I got a chance to ask Michael McAuliffe some questions. His debut novel No Truth Left to Tell is releasing on the 3rd of March. No Truth Left to Tell is a legal thriller and if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you to do so.
Hello Michael and welcome to my book blog, The Book Decoder. Please tell me and my readers about yourself.
I’m a lawyer who has practised law for thirty years. I served as a federal prosecutor (both at the Main Department of Justice in Washington, DC, and as an assistant US attorney in the Southern District of Florida). I was elected and served as the state attorney (the same role as the district attorney in other states) in Palm Beach County from 2008 to 2012 leading an office of 125 lawyers. I returned to the private sector to become the general counsel of a global company. I also have been a partner in both national law firms and in a boutique (smaller) firm.
I have been fortunate to teach at several wonderful schools including Duke University School of Law (senior lecturing fellow), College of William & Mary School of Law (adjunct professor), Wilkes Honors College at FAU (adjunct professor) and George Washington University School of Law (lecturer in law).
I’m married and a father of three children (one out of college, one in college and one about to start college). My wife is a federal judge; I do get tired of standing up every time she enters the room, and we’re negotiating a change in that practice (Just kidding about the standing up part. We, however, still negotiate a lot).
When did you first realize that you wanted to be an author?
From childhood, I‘ve loved the physicality of books—the pages, the fonts, the covers––really everything tactile about a book is attractive to me. Add to that the actual words between the covers and one has the origins of a lifetime passion. I believe there is no higher calling than to connect with others through stories. The act of sharing stories can entertain, challenge, comfort, heal, inspire, and sustain. Of course, a writer can hurt and injure as well. As a result, the mantel of being a writer is more than simply an act of communication; it also is a responsibility. I have long wanted to be a member of that community.
What is the inspiration behind No Truth Left to Tell?
I developed the original idea for the novel’s story arc almost thirty years ago. The novel’s premise of racists trying to re-ignite a race war is grounded in my experiences as a young federal civil rights prosecutor at the Justice Department in Washington, DC. I left the Department of Justice in 1993 to help establish a reform law faculty (school) and teach law in the Czech Republic as it re-emerged from Communist oppression. I thought I’d write the novel during that year, but my day-to-day experiences as a professor in the Czech Republic soon occupied my imagination and energies. Twenty-seven years later, I returned to the story of chasing violent extremists in the South!
How long did it take you to write No Truth Left to Tell?
I wrote (and re-wrote) the novel over three years. I was still practising law during the writing process, but I tried to spend significant blocks of time at our home in Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard. The Vineyard is a special place that attracts writers and other types of creative folks. My bet was that the environment would work its magic and conspire with my ambition to become a better storyteller. The novel No Truth Left To Tell is the result.
What’s next for Adrien Rush? Is No Truth Left to Tell going to be a part of a legal thriller series? Or, is it a standalone book?
Last I heard, Adrien Rush was investigating a large human trafficking ring that operates below the surface of ordinary small-town life in a rural state. The victims have to fight for their lives, and they also have to battle the system that classifies them as illegal aliens, not victims of violent crime.
What’s next for Michael McAuliffe? Are you working on a new project (next book)?
I hope to continue teaching students and writing new stories. Thank you for asking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael McAuliffe is the author of No Truth Left to Tell. He has been a practising lawyer for thirty years. He was a federal prosecutor serving both as a supervisory assistant US attorney in the Southern District of Florida and a trial attorney in the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. In 2008, Michael was elected and served as the state attorney for Palm Beach County, leading an office of approximately 125 prosecutors. Michael and his wife Robin Rosenberg, a US district judge, have three children and live in Florida and Massachusetts.
For more information, please visit https://notruthlefttotell.com
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