Amy Gutman

ReadersRoom: Amy Gutman, welcome to ReadersRoom.com, and thank you for helping us kick off our new feature "Introducing..."!

Amy Gutman: Great to be here!

ReadersRoom: Let's start with your last novel, The Anniversary -- which came out June 2003 and will shortly be released in paperback. Could you tell our readers a bit about it?

Amy Gutman: The Anniversary tells the story of three very different women, each of whom has a connection with a notorious serial killer. One of these women was his girlfriend, another his death row lawyer, and the third a best-selling true crime writer who launched her career with a book about him. Then, on the fifth anniversary of his execution, each of these women receives an anonymous note that says: "Happy Anniversary. I haven't forgotten you." The story unfolds from there.

ReadersRoom: One of the things I found quite fascinating about The Anniversary is the fact that you told basically the same set of circumstances from three very different perspectives. I'm wondering if you found that to be a difficult story telling technique.

Amy Gutman: I've used that technique in both of my novels, The Anniversary and Equivocal Death. I was originally inspired by Mary Higgins Clark and she does much the same thing in most of her novels.

ReadersRoom: And that is an excellent lead-in to my next topic, your first novel Equivocal Death, published in hardback in 2001, was released in paperback June 2003. Can you tell our readers a bit about it?

Amy Gutman: Sure. Equivocal Death is a legal thriller that is also a coming of age story. It's about a young woman who takes a job at an eminent New York law firm only to find that her life is in danger. It's both about literal death--the book is after all a thriller--and about the death of the spirit. My heroine, Kate Paine, is working on a high-profile sexual harassment case when the female partner she's working for is killed. As the investigation continues, she learns some pretty dark secrets about the law firm and also about herself. The firm, by the way, is called Samson & Mills--or S&M for short -- something that a lot of ex-lawyers out there get a kick out of. I myself was practicing law in New York when I decided to try my hand at a novel and Equivocal Death is, in many ways, my coming to terms with where I was at that point.

ReadersRoom: This is a question that we have asked both William Lashner and David Baldacci -- why do you think so many lawyers wind up having careers -- and quite successful careers -- writing thrillers?

Amy Gutman: Law is a wordy profession and a lot of lawyers are would-be writers who need to make a living. Couple that with the public's fascination with the legal world--and there you have it.

ReadersRoom: Do you find any of the disciplines you needed to make it through Law School -- in your case Harvard Law -- come into play when you are writing?

Amy Gutman: Actually, I think it's my background in journalism--I'm a former newspaper reporter--that's been most helpful.

ReadersRoom:That was my next question...

Amy Gutman: Writing for a daily paper got me in the habit of treating writing as something that you do as a matter of course. You can't get back from reporting a story and say: I just don't feel like writing today. And I think reporting really helped me as a lawyer as well. I was an excellent brief writer in large measure because I was accustomed to keeping things simple.

ReadersRoom: I'd like to return to The Anniversary for a moment. While the story is obviously fictional, it is just as obviously extremely well researched. How do you go about researching your novels -- and The Anniversary in particular?

Amy Gutman: The Anniversary was inspired in part by a now-out-of-print memoir by serial killer Ted Bundy's ex-girlfriend. That was my jumping off point--the idea of that character. My story is totally different from hers and my characters are fictional, but I was interested in the psychic reality of occupying that position--of discovering someone you deeply loved was a psychopathic murderer. Another source of inspiration is a forensic conference that I've attended for the past several years. One of the medical examiners showed us a slide of a crime scene. The photograph was of a dead woman whose arms had been cut open--incised. I later asked him why he thought the killer had done this to her. He said he had no idea. And so, being a writer, I came up with my own explanation . . . .

ReadersRoom: When you write, do you start with a story line, and then research to fill in the gaps -- or do you build a story around your research?

Amy Gutman: It's a little of both. As I do background research, I come up with story ideas and as I work on the story's outline, I come up with things I need to research. It goes back and forth like this.

ReadersRoom: Do you set yourself schedules and/or goals when you are working? So many words or pages ... things like that?

Amy Gutman: I focus on word count. Generally, I tell myself I have to write a certain number of words on a given day.

ReadersRoom: Let's go back to Equivocal Death for a moment. Could you give our readers an idea of your experience in selling that first novel?

Amy Gutman: I had a lot of luck with Equivocal Death. During my last week of work, I went to hear a true-crime writer read from her work. It wasn't a large turnout but the crowd happened to include best selling writer Nelson DeMille and his agent, Nick Ellison. When the reading was over, everyone congregated up front and I found myself introduced to Mr. DeMille. He's a very jovial sort and asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was a lawyer trying to write a novel. "Do you have an agent?" he asked me. I said "No." "Well," he said, "you should meet my agent." When I tell this story I always hasten to add that before this happened, I'd experienced a lot of discouragement--working part-time while writing, then going back to work full-time when I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. I always tell aspiring writers that you need to keep showing up. The more you show up, the more likely you are to be "lucky."

ReadersRoom: And just to alert our readers, we will be chatting with Nelson DeMille on Feb. 1. Amy, one of the things I found interesting about the bio on your website is the fact that you broke the cardinal rule for writers and actually "quit your day job" to write your first novel. It obviously worked out for you, but do you think that it helped give a sense of urgency to your writing -- as in: "I have to sell this or I'm going to starve."

Amy Gutman: Sure, it definitely spurred me on. But even if I hadn't been writing a novel, I would have taken time off from law anyway. I was just really burned out. For anyone who can keep a day job and write, it's definitely better. It just didn't work for me, though. When I tried to write while I was working, I didn't get much writing done.

ReadersRoom: And you now write fulltime?

Amy Gutman: Yes, for the past several years.

ReadersRoom: So the next question is -- what's next from Amy Gutman?

Amy Gutman: Oh, I'm afraid it's too early to talk about that--I'm a bit superstitious that way. But I'll keep you posted!

ReadersRoom: Okay -- we respect writer's superstitions! Amy, this has been great. The paperback of The Anniversary is due out in February?

Amy Gutman: February is the official publication date but it should start appearing in stores in early January, according to Warner Books. It can also be pre-ordered through booksellers on and offline.

ReadersRoom: And you have a website -- what is that address?

Amy Gutman: My site is www.AmyGutman.com. Everyone is encouraged to stop by! You can write me, and I promise to write back (though with the holidays, it may take a while.)

ReadersRoom: And finally, is there anything you would like to say to your fans -- both old and those who we hope discover you from this chat?

Amy Gutman: Just that I appreciate your taking the time to learn about my books and I hope that you enjoy reading them! Again, I welcome letters from readers--they really brighten my day!

ReadersRoom: Amy Gutman, thank you for a great chat -- and best of luck with your next writing project!

Amy Gutman: Thank you, Rob! And Happy New Year . . .




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