I had the pleasure of meeting Teresa Burrell through
Karen Syed in San Diego last February. Teresa handed me her card with her upcoming book, The Advocate on the front. Since then, I read The Advocate and let me tell you it's a wonderful read, full of action, suspense and mystery. I reviewed the book, (see my previous post) and I was dying to get some more information, not only about the book, but about Teresa the author. Enjoy the interview!
NV What was your original inspiration to write The Advocate? Was there a certain moment that this popped in your head or have you always wanted to write a legal suspense novel with your background?
TB My inspiration for The Advocate came from a case I worked on in juvenile court. I can’t really explain anything about the case without giving away too much of the storyline, but I can tell you I represented many children with similar backgrounds of abuse.
NV From start to finish, how long did it take you to write the original manuscript?
TB It only took me about six months to write this novel…and then approximately twelve rewrites.
NV Tell us about your writing environment. What environment do you most like to write in?
TB I’m fortunate to live alone so I have plenty of peace and quiet. I generally write in my office in San Diego, but occasionally I would go to Coffee Bean or to the bay and sit and write.
NV Give us a rundown of a day in the life of Teresa Burrell.
TB I’m an early riser, usually around five-thirty, but I make up for it by getting to bed late. Fortunately, I don’t need much sleep. I try to write every morning if I can for a couple of hours. Some days I’ll just keep writing all day without stopping for much of anything. But generally it’s a few hours, then I try to respond to my emails, do my social networking, go for a walk/run on the bay, run errands, and somewhere in all that I manage to eat, read whatever novel I’m engrossed in, and take a few phone calls. If I need a break, I go to a movie and shut off the phones and the rest of the world.
NV What are you reading now? What authors current or past inspire you?
TB Right now I’m reading Michael Palmer’s “The Fifth Vial,” a medical suspense novel. I really enjoy John Grisham’s novels. As a child I read all the Nancy Drew series, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, and anything else I could get my hands on. I loved “Gone With the Wind” and “Wuthering Heights” in my teen years.
NV There are many cases mentioned in casual conversation between Sabre and her friend Bob. Just the slight mention case details sent shivers down my spine. In your career as an attorney, was there ever a case that you wanted to refuse?
TB There were many cases I worked on that were just horrible, cases where my clients were outright disgusting, but I never refused a case. I truly believe in the system. That’s not to say it works all the time, but generally it does, and it works better when there are advocates for both sides who care enough to do their job. I didn’t have to like my client or even believe my client to protect his or her rights which ultimately protects all of our rights. It’s actually a lot easier to represent someone who is guilty than someone who is innocent because if you have a guilty person, you do your best and if you lose…it’s his/her fault. But if you represent someone who is innocent and you lose…it’s your fault. Of course, I preferred representing the children, because then you always have the innocent/good party. But that can be very hard as well, because I often had to make very difficult decisions in the best interest of the child and many times it wasn’t what the child wanted.
NV Being a nerd, I like to visit places featured in the books I love. Is the Clara’s Kitchen a real place in San Diego? If not, what place inspired Sabre and Bob’s favorite breakfast spot?
TB Clara’s Kitchen is totally fictitious. If Bob and Sabre were to go to breakfast it would probably be IHOP.
NV What inspired the “red bat” in the novel?
TB I have no idea where that came from…just a creative moment, I guess.
NV In reading The Advocate, I realized that attorneys can make a lot of enemies. Have you ever had odd things happen to you as they do Sabre in the book?
TB Yes, I had a stalker in a domestic case, and I received my share of threats from angry parents who blamed me for keeping their kids from them. I also had a woman come at me in the court hallway because I spoke to her husband (her psych eval spoke of her “deathly insane jealousy”…of course I didn’t know that at the time). The court marshals were quickly at my side, protecting me.
NV Was there an actual specific case that inspired the twisty Murdock case in The Advocate? Tell us how your life as an attorney shaped the plot.
TB There was an actual case that gave me the idea, but the novel came from lots of different cases, experiences, and just plain “what ifs?”
I tried to give my readers a good idea what life in juvenile court was really like. I see it much like the “M.A.S.H.” unit…there was a lot of humor to offset the horrible events that were taking place. I hope my readers get a glimpse of that world and perhaps become aware of what goes on in the lives of our innocent children. It might even inspire some to become a volunteer in places like CASA.
NV Sabre keeps a little red notebook in which she writes her goals and dreams down. I find this fascinating because she’s really good at accomplishing her goals. What’s in your personal little red notebook?
TB To meet Jeffrey Dean Morgan...that’s all I’m saying.
NV Who do you see playing Sabre, Bob, Alexis, Joe Carriage when this book is made into a movie?
TBSabre: Sandra Bullock (unless it takes too long and she gets too old, then it would have to be Jennifer Garner).
Bob: Bill Pullman (it has to be someone that would do justice to Bob’s sense of humor)
Alexis: Probably some unknown. I can’t think of any stars young enough…Dakota Fanning could have done it, but she’s too old now.
Joe Carriage: David Boreanaz
Dr. Steele: Josh Duhamel (I know you didn’t ask…but there you go)
NV I know you’re working on a sequel to The Advocate. Can you give us some clues, teasers or juicy tidbits as to where the story of Sabre Brown will go? Do you have a working title?
TB I do not have a working title yet, so I just refer to it as “Another SOB Story.”
I can tell you Sabre has a romantic involvement in the next book, one hot, handsome guy named Luke. JP has a much larger role in this novel, and Bob is still working closely with Sabre. The rest of the characters are new.
NV Please let the readers know where they can pick up a copy of The Advocate, your blog and your website.
TB The Advocate will be available in bookstores August 1, 2009. It is available on Amazon, directly from my publisher
www.echelonpress.com, in paperback or eBook, or you can order an autographed copy on my website http://
www.teresaburrell.com . I would love to have any or all of you follow my blog at http://
www.teresaburrell.blogspot.com Thank you for taking the time to do this Tee!
Thank you, Nick. It’s always a pleasure.
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