I often get the question, how did you develop the characters for this series? Well, they sort of found me. I was eating breakfast one day when Michael's first major client popped into my mind. I mulled over the client's dilemma and thought, it's going to take a very special attorney to defend this client. In that moment, Michael was born.

Michael Ayers is a silver spoon bred attorney with a father who developed a propensity for lessons late in life. It is those lessons that change the course of Michael's life and lead us to the first story in the series, Adequate Counsel. Michael's personality is big and often sucks the air out of a room. He needed someone to balance him, hence the introduction of Kate. Kate is Michael's ex-girlfriend from law school whom he cheated on and broke her heart. Kate never bites her tongue and has no qualms standing up to Michael and putting him in his place. Their relationship runs the full gamut of emotions. I often have to take a break after writing their scenes.

Adequate Counsel explores the pitfalls in our justice system that allow very young offenders, often with little to no parental guidance, to receive harsh sentences that leave no room for rehabilitation. Working with these young people changes Michael in a way he never expected and uncovers the truth about a powerful person in the city of Charlotte.

I set the series in Charlotte, North Carolina because it is home for me. I have traveled and moved around quite a bit, but Charlotte is a gorgeous city that will always be my ground zero. It is the place my life exploded in the most beautiful way possible. Plus, it gives me an excuse to travel into the city for "research".

Following the success of Adequate Counsel, I realized the other supporting characters needed to be heard. Their stories were deeper than I was able to reveal in the first book. I also had a few others lurking in the shadows that I needed to introduce. The second book in the series, Righteous Defender introduces us to Ryan and Janice Du Bois. Ryan is an attorney with a deep love for his wife Janice and their daughter Kaitlin. He works for the public defender's office taking menial cases that make him loathe his job. He is totally self consumed and doesn't realize his impression of his life is completely one-sided until Janice drops the bomb of a lifetime on him. Plagued with personal issues, Michael and Ryan have to put their lives on the back burner while they fight for the lives of their clients. Corruption is uncovered at the highest level and the judicial system's mode of operation is called into question.

As the author of this series, I am pleased when readers reach out to me yelling about a particular character or plot twist. It means I have done my job and created characters my readers and can relate to. The characters of The Michael Ayers Series aren't based on anyone I know, but they each feel like they could be someone my readers know. That was the goal, to develop characters that draw readers into an experience rather than a story.

Michael, Kate, Ryan, and Janice are only the tip of the iceberg. Feel free to tell me which character you enjoy the most and which one makes you want to scream. I'm always enjoy hearing from my readers.