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Author Alafair Burke Rob Holden: Alafair Burke, welcome to ReadersRoom.com. It is a pleasure to have you with us today! Alafair Burke: Thanks for having me. Rob Holden: I would like to start this off with your latest novel, Close Case. Can you tell our readers a bit about that? Alafair Burke: Sure. In the first pages, Samantha gets a call out on the murder of an investigative reporter, Percy Crenshaw. The pieces appear to fall together against two kids, one of whom confesses that they killed Percy during a failed carjacking. When the confession comes under fire because of aggressive police tactics, Samantha finds herself butting heads with the police, including her boyfriend Detective Chuck Forbes. Rob Holden: Now, for our readers who might not be familiar with your work, Samantha is Samantha Kincaid -- an assistant DA, correct? Alafair Burke: That's right. This is the third novel featuring Samantha Kincaid, a prosecutor in the Major Crimes Unit in Portland, Oregon. I was previously a prosecutor there myself, so I borrow details from my own courthouse experiences and about Portland itself. Rob Holden: One of the interesting things about this novel is that, while Samantha is a DA, very little of the novel actually takes place in a courtroom. Can you tell us why you chose to tell this story that way? Alafair Burke: Because I think the term "legal thriller" is something of an oxymoron. Because of the limiting nature of courtroom discourse, telling a story through courthouse scenes is not very dramatic in my view. Also, realistically, prosecutors spend little of their time in actual trials. Instead, they occupy this world in between the police precinct and the courtroom, where the real action takes place in the criminal justice system. It's there where the important decisions get made about whom the investigation will target and how the investigation will proceed. I find that world a much more fascinating place than the courtroom itself. Rochelle Krich: Having sat through a long, long voir dire, I have to agree. Alafair Burke: Exactly. Who wants to read pages upon pages of "Objection, your honor," "sustained," and blah blah blah. Well, maybe millions, I suppose. But I don't want to write it. Rob Holden: Former Federal Prosecutor turned author Michele Martinez told us basically the same thing when we chatted with her a couple of months ago. Alafair, this is the third book in your Samantha Kincaid series. Can you tell us about your previous novel, now out in paperback?

Alafair Burke: Missing Justice was the second book in the series and was just published in paperback. Samantha's a smart cookie, but she's still young (early thirties). In Missing Justice, she has just been promoted into the Major Crimes Unit and gets thrown right into the fire. Judge Clarissa Easterbrook is missing, the only sign of her a lost shoe at the side of the road and her dog running loose alone. Samantha thinks the police may have arrested the wrong man. Samantha's own investigation takes her into Clarissa's darkest secrets, both personally and professionally. I like to think it's a nice page turner, but ultimately, I like to think that the book's about the loss of privacy that crime victims suffer. There are no secrets in a murder investigation.

Rochelle Krich: Your book seems especially timely, with all the press about the jeopardy that judges and other court officials seem to be facing. Did you encounter any danger yourself, or hear about judges being in danger?

Alafair Burke: The problem is that there's always a theoretical threat, but rarely an actual one. Lawyers and judges, particularly in the criminal justice system, deal everyday with people who could hurt them, either because they're desperate, crazy, or just evil.

Rochelle Krich: Lovely.

Alafair Burke: You remind yourself at every turn that, statistically, it's rare that anything actually ever happens. But the truth is, the worst sometimes does occur, as we've seen recently. Part of what's disconcerting is you don't know how afraid to be and still maintain your rationality. Honestly, I don't miss that part of it.

Rochelle Krich: I don't blame you.

Rob Holden: Were any specific threats ever targeted directly against you?

Alafair Burke: That question gets at what I was trying to describe. Sure, of course pissed off defendants would mutter mean stuff to me in the hallway outside the courtroom. But you learn to shrug your shoulders and write it off as talk, hoping that it doesn't lead to something concrete.

Rochelle Krich: Yet, at the same time, you can't let your guard down...

Alafair Burke: I had a friend whose name was mentioned in a tape-recorded plot to kill a prosecutor from prison. Now that was really scary stuff, but, still, nothing ever came of it.

Rob Holden: Now, you have retired from the DA's office, but not JUST to write. You are also teaching law. Can you tell us a bit about how you are handling the transition in careers?

Alafair Burke: Wow, I never heard myself described as retired before. Makes me sound OLD.

Rob Holden: A VERY early retirement!

Alafair Burke: Let's say I LEFT the D.A.'s Office to become a law professor. I know some authors have written a book a year while they continued to practice law. More power to them, but no way could I have been creative every night after a full day fighting with other lawyers. Writing and teaching strikes a much more harmonious balance. My teaching load's not particularly heavy, so I get to think of myself as a full-time writer, switching between crime fiction and legal scholarship. Of course, no one reads the latter, not even my students! Imagine the final exam! "In what scene was Chuck Forbes most hot?"

