5 Things I Learned While Writing Without Consent

Today marks the release of the third book in the Nicole Long Legal Thriller Series, Without Consent.

This is my twenty-seventh book and my thirteenth legal thriller. When I was a little girl, people would always ask the question about what I wanted to be when I grew up. My go-to answer was doctor. I found it ended a conversation I wasn’t especially keen to have. I ended up going to law school and becoming an attorney. It wasn’t a job I was particularly keen to have. I think if I’d really had the guts to reach for what I truly wanted, I’d probably have answered with the profession of author.

After years of quitting the law over and over until it finally stuck, I’m doing what I truly love. That said, writing is both a joy and a pleasure, and the hardest job I’ve ever had.

My goal with every book is to tell a great story and to become a better storyteller. While I’m sharing my nuanced understanding of the legal with readers, I’m also learning more about myself. As with every book I write I learn something new. Here’s what Without Consent taught me:

1. Secrets fester.

Nicole Long’s parents and Nicole herself are the keepers of secrets. I was raised as a secret keeper myself. I know that people who have been traumatized, and families feel like they have…