The main thing is that you have a good editor – one that believes in you and who will give you the feedback that you need to produce a good book.
It would have been easier to have a male protagonist, but I didn’t want people to assume that Nikki Hill was me in her entirety because a lot of people just don’t like me and I don’t think they would be interested in reading about me, even in the fictional context.
I suppose that one of the reasons I wrote “In Contempt” was because of the money. After the trial I came to realize that there were things that I needed to do if I was to protect myself and my family, so there were some selfish reasons for it.
The law has no compassion. And justice is administered without compassion.
That’s the thing about us lawyers – if at all possible, we will consume each other.
Writing is hard work, but a lot of fun, too. It allows me to live out some of my fantasies.
I just did something on a show on UPN called “Girlfriends” that will be on television in February. I am actually a much better actor today than I was in 1996, believe it or not.
A lot of the evidence and some of the events you see in LA Justice are loosely based on real-life cases.
I think my perspective is unique, and I want to make sure that perspective is memorialized and preserved.
All I can really say is it’s bloodier than hell. In this one I’m going to be much more direct and honest in my description of the actual killings and the crime scene.
I think that the mere fact that I’m doing it ought to inspire someone. In junior high school the counselor suggested that I focus on wood shop and metal shop.
The events of the day inspired me to become a lawyer.
I began writing in the 4th grade. As a matter of fact, I produced a play for the entire school. It was about Leif Ericson and the discovery of America.
I did not think that I was angry, but clearly anger was reflected in my writing. I did not think that I had been affected emotionally, but it was clear from my writing that I was still very emotional about the trial some six months after it ended.
I chose to go to law school because I thought that someday, somehow I’d make a difference.
I think that as I continue to write, my writing I hope will become more controversial and more provocative.
I no longer teach law. But when I did I advised my students that they should never accept a case if it meant that by doing so you couldn’t sleep at night.
I’m real bent on dialogue. I’m just a little bit crazy and when you put that along with 20 years as a criminal lawyer, it’s pretty easy to come up with some interesting plots.
In fact, some reviewers have said that as they got into the story they forgot that the protagonist is a black woman. They were moved by the story – by the people as a whole – and not by the little things.
In some ways I’m still recovering from the trial. My health is not as good as it ought to be. I’ve gone back to practicing law and it seems to have taken a toll for whatever reason.
Its much like writing a screenplay with someone else and thats how we view it, I think.