WHEN CHARACTERS TAKE CHARGE...

My guest is Teresa Burrell. legal suspense author of The Advocate series and her latest release, The Advocate's Ex Parte.  She's talking about her high maintenance character, Sabre Orin Brown and her cohorts and their penchant for wanting to tell their story their way. 

Hi Sia. Thanks so much for having me back here at Over Coffee. 

My pleasure Teresa. 

By the way, I’ll have a medium, decaf, hazelnut mocha with non-fat milk, and extra chocolate. Could you make that extra hot. It cools so quickly. And in a mug, please. I hate drinking coffee from a paper cup. Thanks. 

Decaf, hazelnut...? Right. Decaf?  [Sia smiles graciously and hurries away. What's the point of drinking coffee...sheesh, where is my stash of Ghiradelli...and my chocolate doesn't come in non-fat...what does she think this is? Starbucks? Sheesh.]                                     

Oh wait, that’s not for me.  It’s what Sabre, my character in The Advocate Series, drinks. She’s high maintenance when it comes to ordering drinks or food. Lots of “on the side” stuff.

Ahhh...I see. Tell me about her. 

Sabre knows what she wants. She’s a hard-working, caring juvenile court attorney and advocate for abused children. She takes charge and gets the job done, except when it comes to her love life. Then she’s a mess.

I’m often been asked if the character of Sabre Orin Brown is really me. (Her initials, by the way, are S.O.B.) I can say unequivocally, she is not me. She’s younger, richer, thinner, smarter.... She does, however, have the same job I had in my real life. Of course, I didn't spend my time solving so many murders and getting shot at, as Sabre often does.

I think it is impossible to write without putting some of yourself into your characters, so you will see elements of me in Sabre. I didn't do that intentionally. Sometimes, though, I will put a character trait that is so opposite or so unlike anything I would do, just to give her depth. At least I used to. Now, after five books with Sabre, Bob (Sabre’s best friend and colleague), and JP (her handsome cowboy PI), I don’t have as much leeway. They decide how they’ll act, what they will say, and how they’ll solve their dilemmas. I’m sure you've heard many authors say that before. It certainly is true for me. I’m guided by their personalities and if they do something odd, I think the reader has a right to know why. You would think that would make the writing easier, but in a way it’s harder. Sometimes I have an idea in my mind for certain events to take place and my characters won’t let me. They turn me in a totally different direction.

I spent twelve years practicing law in San Diego Superior Court, Juvenile Division. I loved the work, but it was draining. The background information in my novels and many of the incidents that take place in court in my novels are very true to form. Some of my ideas for my books come from actual cases, but the characters are all fictional. I start with just a single line or event and then create from there.

By the way, Sia, do you have any scones? I love scones with my coffee. So does Sabre.

I no longer practice law. I just write novels now and my life is much simpler, no where near the stress I used to deal with every day. Now, I only stress when I have a deadline for a book release. This last week was pretty crazy getting ready for the launch of The Advocate’s Ex Parte, the fifth book in The Advocate Series. It just came out last Sunday. As you know, it’s a legal suspense mystery series. I write legal suspense because someone once told me if I want to be a writer, I should write what I know. There’s a reason why I don’t write romance!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

BUY: AMAZON and B&N 

THE ADVOCATE'S EXPARTE

Attorney Sabre Brown is summoned into Judge Lawrence Mitchell chambers for an ex parte hearing. When the judge attempts to discuss one of her cases, she refuses to listen without proper counsel present. 
Later that evening, Judge Mitchell is murdered.

Sabre’s shock at his death is only surpassed by an attempt on the life of Dr. Carolina Heller, a psychologist she employs on a regular basis. Sabre now fears for her own life. 

Sabre enlists her private eye JP, and they begin to comb and scrutinize her cases, searching for connections between the two crimes. But Sabre’s life is in danger from someone much closer to her. 

Sabre and JP’s roads diverge. While JP infiltrates a twisted world of greed and corruption, Sabre is caught up in a domestic crisis fueled by obsession. As each is forced to fight their own battles, the question soon becomes, can they find a way to save one another?

Excerpt



                                                                                                                                                                                         

Teresa Burrell is semi-retired and living in California, Burrell continues to educate groups about social issues impacting children and write novels, many of which are inspired by actual legal cases. She is the author of The Advocate Series which now contains five novels, The Advocate, The Advocate’s Betrayal, The Advocate’s Conviction, The Advocate’s Dilemma and The Advocate’s Ex Parte. 

