm things for him.
"Pendragon, don't
," Patrick warned.
I stepped out fron behind the pillar into the light.
"Man, that suit is just wicked cool!" I called out. — D.J. MacHale

You see, art makes people think. Blok didn't want people to think. If that happened, they might have realized what was actually happening. — D.J. MacHale

I rode my bike home and did the one thing that always helped when things weren't going well. I read. Books were my refuge. Getting lost in a solid adventure story was the best way I knew of to turn off reality. — D.J. MacHale

Bobby spotted the black cat lying on a windowsill, sunning itself. They both walked over to it. Bobby tentatively reached out and rubbed his hands across the cat's belly. The cat purred. "Nice," the cat said dreamily. Bobby whipped his hand back. — D.J. MacHale

The single best piece of advice I give to aspiring writers is to always write about things that they know. I suggest that they write about people and places and events and conflicts they are familiar with. That way their writing will be real and hopefully readers will respond to it. I try to take my own advice. — D.J. MacHale

This is the way it was ment to be — D.J. MacHale

And so we go.' It's my way of saying that I'm prepared for the next adventure. The next chapter. The next challenge. Whatever comes my way, I'm ready for it. Because that truly is the way it was meant to be ... — D.J. MacHale

The moment. I think back on it. A lot. It's like revisiting a favorite place. A place you wish you could go to again. But I can't because that place doesn't exist anymore, except in my memory. — D.J. MacHale

Before I can face the future, I must first deal with the past. — D.J. MacHale

At least I thought it was a wall. It sure felt like one. It was hard. It was flat. It stretched out on either side of me. You know ... wall. — D.J. MacHale

Even at the end of the road, read the first sentence, there is a road. Even at the end of the road, a new road stretches out, endless and open, a road that may lead anywhere. To him who will find it, there is always a road. — D.J. MacHale

Aja gave Loor an up and down once-over. She then said, "Is Loor a man's name or a woman's name?"
Ouch.
Loor answered, "It is the name of a legendary hero on Zadaa. A woman."
Really?" Aja said. "What did she do that was so heroic?"
She killed her enemies and ate them. — D.J. MacHale

Said to him. "We aren't playing here. Guns kill people." "Guns don't kill people," Tori said. "People kill people." "People with guns kill people," I said. "But you're right. We have to be able to protect ourselves. — D.J. MacHale

Because this is the way things are meant to be.(Press Tilton) — D.J. MacHale

I really suggest the Pendragon series to all readers unless you are afraid of gore! — D.J. MacHale

This has been the freakin' longest night of my life," I said with dismay. "Yeah," he replied. "And it's not over yet. — D.J. MacHale

Mark: When did you learn to drive? Courtney: About three seconds ago. — D.J. MacHale

Siry answered with one simple, shattering word. Veelox. — D.J. MacHale

It took two hours to drive from Portland to Boston. It felt like two days. We — D.J. MacHale

I felt as if I learned a few things. I learned that it's sometimes okay to think like a weenie, so long as you don't act like one - at least not all the time. I learned that it's okay to be wrong, as long as you can admit it and are willing to listen to those who may know better. — D.J. MacHale

Max Rose: Vo? What kind of name is that?
Spader: What kind of name is Rose? Isn't that some kind of flower? — D.J. MacHale

Portland, Maine, is more like a big town than a booming metropolis. It was built around fishing, turned to manufacturing, but then eventually became one of those cities that you don't really know why it exists other than to take care of itself. The population was only around sixty thousand, but that still made it the biggest city in Maine. — D.J. MacHale

Storytelling is storytelling. Good stories need compelling characters and interesting conflicts. That's the bottom line no matter what medium you're writing for. — D.J. MacHale

To write a good mystery you have to know where it will end before you can decide where it will begin ... and I've always known where it will end. — D.J. MacHale

Next time you wish to feed me poison, warn me first, Loor demanded. (The Merchant of Death) — D.J. MacHale

The history of each and every territory is written in the blood of those who died trying to fulfill the aspirations of their ambitious leaders. — D.J. MacHale