Over 100 attendees gathered at Callari Auto Group’s BMW Showroom (140 Ledge Rd. in Darien) on Tuesday evening to celebrate the release of “Killer Ambition,” Marcia Clark’s latest legal thriller. The novel is the third in the series penned by the former prosecutor in the Special Trials Unit of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. The bestselling and critically acclaimed series follows Rachel Knight, who shares the same profession as her author.
The leitmotif of the evening was female bonding and empowerment, from the guest author and venue to the sponsors and hosts. Callari Auto Group is owned by sisters Flavia and Paula Callari, and the event was co-hosted by Christine Oleynick, Chapter Director of Over 40 Females, and Kathy McShane, Managing Director of Ladies Who Launch. Both organizations provide networking opportunities for and support to women entrepreneurs. First County Bank (the event sponsor) Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Karen M. Kelly and Mortgage Loan Officer Susan Iseman were also on hand for the event.
Attendees enjoyed hors d'oeuvres provided by Palmer’s Market and wine by Glen Liquors, both of Darien, before the main event, a Q&A conducted talk show-style by Oleynick and McShane with Clark. A signing followed, with Elm Street Books (35 Elm St. in New Canaan) providing books for purchase.
Flavia Callari welcomed guests, noting “we love doing events for our community.” McShane introduced Clark, who has transitioned among several careers, as an ideal guest speaker for Oleynick and McShane’s organizations, as both support women through life and career transitions.
“I’m honored and thrilled that she’s here with us tonight,” McShane said. After reading the author’s long list of accomplishments—which include 10 years with the Special Trials Unit, stints as a legal analyst and expert commentator, and multiple books—McShane added, “And now she’s here with us. Pretty cool, right?”
The warm and witty Clark answered Oleynick and McShane’s questions about the writing process, what her biggest challenges are as a writer, and what inspires her, before taking questions from the audience and via Twitter.
Becoming a writer, Clark said, brought her full circle back to her childhood dream. “I had always wanted to write,” she explained. “I loved murder mysteries, and my favorite heroine as a kid was Nancy Drew.” Clark typically begins with an outline, explaining that if the work isn’t going well, it’s easier to toss an outline than a whole book. Each case that Knight investigates has its genesis in reality. “The steps taken in an investigation are true to life,” Clark said.
As to one of the biggest writing challenges, Clark said it was writing emotional scenes, especially when the prosecutor has to notify a victim’s family. “Because when you’re writing it, you have to feel it through every person in the scene,” she explained.
Of her protagonist, Rachel Knight, Clark described her as “my avatar.” Asked by an audience member if Clark intends Knight to function as a role model, Clark admitted that this was not an intention, though she is pleased if the character inspires women. “My point was to tell the truth,” Clark said. That truth, she expounded, is that powerful women do support each other in the workplace. “I wanted to show ambitious women working together in a positive way,” Clark said, adding, “My experience isn’t of women undercutting each other.”
Though Oleynick and McShane asked the audience to limit questions to the novel, the inevitable did come up. Explaining why she left the prosecutor’s office, Clark said the O. J. Simpson trial was so heart-wrenchingly devastating that she felt it was time for a change. But in the end, perhaps that change was meant to happen, Clark mused.
Expressing gratitude that she developed the confidence to pursue her passion, Clark encouraged women to be resilient in the face of challenges. “Be tenacious, and don’t give up,” she said. “Don’t let anything stand in your way.”