Published: Monday, December 4, 2006
Former Columbiana prosecutor publishes first suspense novel
The author drew on his experiences in the local courts.
COLUMBIANA — Columbiana County is now the literary muse of a native son.
Scott Kauffman, 53, of Newport Beach, Calif., has published his first legal suspense novel.
Kauffman is a 1971 graduate of Columbiana High School and a former assistant prosecutor and public defender in Columbiana County. He now has a practice in Irving, Calif., defending people in tax cases.
His novel, "In Deepest Consequences," focuses on a public defender in Creek County, Ohio.
Location
One clue to the real identity of the location is that the story includes a shot-up body being found in the Ohio River.
"Geographically, its the same place in Ohio as Columbiana County," Kauffman said in a telephone interview.
And Kauffman is working on his second book, which is not a thriller.
"It's very different," said Kauffman, "but it's the same Creek County in a different time."
"In Deepest Consequences" is set in contemporary times.
Kauffman's work in progress is set in the late 1960s and deals with a young woman volunteering in a hospital who meets a veteran of World War I.
Kauffman's writing also taps two trends: literary references — "In Deepest Consequences" is part of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" — and having fun. A scene in the thriller is set in a cemetery. Kauffman said the names on the tombstones are the names of living Columbiana County attorneys.
Some incidents in the book are based on cases he handled, although he says they are almost 30 years old and unlikely to be remembered.
It took six years to write "In Deepest Consequences." That included editing and rewriting and finding a publisher and agent.
Kauffman said he began to write because he had thoughts that he believed might make a good story.
"They were about what happened in my younger years and why it happened," he said.
Some authors who are also lawyers, such as John Grisham or Scott Turow, can crank out a stream of best-sellers.
"I can't do that," Kauffman said.
Pay
In terms of payment for the book, Kauffman said, "I'm definitely keeping the day job."
The real money these days is in writing screenplays, especially when the writer is paid even if the movie isn't made, he added.
Living through one sunny California winter — as compared to cold Columbiana County — persuaded him to stay on the west coast.
But he said he often returns. His mother, Betty, and two brothers, Tim and Gregg,still live in Columbiana.
"No matter how long I am away from Columbiana, I'll always think of it as home," Kauffman said.
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from vindyJOBS.com
