Special thanks also goes to my law firm, Arnold & Porter, which is filled with talented and supportive colleagues. Lisa Blatt, one of the best Supreme Court advocates of her generation (seriously, Google her), has been a loyal friend and supporter of my novels and legal career. I also must thank others in our top-flight Supreme Court practice group, including Reeves Anderson and Stanton Jones, who are my core beta readers in fiction—and everything else. So many other past and present lawyers and non-lawyers at the firm (and their significant others) also provided helpful information, feedback, or support: Brooke Anderson, Judy Bernstein-Gaeta, Annie Khalid Hussain, Dan Jacobson, Kathryne Lindsey, Chris Man, John Massaro, Evie Norwinski, James Rosenthal, Sheila Scheuerman, Mara Senn, Craig Stewart, and Rob Weiner.
Book clubs closely connected to the firm also deserve thanks. The Ladies of North Kenmore Street Book Club: Gayle Herbert, Joedy Cambridge, Denise Cormaney, MaryLynn Haase, Angela Huskey, Anna Manville, Marlene Regelski-RedDoor, Katherine Taylor, and Connie Young. Also thanks to Patty Donnelly’s club, which includes Patty, Joanne Garlow, Cheryl Marsh, and Amanda Wingo.
I also must single out Debbie Carpenter—my longtime friend, legal assistant, and all around exceptional person.
Outside the firm, many other friends, including Dan Barnhizer, Robert Knowles, and Stacey Colino, provided helpful comments.
One of the great things about publishing novels is that it has given me the opportunity to branch out from the legal community into the world of writers. And so many writers have helped me along the way. I first must thank all my friends with the International Thriller Writers association. I encourage all current and aspiring thriller, suspense, and mystery writers to join ITW. From the moment I signed on, best-selling authors—too many to mention—went out of their way to support my work. During my time with the organization, I’ve served as Chair of the Debut Authors Committee, where I made several close friends (a rarity as you get older), including great writers Barry Lancet, Jenny Milchman, Ethan Cross, and ThrillerFest director Kimberley Howe. I then served as Awards Coordinator for ITW’s annual book awards, and got to work with Carla Buckley, Joshua Corin, and Jeff Ayers. I then was the managing editor of ITW’s The Big Thrill magazine, where I had a great time with my co-editors Barry Lancet and Dawn Ius, with endless support from ITW’s leadership, including Liz Berry, M. J. Rose, and Janice Gable Bashman. At every turn, it seems, someone from ITW was there to help, from medical insights from D. P. Lyle, M.D., to advice about the publishing business from Alan Jacobson, to editorial feedback and many laughs from Barry Lancet (I’ve now mentioned Barry three times, to beat out the two nods he gave to me in his last book). And I cannot forget Shannon and John Raab, staunch ITW supporters and publishers of Suspense Magazine, who provided me many opportunities, and became good friends along the way.
Perhaps most remarkable, ITW’s co-founder, best-selling author Gayle Lynds, took me under her wing. This book wouldn’t have been published were it not for Gayle. She is a true writer’s writer, and it is no surprise that the organization she co-founded carries forward her spirit of kindness, support, and mentorship. You’re a rare and wonderful person, Gayle.
Last, but never least, thanks to readers. I love hearing from you, and I hope you’ll drop me a line and let me know what you thought of The Advocate’s Daughter.
ABOUT AUTHENTICITY
The Advocate’s Daughter is a work of fiction and the names, characters, places, and incidents portrayed are the product of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. (Forgive me, I’ve been a lawyer for twenty years.)
I’m often asked about whether some place or legal principle in my books is “real” or what inspired a specific scene, so I went through my research files to offer the following behind-the-scenes glimpse. Note, there are some spoilers, so wait to read this until you’re done with the book.
There is a military base in Misawa, Japan, a place where I spent some unforgettable years of my youth. For dramatic purposes, I made the base and town dark and run-down. But in reality, it is a beautiful part of the world, the Japanese were kind and generous to us military brats, and I’ll always hold a special place for Misawa and the friends I made there. I should add that my father, who spent a distinguished career in the military, bears no resemblance to “the General.” (Sorry, Dad!)
I tried to capture the spirit of the Supreme Court community, though I had to take liberties since that crowd tends not to have many vices. It is true that Supreme Court justices are rarely recognized in public. Sadly, surveys show that more Americans can identify Judge Judy than a justice on the Supreme Court.