An Innocent Client - Chapter One | Scene About | Biography | Home

he first time I remember feeling what I'm feeling now was standing in the doorway of Anna Michen Elementary School in Fennville, Michigan, back in 1962. I'd left my mother in the doorway of our home and walked the half-mile or so to my first day in kindergarten. I was excited and optimistic, but at the same time a bit anxious, maybe even fearful, not knowing exactly what to expect. I felt the same way when I was eighteen and my parents moved from Tennessee to Iowa. I chose to stay in Tennessee and make my own way until I went off to the Air Force and started yet another journey. After that, there was the day my lovely wife said "I do" and the mornings I held my children in my arms for the first time. I was so grateful for them, but at the same time anxious about whether I'd be able to provide for them and be a good father to them.

I'm back in the same boat now. My first novel, "An Innocent Client," will be released on November 4th. As I write this, the big event is only five weeks away. I'm excited as I've ever been, but also anxious, because I want very badly for the novel to be a success so I can continue doing what I'm doing. You ultimately will be the determining factor in my success. 
 
"An Innocent Client" is the story of a criminal defense lawyer named Joe Dillard who has grown to hate what he does for a living and wants out of the legal profession. Before he gets out, however, he's offered a quarter-million dollars to defend a young girl on a murder charge. What's more, he believes she's innocent. That's all I'll tell you. The story is full of twists and turns and good ol' southern characters, and it has a surprise ending that I think you'll like.
 
My second novel, "In Good Faith," is already in the production process and will be released in early April of 2009. I'm writing my third novel now as well as adapting "In Good Faith" to screenplay format. And a well-known Hollywood producer is attempting to develop a television series based on Dillard. I don't know whether it will happen, but it's nice to have the work noticed by people in Hollywood. 
 
Some of the stuff in the fictional world I've created parallels the real world I live in every day. For example, I have a German Shepherd named Rio, just like Dillard. The dog peed on my shoe every time I came home for almost a year. He finally grew out of it, so I no longer have to remove my socks every time I walk in the door.

I also have a son who is playing baseball at Vanderbilt University and a daughter who is on the dance team at the University of Tennessee. My wife owns and operates a small dancing school here in Northeast Tennessee. So a lot of Dillard comes straight from me. I think he's a mixture of what I am and what I'd like to be.

 I'm looking forward to developing the website, developing a relationship with you, and improving as a writer.

Along the way, I'll be asking you for feedback on things like book length, chapter length, the amount of profanity you're comfortable with, whether you want me to continue writing stories about Dillard or would rather I try something else, stuff like that. After all, pleasing you is what will allow me to continue writing, and I definitely want to continue.
 
So welcome. I'm glad you're here. I'll update the blog once a month and let you know what I'm doing, where I'll be, and what I've learned from you. I'm looking forward to getting to know you, and I'm looking forward to this latest journey.

And, just in case you are interested, here is a link that will connect you to the book. E-mail me at scott@scottprattfiction.com, and come back soon.

he day has come. My first novel, "An Innocent Client" has been released nationwide. 
 
As I sat looking at the line of people recently at the Johnson City Barnes and Noble, I felt a deep sense of gratitude and humility. There were people I knew – old friends and acquaintances, relatives, people who taught me in high school and college, people I’ve worked with – and there were many complete strangers. The line went all the way to the front of the store and out the door. All of them wanted to talk to me, to hand over their hard-earned money to buy my book and to have me sign a copy, and to convey their heartfelt wishes for my success. I'd dreamed about such a scene for years, and now, finally, it was happening. I felt humbled and proud at the same time, anxious and excited, but mostly I felt grateful – grateful for the opportunity I've been afforded and for the people who have stuck by me during the monumental trials my family and I have been through over the past few years.

Like many other families, we’ve faced life-threatening disease, multiple surgeries and hospital stays, a mid-life career change, financial calamity, and the sometimes overwhelming sense of fear and uncertainty that accompanies such a state of affairs. And like many other families, we’ve managed to stick together through it all. People close to me often ask how we got through it. To be honest, I don’t really know. We loved each other every day and just tried to keep on going, day by day by day.

But the future looks much brighter these days. My son is now a sophomore at Vanderbilt University and a member of one of the best baseball teams in the country. My daughter is now a freshman at the University of Tennessee and a member of one of the best dance teams in the country. My wife’s cancer is in remission, and my novel is sitting on bookshelves all over the United States and Canada and soon to be released in Germany, France, Japan, Holland and Bulgaria.  My second novel is finished and scheduled for release in June, and I’m working on the third one now.

To all those who attended the signings at Barnes and Noble – both of which resulted in complete sellouts of my book – I offer a sincere thank you. I also offer my gratitude to all of you who have read or will read my work. I’ll try my best not to let you down.

Truth, they say, is stranger than fiction. Believe it, folks. I’m living proof.

E-mail Scott at: Scott@scottprattfiction.com

Kickoff sellout

The release day signing for "An Innocent Client" at Barnes and Noble resulted in selling well over a hundred books – every volume in the store, plus some from the trunk of the car – the fourth sellout just by the time of the book's release.

Bestselling author Michelle Gagnon invites Scott to stand in for her on Killzone Blog.