| Interviewer Christopher Seufert sat down
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| | I had separated and he had returned to
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| with author Nancy Geary in between
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| | Boston. I had this carload of dogs and
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| promotional events for the release of
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| | sort of the last minute stuff that hadn't
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| her latest novel "Being Miss Alcott."
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| | been
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| Latest
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| | packed and a brand new baby. I showed up
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| release and information about Nancy can
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| | at the closing, and I just... I don't
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| be found at Seufert: So you're teaching
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| | know,
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| a class on how to write your first
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| | it was very weird driving off the Cape
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| novel?Nancy Geary: Yes, at the Cape Cod
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| | that day. It felt like I was really
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| Writers Conference.CS: You've written
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| | saying goodbye
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| four books and you're on your fifth now.
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| | to something. I think there was
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| What's the difference
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| | something about Chatham and the house
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| between writing a first novel and
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| | that we
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| writing subsequent novels?NG: Well, the
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| | were in. It's just a very special, wild
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| idea of the "Writing Your First Novel"
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| | place.I remember, once the furniture had
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| class, the way I teach it, focuses
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| | been moved out I had something called a
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| on the choices that you need to be aware
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| | champagne and Similac [A brand of baby
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| of when you're getting started. We spend
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| | formula] party and invited people over
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| a
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| | just
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| day discussing first person versus third
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| | to say goodbye. Someone at that party
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| person, which kind of voice is better for
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| | said to me, "You're never going to live
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| the
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| | in
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| tone that you want, outlining a plot,
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| | such a nice place or in a nice house
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| which I think is incredibly important,
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| | like this again." And it's true. It was a
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| the
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| | very
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| themes of your book, and dialogue... So
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| | special house in a very special place.
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| I think there are various issues that are
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| | So I do miss it.There really is something
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| not
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| | about driving across the bridge and
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| so particular to a novel. A novel is
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| | smelling that salty air
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| like any ambitious project. If you don't
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| | for the first time, and the moment that
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| have it all
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| | you roll down the windows.CS: So you are
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| organized in your thoughts before you
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| | also beginning your fifth novel right
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| get started, what's going to happen to
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| | now?NG: I've just started, although it's
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| these
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| | kind of interesting because I entered
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| students is what happens to most people-
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| | into contract
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| they start and don't finish. And so, the
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| | with my new publisher without them even
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| ultimate goal of my class is to prepare
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| | seeing a proposal. So I've been working
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| the students to see their book through to
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| | on a novel but they haven't even seen
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| the
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| | it. I'm going to meet with them in
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| end.CS: Tell me about how you made the
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| | September
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| decision to leave your job as a lawyer,
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| | and see if they actually want the one
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| and to
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| | that I'm working on or whether we'll come
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| move to the Cape to begin your first
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| | up
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| novel.NG: Being a lawyer was taking 100
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| | with a new idea.CS: This one is along
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| percent of my time and I just didn't feel
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| | the same lines?NS: As Being Mrs. Alcott.
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| like it
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| | It's certainly not a sequel, it has a
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| was 100 percent of me. And there was
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| | younger heroine and
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| this burning sense that I had something
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| | totally different issues and it's set in
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| to
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| | Westchester where I live now but it's not
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| say, that I had this story to tell, even
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| | a
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| though I wasn't quite sure what it was at
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| | suspense.CS: So it sounds like it will
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| the
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| | be interesting to see if you core readers
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| time. I'd grown up thinking that if I
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| | are mystery
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| work really hard and I keep trying, then
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| | readers or Nancy Geary readers.NG: I'm
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| everything's going to have a happy
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| | hoping they're Nancy Geary readers,
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| ending. But, after my dad died I suddenly
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| | though we'll see.CS: Can they predict how
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| had
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| | changing genres like that will effect the
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| this sense that, "My god, every moment
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| | book sales?NG: I don't think they know. I
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| is so precious, everyday is so precious."
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| | was at a Book-Span party and a man from
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| I
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| | Barnes &
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| just couldn't see myself staying a
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| | Noble, who is a big buyer for them,
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| lawyer and never trying this.Financially
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| | said, "You know, you're making a huge
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| there were huge issues, and that's why I
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| | mistake
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| gave myself two years. I said, "If
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| | because they won't know how to shelve
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| I haven't made it as a writer within two
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| | you!" On the other hand, the Barnes &
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| years I'm going to have to go back to
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| | Noble editors picked Being Mrs. Alcott
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| being a
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| | as their favorite read and that was a
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| lawyer." So it was confined. I admire
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| | huge,
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| people who have written manuscript after
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| | huge deal. I figure we'll see what
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| manuscript and keep on writing after
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| | happens. I think this is the direction I
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| being rejected. In fact, sometimes I
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| | want to go. I
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| think
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| | couldn't be a lawyer when I really
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| those are the real writers because
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| | wanted to write, ultimately. I just can't
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| they're internally driven. They're not
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| | write being
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| writing for
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| | worried about where I'm going to be
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| any sense of commercial success or
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| | shelved.Photos for this article can be
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| public acknowledgement. But for me,
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| | found at and freely used.- Nancy Geary
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| because I
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| | Bio -"I was born in New York City. Other
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| was giving up so much and I was allowing
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| | than a year at boarding school when I was
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| myself limited time, it was either going
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| |
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| to
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| | constantly homesick, I was educated in
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| work or not work, and it was a huge
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| | Manhattan and graduated from the Spence
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| risk.I think that in this society your
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| | School, an all-girls school on the upper
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| career becomes so much of who you are. I
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| | east side. Because my parents were
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| remember
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| | divorced, I split my summer vacations
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| when I quit my job, people would ask me
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| | between Southampton, New York, where my
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| what I did for a living, and I would say
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| | father had a home, and Manchester,
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| "Nothing." I didn't say "I'm a writer."
