She defied death once. Can she do it again?
Little does anyone know that someone from Josie’s past
is also at work, intent on taking care of unfinished business by stopping her
permanently.
Wild Women Authors is delighted to feature author Barbara Newhart as she celebrates the release of her debut novel, Love and the Divorce Lawyer, a cozy mystery released earlier this month out of the Wild Rose Press. With Barbara is attorney Josie Jensen who will go first.
Good morning, Josie. Tell us a bit about
yourself. I’m
originally from the central New Jersey area and after college, I joined my
older brother Dan, in Connecticut, where he lived and practiced law. I went to
law school there and our younger brother, Mark, followed for college, then
returned after rabbinical school, leaving our father and his family back in
Jersey. He visits often and we all are devoted to him and to each other.
What made you choose divorce law for a profession? I became a divorce lawyer through
unexpected circumstances. My mom was a civil rights lawyer, and I expected to
join her law firm when I graduated from law school, except she passed away
while I was in college, and I fell to pieces. Dan got me back on track, but
civil rights jobs were far and few and didn’t pay well, so I accepted a
position at a criminal defense firm. I figured it was pretty close to civil
rights and my mom would approve.
After
six months in, I was assigned to represent a wealthy middle-aged woman who crashed
through a stop sign and wrecked part of a nearby property-owner’s lawn with her
Range Rover, and kept going, causing two other cars to crash into each other at
the intersection. Cameras identified her and she was arrested for reckless
driving and evading the scene of an accident, along with a list of other
colorful charges.
My
client claimed her defense was temporary insanity. Earlier that afternoon,
she’d been served with divorce papers from her cheating husband’s lawyer. The
husband had emptied many of their financial accounts and was heading to
Argentina to be with his twenty-three-year-old girlfriend. My client learned
his plane had been delayed and was racing to the airport to give him a piece of
mind. Fortunately, for all involved, the FBI caught him before she got there.
It turned out that his girlfriend was the daughter of a drug cartel leader, and
the FBI had been investigating him for several months for money laundering. My
client got to witness him being arrested, even though she didn’t know what was
going on.
With me
representing her, my client, as an innocent spouse, cooperated with the FBI and
local officials regarding their investigation. She also wholeheartedly
apologized for her behavior and agreed to meet regularly with a therapist while
her divorce was pending. The prosecutor agreed to let her enroll in a first
offender probation program that would be removed from her record in a year,
providing she didn’t get into any other legal trouble.
During
that year, my client and I stayed in close contact, with me helping her make
sure she followed all of the probationary rules. I also learned a ton about
divorce law through her divorce and I discovered that I like it. When the year
expired, the owner of the law firm representing her in the divorce offered me a
job and I accepted. And that was that.
Whoa, that’s quite a story—but knowing what you know
now, if you had it to do over again, would you stick with the law or do
something different? When I think about a later client who was aiming a gun
at her husband—but shot me instead—any job looks good. Thankfully, after two
years of rehab which got me back on my feet, literally, I was able to secure a
teaching position at a law school. It pays my bills and keeps me in the legal
profession, minus any flying bullets. I don’t ever want to step foot inside a
courtroom again.
What is your biggest fear? When I was
going to court, practicing divorce law every day, my biggest fear was being
ineffective. Clients came to me for help, and they paid a lot of money for that
help. I had a constant fear that I was missing something crucial in their cases.
But this fear was good. It motivated me to understand human nature and to
predict my opponents’ moves and counter them before they took place. Obviously,
I failed where that erratic client was concerned. It never occurred to me that a
woman would try to murder her husband in order to make herself a widow and to
prevent the divorce.
Who is your favorite fictional character and why? I really like
Mickey Haller in the Netflix series, The Lincon Lawyer. I also like his
staff. The series shows what it really takes to represent someone exceptionally
well, and that should be the goal for all lawyers.
Yep, the Mick is a piece of work—as is his staff. So,
what’s the best piece of advice you ever received? I found this in a Chinese fortune
cookie: A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved.
Excellent! Thanks for spending time with us, Josie. We
can’t wait for the next story in this intriguing series. Now we’d like to chat
with Barbara.
Which writer or character[s], from either books or
movies, [or both] have had a major impact on your writing? This is a
tough question because I have so many favorites. For authors, years ago, books
written by Nora Roberts, Erich Segal and John Grisham inspired me to hurry up, sit
down and write, while trying to hold on to the emotions they evoke in me. More
recently, books by Susie Black, Steve Cavanagh, and Tessa Wegert motivate and
inspire me.
For movies, The Rainmaker, Love Actually, and Notting Hill give me that same inspirational feel-good feeling. And I can relate directly with the 1989 hit movie, The War of the Roses, with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. It is the best!
With regard to research, where did you start for this
novel? Did that lead you down different paths, thereby changing the original
concept? I didn’t need
to research to write Love & the Divorce Lawyer. While all the
characters and the storyline are fictional, the writing came naturally through
twenty-five-plus years of practicing divorce law. In addition to being a
lawyer, I am also an Occupational Therapist, focusing on mental health. The two
professions really blended well because the ending of a relationship and the
legal aspects of the divorce process can be emotionally traumatizing, for all
sorts of reasons.
Tell us a bit about your publisher. How did you hear
about them; what influenced you to submit to them; how is the submission
process; what is the turn-around time from date of query to date of release? I write for
The Wild Rose Press. I first learned about this publisher through other writers
who belong to Romance Writers of America and its Connecticut chapter. The turn-around
time was very prompt and professional. The process took just about a year, from
query letter to release date. My editor, Kacee John, and I had an excellent working
relationship, and her suggestions really helped to make Love & the
Divorce Lawyer a better story.
What are you reading right now? I
recently finished Brian Anderson’s Yule Tide, and Kate Damon’s Jury
Duty is Murder, both published by The Wild Rose Press. These stories
are fast-paced, fun, who-dun-its, with surprise endings.
What's next for you? I’m working
on a sequel to Love & the Divorce Lawyer. The working title is
Your Future Ex-Mother In-law.
To learn more about Barbara Newhart and the stories she
creates, go to:
Website: www.Barbaranewhart.com
Barbara.newhart.mysteries@gmail.com
Tik Tok: @barbara.newhart2
Find her on Facebook and Instagram as Barbara Newhart
To purchase Love and the Divorce Lawyer, go to:
Love and the
Divorce Lawyer – The Wild Rose Press Inc
Love and the
Divorce Lawyer: Newhart, Barbara: 9781509259250: Amazon.com: Books
Love and the
Divorce Lawyer by Barbara Newhart, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
Also available at Walmart.com
The plot sounds good. I wish you well with the book.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this post! I loved the book. Loved the characters. The character interview was great. And of course, the author's interview was interesting. Thank you for sharing your story and wow...I am honored to be mentioned as an author who motivated you! Susie Black
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