William Bernhardt's latest page-turner, CAPITOL OFFENSE, brings his character, Senator Ben Kincaid, back to Tulsa to handle a seemingly hopeless murder case. When it comes to stories set in the courtroom, Bernhardt is a master who gets better with each outing.CAPITOL OFFENSE is your 17th Ben Kincaid. Did you see him being such a popular and ongoing series character?
No, I had no idea there would be one sequel, much less seventeen. If I had, I would've done much differently--and probably would've messed it all up. Just as well I didn't know.
What sparked the idea for CAPITOL OFFENSE?
I read about a true case of a woman who died slowly in her car after it went off the road. When she went missing, her husband begged the police to investigate, but they refused because it didn't meet their criteria for a missing persons case. They assumed she had just left her husband--and she died as a result. After a week, they actually started investigating, and they found her in fewer than three hours. After I did a little research, I learned that this outrage has actually occurred many times. That's what inspired me to write the book.
What prompted you to go historical with your previous novel, Nemesis? It was too good a story to resist. Eliot Ness against America's first serial killer--and it's true. It just needed an ending. So I spent two years researching it and I solved the case.
What is the Bernhardt brand?
This is probably to my detriment (at least financially) but I don't want to be known as a brand. I want to be known as a writer. In the past two years, I've even started publishing poetry in serious journals and magazines. Won't make me rich, but it does make me happy.
What inspires you to write?
My wife, Marcia, who kicks my rear back into gear every now and again.
Why do lawyers like to write fiction? Why do readers enjoy reading legal thrillers?
Courtrooms are fascinating--enormous emotional conflict and drama, all packed into one room. It's a search for the truth--but isn't all fiction?
How has ITW influenced your life?
Well, now that I'm the head of the Publications Committee, it has definitely influenced the way I spend the first few hours of every day. We have eleven books in some stage of development--but that's why ITW members don't pay dues. We're changing the way the world looks at writers.
What's next?
Ben returns in March in Capitol Betrayal--which will mark a significant turning point in Ben and Christina's lives. I'm working on a new novel called The Idea Man that I'm very excited about. It's a definite departure--but it may be the best thing I've ever written. That's what's most fun about being a writer. You never know what's going to happen next--until you write it.
Contributing editor Jeff Ayers is the author of VOYAGES OF IMAGINATION: THE STAR TREK FICTION COMPANION Pocket
Books-November 2006. He frequently reviews thrillers for Library
Journal and regularly interviews authors for LJ, the Seattle
Post-Intellgencer, and Writer Magazine. 