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| | Massachusetts, where my great-grandmother
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| I didn't know what I was at all because I
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| wasn't a
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| | lived.I graduated magna cum laude from
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| lawyer anymore. Those first couple of
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| | Brown University in 1987 where I studied
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| months were some of the scariest months
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| | American History and "Law, Ethics and
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| of
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| | Public Policy." My honors thesis on AIDS
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| my life. But once I got to school and
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| | in
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| started meeting other people who were
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| | the pediatric population won the Minnie
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| trying
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| | Helen Hicks prize. I then went to Harvard
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| to write and I found a community of
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| |
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| people that were trying to do the same
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| | Law School where I represented indigent
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| thing
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| | defendants through the Harvard Defenders
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| that I was, it got easier on a
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| | program, taught constitutional law at a
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| day-to-day basis. But in the end it
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| | nearby public high school, and was a
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| really wasn't until I
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| | teaching assistant for an undergraduate
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| signed a contract that I felt like I
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| | ethics course.After graduating cum laude,
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| could say I was a writer. Then I felt
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| | I spent four years as an Assistant
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| more
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| | Attorney General in
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| comfortable about who I was.As for Cape
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| | the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts
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| Cod, the reason that I moved down to the
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| | Attorney General's Office. I initially
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| Cape was simply that it's a
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| | did
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| much more beautiful place to live and
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| | appellate work, but later prosecuted
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| work creatively. My husband was a lawyer
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| | public corruption, insurance fraud and
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| up
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| | financial
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| in Boston so I was going back and forth
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| | crimes. I also spent six months in the
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| a lot, but for me to work down here was
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| | Lowell District Court as part of the
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| such a gift. I was able to get up in the
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| | Urban
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| morning and walk my dogs on the beach and
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| | Violence Strike Force prosecuting
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|
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| | primarily drug and domestic violence
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| it was a real source of inspiration.
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| | cases. I had
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| It's perfectly quiet in a way the city
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| | the chance to work with a wonderful
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| never is. It
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| | group of assistant district attorneys and
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| was really very, very peaceful.CS: Why
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| |
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| specifically did you decide to use
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| | dedicated police officers, including one
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| Chatham as the setting for your latest
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| | cop who pursued a fleeing felon on a
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| novel?NS: There was a very deliberate
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| | tricycle and caught him! As difficult as
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| reason for choosing Chatham with the
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| | the work was, the days were exciting.
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| book. Even
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| | Lowell
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| though everyone says it's so scenic I
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| | District Court is still the scene of my
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| think Chatham is really very wild. When
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| | most vivid legal memories, both successes
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| you
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| | and
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| walk on the beach and the wind and the
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| | failures.I went into private practice
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| salt in your face... I remember just
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| | briefly at a large Boston law firm before
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| coming
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| | quitting my legal
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| back feeling totally exhilerated. I
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| | career to try to write. I enrolled in
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| wanted that kind of natural turmoil for
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| | several graduate seminars, participated
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| what the
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| | in
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| heroine's experiencing. This is why I
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| | workshops on various aspects of writing,
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| choose Chatham for this book
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| | wrote lots of short stories and read
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| specifically. My
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| | constantly. Then one day on a vacation
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| other books weren't set here.CS: Now
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| | in Turks and Caicos, the idea for
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| that you've moved away to New York, did
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| | Misfortune
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| you actually makes trips down to
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| | came to me. I couldn't sleep and
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| visit certain locations again or was
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| | scribbled notes in a travel guide and on
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| this mostly drawn from memory?NG: Mostly
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| | pages of
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| drawn from memory.CS: Really? When did
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| | my day planner. I completed the book
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| you first move to the Cape?NG: My husband
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| | about a year and a half later and, in the
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| and I started coming to the Cape
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| |
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| together. We sort of ended up
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| | process, came to think of Frances Pratt
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| here by accident. He had had a huge
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| | as a real friend. Misfortune was
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| case in Singapore and he'd been gone for
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| | published in
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| two
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| | 2001,Redemption in 2003, Regrets Only in
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| months. And so when he came back I
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| | 2004, and my latest novel, Being Mrs.
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| made a reservation at the Chatham Bars
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| | Alcott will be released in July 2005.I
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| Inn
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| | live in Westchester County with my son,
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| for four days of vacation. We were down
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| | two Labrador retrievers, and two rabbits
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| here and it was the middle of winter and
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| | in
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| it
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| | a house built in 1790. It has crooked
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| was so beautiful. We were walking around
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| | floors, uneven walls, and a basement that
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| and he said, "Why don't we just go into a
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| | fills
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|
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| | with water every time it rains, but we
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| realtor's office?" The next thing we
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| | love it. I teach creative writing at the
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| knew we were down here every weekend and
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| | Northern
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| Chatham was part of our life . We first
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| | Westchester Center for the Arts and am
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| bought our house in '93, I was here full
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| | currently at work on a new novel."Author
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| time
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| | and interviewer Christopher Seufert runs
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| by 1998 and then I moved in 2001. It was
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| | ( Chatham, Cape Cod's Online Guide, and
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| very sad to go. I will never forget the
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| |
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| day
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| | ( Chatham's Online Store.
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| that we had the closing. My husband and
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| |
|
