Is there anything she can’t do? Former Prosecutor, Television Personality, Author and now Executive Producer. All around Superwoman Marcia Clark continues her successful run: What’s next, a gig on American Idol?
With the 1995 Trial of the Century under her belt, which resulted in an astoundingly ridiculous Not Guilty verdict, Marcia Clark has left prosecution behind and found success as a television commentator and legal analyst, appearing on various programs.
Now primarily an author, she’s also a popular figure on Facebook and Twitter, active on both.
Yesterday, July 23, Clark made this announcement on Facebook: GREAT NEWS! TNT has optioned my Rachel Knight series for a TV series as a one hour drama! I’m attached as an Executive Producer and Executive Producer/Showrunner Dee Johnson is writing the pilot and Executive Producer Nelson McCormick will direct.
In an email communication with yours truly, Marcia confirmed to me “We’re in development on a one hour drama series based on the Rachel Knight series.
Marcia explained to me: “Right now, we’re at the pilot script stage, meaning the showrunner is writing the pilot. It should be done in a month or so. Then TNT will decide whether to shoot the pilot.”
Her non-fiction book about the O.J. trial Without a Doubt was a bestseller. She followed that up with the highly praised fiction Guilt by Association, and then Guilt by Degrees, all featuring character Rachel Knight, who is – you guessed it – a prosecutor. Marcia confirmed to me her next book, “Killer Ambition” will be out next summer.
Publisher’s Weekly, Suspense Magazine and a host of others – even fellow author James Patterson – were effusive in their praise of Marcia’s books.
Booklist wrote, “The sequel to her remarkably accomplished debut, Guilt by Association (2010), proves that former prosecutor Clark is no one-book wonder.”
They further noted:
“Clark has a winning cast of characters, a strong plot, and plenty of smart and sassy dialogue (particularly when Knight and her BFFs gather for after-work martinis), and she heightens interest in Knight’s next appearance by establishing the psychopathic Bayer as her nemesis. A superlative series bringing together elements of both legal thrillers and police procedurals.
Having read Guilt by Association, I’d have to agree with their praise. As an avid reader of mystery/suspense novels, I have added her to my “Favorite Authors” list. I actually stumbled onto her book accidentally; I was looking for a Mary Higgins Clark book – a happy accident.
Marcia’s Rachel Knight character is a strong and intelligent woman, with a good sense of humor, but doesn’t rely on her looks to get her through life, as most novels featuring female characters do.
One thing I really appreciated about her book is – get ready for this – lack of steamy sex scenes. I’m so weary of books and movies where unnecessary passion is throw in, when the story could really do without it.
As for Marcia’s Facebook and Twitter persona, she is very friendly and open with her fans; she discusses her books, current events, and even television programs. Chatting with fans about what they like to watch on TV, here’s a post from her FB page:
“I missed Damages, damn! and I love Glenn Close, so I’m thinking I’ll find the show on DVD and watch all the seasons continuously. I did that with The Wire (didn’t think I’d like it, but a friend got me to watch the pilot and I was ADDICTED) and that was so much fun. I never had to wait for the next episode. Btw, if you haven’t seen The Wire, I highly recommend it. So what am I watching now? Mad Men – LOVE it, Game of Thrones – !!!, Downton Abbey – seriously, how could anyone NOT love it?, Modern Family – so damn funny, and I’m hard to please when it comes to half hour shows, Episodes – it’s on Showtime, stars Matt LeBlanc (remember Friends?) and is fantastic, and believe it or not, Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family – admission: my BFF works on the show, so that’s how I got into it, but it’s a really fun murder mystery. I missed out on Breaking Bad, which I hear is phenomenal, so I’m going to get those DVD’s and start from the beginning. I think that’s about it – it’s enough, right? LOL. What are you watching, Lisa?”
Not too many high profile people bother to interact so personally with their fans, but I love it, her fans love it and I think I’ll count Marcia as my new BFF! (Best Friend Forever.)
In another Facebook post, Marcia also opined about the recent Colorado shooting spree:
“Check this out: the Aurora shooter – I will NOT use his name – applied to join a gun club on June 25th…and the gun club TURNED HIM DOWN. Why? Because when an employee called his number to verify his application, the voicemail message sounded so bizarre, they deemed him “suspicious.” Irony anyone? A GUN CLUB catches his insanity, but no one else.”
Her fans weighed in on the subject, and pistol packin’ Marcia also wrote:
“…I have a couple of guns myself, so I’m not anti all guns. My complaint is specifically with the assault rifles that have no legitimate place among civilians. The high capacity magazines and easy alterations that allow it to become fully automatic make it nothing but an efficient delivery system for mass murder. Soldiers at war need them, civilians NEVER do. I have yet to hear any rational argument in favor of civilian access to assault weapons. But if you – or anyone else reading this – has one, I’m all ears.”
Excellent point. It is this type of commentary that has established her as a bold television personality and has led to the success with her books.
One thing we won’t be seeing Marcia doing – acting. “I’m fairly sure they won’t let me play Rachel. Trust me on this, you’ll be glad of that.”
That’s OK, Marcia, let someone else have that job!
Follow Marcia Clark on Twitter – @thatmarciaclark and on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/#!/thatmarciaclark
