Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Tamar Anolic
Book Title: This Side of the Law
Released: 05/22/25
Genre: Legal Thriller
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “This Side of the Law”?
Anolic: I grew up in New York City, not far from the Sheepshead Bay/ Brighton Beach area where a lot of this novel takes place. I spent a fair amount of time in that area, so I knew it was home to many Russian immigrants. I also went to law school in Brooklyn, where criminal law is one of the required classes in your first semester. One day during that semester, I was waiting for a train at the Sheepshead Bay subway station on the B line. A teenaged boy arrived at the station while I waited. He had long brown hair that he wore tied back into a ponytail. I looked at him and wondered where he was going. I imagined he was going to school and wondered what school he attended. The image of him waiting for the train stayed with me for a long time, and I began to think of him as a potential character. He eventually became Alexander.
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Anolic: With the Russian characters, especially Alexander and Rostislav, I wanted strong Russian names that also had both Russian and American nicknames. Both characters are navigating what it means to be first generation Americans in different ways, and I wanted their names, and when they are called by different nicknames, to reflect that. With Jamie, the sound of the name just seemed to fit her. Besides, she is struggling in a profession that is still a man’s world in a lot of ways. I liked the fact that Jamie could be gender neutral- even Alexander was surprised that Jamie was a woman when he first met her, as he assumed that the prosecutor assigned to his case would be a man. Also, Jamie means “he who supplants,” and I liked the irony of that name for someone whose identity and original choices for her future have been supplanted by her past trauma and the choices that grew out of that.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
Anolic: The path to writing this book was not linear. I originally got this idea when I was in my first year of law school. I wrote a draft and put it aside. It was only in the last few years that I decided to take another look at it, which is unusual for me. Once I put a manuscript aside, it’s usually consigned to my dust heap. But there was a lot about this manuscript that made me come back to it- in particular, the complexity of the characters and their relationships. That’s what made me rewrite this novel several times before publishing it.
If “This Side of the Law” were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Anolic: I always pictured Diane Neal in her Law and Order: SVU days as Jamie, even when I was writing the novel. Casting recommendations for Rostislav and Alexander are much harder for me to recommend. For Rostislav, it would have to be someone who could play both creepy but also have a human side- someone like Bill Skarsgard could work. As for Alexander, actors such as Charlie Plummer or Trevor Stines might work. This is a tough question- it makes me glad I’m not a Casting Director!
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Anolic: I usually take a break from working to go for a walk or go to the gym. Sometimes getting out of town for a few days helps too. I think the combination of the change in scenery and the exercise gets my mind working again.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Anolic: Don’t be afraid to tell your story. Also, keep at it! Getting a final draft that is polished and tells the story the way you want to can be tough, but it’s worth it.
What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?
Anolic: My favorite genre is historical fiction. I’ve written a lot about Russian history- the Romanovs have fascinated me for decades now, and I keep returning to writing about them.
What are you working on next?
Anolic: I am writing a short story collection about the Romanovs.
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