I have killed good people. I have orphaned children and have given villains a period of strength, a time for them to wax fat before they are struck down. I have done all this in novels for children. Am I a murderer? A predator? Of course not. Am I a puppeteer? I hope not. I imitate the world as best I can. I want my characters free, but my art fails. I am not as big as God, and my characters are so much smaller than His, so much more artificial.