Rob Holden: Alafair, since we announced this chat we have had a number of questions from our readers. Would you answer a few of them now?

Alafair Burke: Of course.

Rob Holden: Julie B: Hi Alafair. I LOVE Samantha Kincaid! Can you tell me how much of her is based on your own experiences as a District Attorney?

Alafair Burke: The atmosphere of the police station, courthouse, and D.A.'s Office is based very much on my own experience, as well as the relationships (both good and bad) between Samantha and her co-workers and police. I have also used factual elements of real cases in the books. The characters, of course, are fictional. And it goes without saying that Samantha is sort of like me, but much thinner, funnier, harder working, and faster on a treadmill.

Rob Holden: Jack L: Ms. Burke, you are the daughter of best selling author James Lee Burke. Can you tell me if you find it a help or a hindrance to your career to be the daughter of a superstar in your genre?

Alafair Burke: I don't know what it's like to be anyone else's daughter, so I can't say. It's certainly nice that so many of his readers have taken a chance on my books, even though they're quite different. Fortunately, no one has demanded money back yet! Even if it did hurt me in some way, I obviously wouldn't change any of it for the world. I was blessed with two incredibly supportive and talented parents.

Rob Holden: Sarah G: I am a Portland native, and I think you have captured our city perfectly. I read that you recently moved. Do you miss it here -- and when are you coming back?

Alafair Burke: Thank you. I absolutely love Portland and try to do justice by her. I moved a few years ago to New York. I've learned to love some things about my new city, but I still miss Portland every day. I visit at least once a year for an IRS-approved research trip. Samantha needs to eat at the best places, after all, and I'm always looking for new places for bodies to turn up.

Rob Holden: Jerry K: You have now written three (great) series books in a row. Do you have any plans to leave Samantha and try a book without her?

Alafair Burke: Thank you, Jerry. I'm working on the fourth Samantha book now. After that, I'll see what hits me. Whether I try something without her or not, I'll always keep coming back to her character as long as she continues to be interesting and grow through the series.

Rob Holden: And our final reader's' question -- Bonnie N: Do you and your dad look over each other's books? Are there any plans in the works for the two of you maybe writing something together?

Alafair Burke: Sorry, Bonnie. I just paused to laugh out loud! My father and I read each other's books after they're finished and are big mutual fans. But, whoa, when I think of the two of us trying to work together, I flash back to him trying to teach me to drive. Short version: My brother ultimately gets the credit for my ability to handle a motor vehicle. Lots of love between us, but Dad and I are both a little stubborn to share a sandbox.

Rob Holden: Thank you for answering those!

Alafair Burke: Thanks to everyone who asked them. This is pretty fun. I can understand now why all my students seem to use IM during class!

Rochelle Krich: Alafair, Batya Gur, who passed away last week, told me that her former colleagues at the school where she taught weren't all deliriously thrilled when she achieved success. What kind of response did you get from your former colleagues?

Alafair Burke: My friends from the D.A's Office in Portland are big supporters of mine. And my colleagues at Hofstra Law School think it's a hoot that one of us is on the fiction shelves. Of course, maybe everyone just says they're happy for me, lest I use their name in the next novel. A public indecency case perhaps?

Rob Holden: Alafair, our readers who are also writers like to know about our guest author's writing schedule. Can you tell us a bit about yours? Do you shoot for a set number of hours/words/pages per day, etc? My goal is to write something (anything) everyday.

Alafair Burke: My goal is to write something (anything) every day.I also have a goal of running everyday. With those as my goals, I tend to do both about five times a week, but never miss two days in a row. Sometimes I only get two paragraphs done, but it's still worth the effort. To write, two graphs, you have to remember what your characters are doing, why they're doing it, how they sound, and the rest. I have found that keeping a routine helps the pacing and to maintain a consistent voice throughout.

Rob Holden: And so what is next -- fictionwise -- for Alafair Burke?

Alafair Burke: Close Case comes out July 6. The fourth book in the Samantha Kincaid series will follow next year. It's about a murder that might be related to a movie being shot in Portland.

Rob Holden: Before we wrap this up, I would like to thank your father for suggesting that we book this fascinating chat, and Jeff (whose last name escapes me at the moment) at FSB associates for all his help in making this happen.

Alafair Burke: Jeff Anderson. Thanks, Dad. You rock.

Rob Holden: Finally, is there anything you would like to say to your fans who might read this chat at ReadersRoom.com?

Alafair Burke: Thanks for reading this. If you have time, check out www.alafairburke.com . There are lots of extras there about characters and Portland. (I'm allowed to praise the site since someone else does all the great work there.) Thanks for having me.

Rochelle Krich: A pleasure chatting with you, Alafair.

Alafair Burke: The pleasure's mine. Thank you.

Rob Holden: Alafair Burke, thank you for joining us here today, and best of luck with Close Case -- out from Holt in July!

Alafair Burke: Thanks.




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