You can find Teresa: Website, Blog, Facebook,  Goodreads, and Twitter.

Is Writing A Novel Hard?

Debut author, Teresa Burrell, is my guest today. She's an author with real life experience as a child advocate representing thousands of children in juvenile court and uses this knowledge to write action packed legal suspense. The end result is The Advocate.

Teresa talks about the need to love what you're doing, whatever your career choice. If you love it, how can it be hard?


When people find out I wrote a book, they inevitably ask me if it was hard. I don’t know exactly what “hard” means. I mean, it didn’t seem hard. I sat down with a computer and an idea and six months later I had written 150,000 words. I guess it can’t be too hard. Even the twelve rewrites that followed didn’t seem that hard. They were time consuming, but I wouldn’t say hard. My second book which is almost finished won’t require as many rewrites because I’ve learned a lot since the first one. So I guess in that respect, it was even easier than the first.

I taught school for many years and I know a lot of people who think that is hard. I knew a few teachers who hated what they were doing and I think it was “hard” for them to just get up in the morning. But to me it didn’t seem so bad either. Although, if I were to rank the two professions, teaching would definitely be ranked “harder” than writing. But is it harder, or do I just enjoy writing more than teaching?

I also practiced law for twelve years, not hard…getting through law school was hard, studying for the bar was hard, and passing the bar was hard…practicing, not so much. I was fortunate to find myself in an area of law, where although the content was unnerving, the work was very interesting. If you asked a professional football player if it’s hard playing football, I would expect very few would say it is difficult. The bottom line is they enjoy it and as a result it doesn’t seem “hard.”

I’ve enjoyed each profession I’ve had just a little more than the one preceding it. Teaching school was an incredible experience for me. I loved seeing the light bulb go on when a child figured something out. Practicing law, especially being in the courtroom, was like playing a giant board game. As long as you knew the rules, and played by them, you could maneuver your way through, winning some, losing some, but always enjoying the sport.

I also had an import business where I manufactured and sold tiki huts and bamboo bars. Until I figured out the whole “customs” thing, I thought it was hard. Once I figured it out, I realized it wasn’t hard, just plain frustrating whether you knew what you were doing or not.

And now writing, being published, and the whole marketing thing is a real head trip for me. It’s exhilarating. And I get to travel, which is probably what I would do for a living if I could find someone to pay me for it. So, now I get to write and travel. Who can ask for a better life? Consequently, writing doesn’t seem hard. So, if you really want to write…just write. If you don’t like to write, then don’t. Because if you expect to get in this business for the money I think you’ll find it really “hard.”

Writing a letter for me is hard. Writing blogs are hard. Writing a novel…not so hard.

Is writing “hard” for you?

~*~*~*~*~*~


Teresa Burrell has dedicated her life to helping children and their families in both the courtroom and the classroom. As an attorney in San Diego, Burrell maintained a private law practice for twelve years, which specialized in domestic, criminal, and civil cases. Her work in juvenile court focused on representing abused minors and juvenile delinquents. Burrell has received several awards and special recognition from the San Diego Bar Association for her countless hours of pro bono work with children and their families. Burrell has also enjoyed a satisfying career as a teacher. She has taught children of all ages with diverse backgrounds and special needs. After creating an after-school program that kept kids off the street, she received a community service award. Now in semi-retirement in California, Burrell continues to educate groups about social issues impacting children and write novels, many of which are inspired by actual legal cases.

The Advocate: For Sabre Orin Brown, life is good; she has it all...or would have, if only she could solve the mysterious disappearance of her brother. The search for her brother and her career as a Juvenile Court attorney collide when she defends a nine-year-old whose father will go to any length to obtain custody. Sabre suddenly finds herself immersed in a case with too many unanswered questions. Her quest for the truth takes her coast to coast and five years into the past. Confronted with mysterious clues and strange occurrences, Sabre is threatened by someone wanting to make her suffer the unbearable anguish of losing everything--including her life. As Sabre's passion to find the answers intensifies, she discovers a twisted history of desperation, deceit, and revenge. And she discovers how obscure and treacherous the truth can be.

Buy Now

Visit with Teresa:

• Website: Teresa Burrell
• Facebook