Bones of Black Saints follows two civil rights attorneys defending a young Black activist accused of shooting a white police officer while confronting racial injustice, police solidarity, and competing versions of truth in Durham, North Carolina. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I represented a young man named Carlos Riley in Durham. Bones of Black Saints is a fictionalized take on his trial.

How did you develop Zenko’s mixture of anxiety, humor, faith, intelligence, and self-doubt?

I wanted a passionate, committed trial attorney who struggled with mental health issues.

Why was it important to portray accomplished attorneys who also struggle with mental health?

I’ve grappled with my own mental health demons. Realistically presenting these issues was a goal of mine in this and in the series of other books, such as The Girl Wore a Hockey Helmet. We trial attorneys bring our personal baggage into the courtroom as much as we try to keep it out. Substance abuse, alcoholism, and depression disproportionately affect lawyers. That’s the reality. One of my clients was sent to Death Row in N.C. because he had a drunk trial attorney. After almost thirty years, the Governor commuted his sentence to life without parole.

What responsibility do you think fiction has when engaging with painful historical events?

Fiction can help us learn and make sense of racial injustice and prosecutorial misconduct. As a writer, I feel a responsibility to confront injustices of the past. That is the first step in combating such inequities in the future.

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