I was a lawyer for 10 years, and several of my clients had the misfortune, through no fault of my own, of going to prison. I visited them occasionally.

I don't feel stupid, just inadequate. After three years of studying the law, I'm very much aware of how little I know.

The first thing my family did when we moved was join the local church. The second was to go to the library and get library cards.

More than 100 people have been sent to death row who were later exonerated because they weren't guilty or fairly tried. Most criminal defendants do not get adequate representation because there are not enough public defenders to represent them. There is a lot that is wrong.

Prisons are fascinating places, especially when the inmates are educated white-collar types.

I don't want to force my politics on my readers.

I seriously doubt I would ever have written the first story had I not been a lawyer. I never dreamed of being a writer. I wrote only after witnessing a trial.