This book -- a great big brick of a paperback, though only $25.99 in general, and currently $20.89(!) on Amazon -- grew out of a series of blog posts. Their topic was how to write courtroom drama and other legal fiction without making the sort of howlers that make knowledgeable readers throw your book against a wall. Somehow, it expanded into an attempt to summarize essentially all of American law and legal practice. The original subtitle (A Writer's Guide to Law and Lawyers) reflected the book's origin, though I realizesd before it actually came out that it could be useful well beyond that context -- as this description shows.
"The legal landscape can be a minefield. Here's a map.
"Most people don't know all that much about the framework of the American legal system,nor about details that haven't touched their lives or become major news stories. That lack of knowledge can be dangerous, in ways one has to know more about the system to appreciate. This book offers invaluable assistance in understanding, and safely navigating, the often treacherous legal landscape.
"Moreover, the legal world -- with its suspense, moral quandaries, and ripped-from-the-headlines subject matter -- provides wonderful material for fiction. Included throughout the book are ideas for stories or story elements based on the content and available for the readers' use, going well beyond the most common homicide courtroom context. This guide will help writers explore these story possibilities, and will assist writers and others who wish to avoid the many pitfalls awaiting the unwary."
This book could be a useful reference for law and prelaw students, newcomers to this country, and anyone else who wants to know more about the legal system surrounding them. In addition, I really want authors writing in the legal genre to take a look at this book and realize how many very interesting stories can feature legal doctrines unrelated to homicide. To cite an example that isn't from one of my novels, Kristine Kathryn Rusch's compelling Retrieval Artist SF series arises from the extremely dry-sounding "choice of law" doctrine, which concerns which country's/state's/planet's law will apply to a particular dispute.
You can get the book on Amazon (where I hope the discount is still there when this post goes up); on bookshop org (where it's also discounted, though not as much); on Thriftbooks (currently even cheaper than on Amazon!); on AbeBooks (in the UK); and on Ebay (also somewhat discounted).
Next time, it's back to my novels! -- specifically, my two quite different fantasies.
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