Allison Leotta's Blog, page 13
May 2, 2012
May 1, 2012
Captain Underhill Takes On Unpowered Superheroes
April 30, 2012
Beyond Heaving Bosoms and Throbbing Members
All in all it was an amazing weekend. I learned about the craft, made friends with some talented writers, and drank just a little too much. I left feeling refreshed and inspired. And I didn’t even have to fend off Fabio once.
April 25, 2012
SVU Episode #13-19: Street Justice
Ice-T grumbled that it was a “nice change” that the stop-and-frisks would be of white males this time. Oh, come on. That may be a valid point in real life. But the vast majority of victims and suspects on SVU are white. And good looking. And endowed with a trust fund.
Also, Ice-T, please snap on a pair of gloves and stop fondling the rapist’s knife with your bare hands. Jeez Louise, we’re never going to get any usable prints that way. That said, I laugh at every one of your awesome one-liners. Although the best one tonight was Munch’s, after Nick’s wife stormed into the precinct: ”That’s why I stopped marrying Italian women.”
April 18, 2012
SVU Episode #13-18: Valentine’s Day
What they got wrong:
I was shocked to hear Olivia say why she didn’t believe Chloe’s story: “Most rape victims shut down,” Olivia said. “But not her.” That’s wrong. Crime victims react in every possible way: from sobbing, tearing at their hair, or rolling on the floor, to dead calm, matter-of-fact, emotionless recitations. Some get sad, some angry, some laugh out of nervousness. One reaction is not any more valid or truthful than the other. Of all the characters in this show, Olivia would know that.
Nick told Chloe, “The rape kit shows that you were sexually assaulted.” A rape kit can’t do that. It can reveal whether the victim was injured or not. Swabs can be tested for the presence of semen, saliva, and blood. If found, a DNA profile can be built. Hair can be plucked, fingernails scraped. But – as seen in this case – a rape kit can’t say whether or not someone was sexually assaulted. Very often, the forensic evidence of a rape is exactly the same as the evidence of consensual sex. A rape kit can support a claim of sexual assault, but does not, alone, prove it.
But perhaps the most unrealistic thing about the entire episode was how sweet and supportive this millionaire hedge fund manager was.
Well, SVU fans, what do you think? How likely is a real Upper East Side housewife to stage a rape while Skyping with her husband? Is Nick going to pretend he didn’t see his wife going to her F-pad , or will confront her about it? And, if the latter, will he be wise enough to check his gun at the police station first? Leave your comments!
April 11, 2012
SVU Episode #13-17: Justice Denied
March 27, 2012
“Law of Attraction” comes out in paperback today!
The Backstory:
As a prosecutor of sex crimes and domestic violence in D.C., I saw heartbreaking tragedies, acts of shocking evil, and vulnerable victims every day— but also moments of real heroism, true love, and healing. Given the stories I witnessed, the rich cast of characters I worked with, and my lifelong love of fiction, I had to write a book.
In Anna Curtis, I wanted to create a character who people would relate to and root for, and a story that would both entertain and teach about the way the criminal justice system works—and doesn’t work. My day job and my writing were mutually beneficial: my work gave me interesting material, while writing my fictional characters made me understand my real-life witnesses more deeply.
I focused on a nightmare shared by domestic-violence prosecutors: losing a case and setting free an abuser who eventually kills his victim. I wanted to explore the reasons why so many women go back to boyfriends who hurt them. And I wanted to create a strong, smart female prosecutor who would be particularly empathetic to her witnesses because she shared some of their experiences – but whose romantic life would suffer from those same experiences.
For the sake of my wonderful mom and dad, I need to stress that Anna is not me and her family is not my family. Similarly, all events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance between my legs and the legs on the cover is purely coincidental.
Law of Attraction was written in the spaces of my life between prosecuting and mommying. I started writing the book while I was pregnant with my first son. Back then, I would wake up at 5:00 a.m. and write for a couple of hours before heading to work. I wrote at night and on weekends. I carried a laptop everywhere and wrote wherever I could find a horizontal surface (and preferably a latte). After my son was born, I wrote during his naps and after bedtime. Now, the sound of a softly snoring baby triggers a Pavlovian response in me to start typing.
"Law of Attraction" comes out in paperback today!
The Backstory:
As a prosecutor of sex crimes and domestic violence in D.C., I saw heartbreaking tragedies, acts of shocking evil, and vulnerable victims every day— but also moments of real heroism, true love, and healing. Given the stories I witnessed, the rich cast of characters I worked with, and my lifelong love of fiction, I had to write a book.
In Anna Curtis, I wanted to create a character who people would relate to and root for, and a story that would both entertain and teach about the way the criminal justice system works—and doesn't work. My day job and my writing were mutually beneficial: my work gave me interesting material, while writing my fictional characters made me understand my real-life witnesses more deeply.
I focused on a nightmare shared by domestic-violence prosecutors: losing a case and setting free an abuser who eventually kills his victim. I wanted to explore the reasons why so many women go back to boyfriends who hurt them. And I wanted to create a strong, smart female prosecutor who would be particularly empathetic to her witnesses because she shared some of their experiences – but whose romantic life would suffer from those same experiences.
For the sake of my wonderful mom and dad, I need to stress that Anna is not me and her family is not my family. Similarly, all events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance between my legs and the legs on the cover is purely coincidental.
Law of Attraction was written in the spaces of my life between prosecuting and mommying. I started writing the book while I was pregnant with my first son. Back then, I would wake up at 5:00 a.m. and write for a couple of hours before heading to work. I wrote at night and on weekends. I carried a laptop everywhere and wrote wherever I could find a horizontal surface (and preferably a latte). After my son was born, I wrote during his naps and after bedtime. Now, the sound of a softly snoring baby triggers a Pavlovian response in me to start typing.
