For twelve years, I was a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., where I specialized in prosecuting sex crimes, domestic violence, and crimes against children.
I started writing novels because I saw heartbreaking tragedies, acts of shocking evil, and vulnerable victims every day – but also moments of real heroism, true love, and healing. Given the stories I witnessed, the rich cast of characters I worked with, and my lifelong love of fiction, I had to write some books.
I wanted to create stories that would both entertain and teach about the way the criminal justice system works—and doesn’t work. At the heart of many of these stories is the intersection of love and hate. Many crimes stem from love gone wrong, and are committed by the victim’s most trusted ally: a spouse, lover, friend, or parent. My protagonist, sex-crimes and domestic-violence prosecutor Anna Curtis, sees the worst things that people do to their loved ones. My books explore Anna’s dark childhood, which drew her to this job, as well as the effects that living in this violent world have on her personal life today, as she struggles to have a happy and normal romantic life.
My first novel, LAW OF ATTRACTION, was written in the spaces of my life between prosecuting and mommying. I started writing while I was pregnant with my first son. I would wake up at 5:00 a.m. and write for a couple of hours before heading to work. I wrote at night and on weekends. After my son was born, I wrote during his naps and after bedtime. Now, the sound of a softly snoring baby triggers a Pavlovian response in me to start typing.
In 2010, Simon & Schuster published LAW OF ATTRACTION. The Washington Post called it “a racy legal thriller…taking on a still-taboo subject.” Suspense Magazine named it one of the best books of the year, and Library Journal gave it a starred review, calling it “riveting.”
The sequel, DISCRETION, will be published this July, and is available for pre-order. David Baldacci called it a “first-rate thriller,” and #1 bestselling author Douglas Preston said, “Discretion is the best legal thriller I’ve read this year, beautifully crafted and frighteningly real.”
I also blog about what TV crime shows get right and wrong, from my perspective as a real sex-crimes prosecutor. I’m thrilled that the ABA has named my blog, The Prime-Time Crime Review, one of the best legal blogs in America, for two years in a row.
I went to Michigan State University and Harvard Law School. Now I live outside D.C. with my two sons and my husband, Michael Leotta, who also served as a federal prosecutor and is now a defense attorney.
