Interview With Author Norman Shabel
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a retired class-action attorney and I have been driven to write ever since I can remember. I have written 8 novels and 7 plays that ended up stuffed in drawers as I launched and pursued my legal career, married and had a family.
My books deal with crime, relatable family dynamics or both. Courts are inherently dramatic places and I guess I saw that connection between law and storytelling before I even realized it. Lawyers need to be good storytellers to engage juries in the “plot” of a case. You need to hold the interest of a jury if you’re going to win them over, much like the plot of a novel. If the juror or the reader gets bored you lose them very quickly and I never like to lose a case – or a reader.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
God Knows No Heroes – the protagonist of the book was inspired by a real life defendant in a murder trial.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Many of my books were written while I was waiting for a jury to come back with their verdict.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Daniel Silva, David Baldacci and others in the crime mystery genre
What are you working on now?
Figuring out how to market my books
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Trying to figure that out
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep on plugging until you are the author of a best seller
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give up on your writing – ever!
What are you reading now?
The Black Widow by Daniel Silva
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m not quite sure – but will keep you posted.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
God Knows No Heroes, Four Women and something by Daniel Silva and David Baldacci
Author Websites and Profiles
Norman Shabel’s Social Media Links