Marcia Clark knows her way around a courtroom . She spent years as a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles . She became a household name as the lead prosecutor in the O.J . Simpson murder trial , one of the only cases she ever lost . Clark left that life behind a long time ago , but she 's still mining her past , only now as a successful crime novelist . Clark published her first novel , `` Guilt by Association , '' last year to strong sales and positive reviews . It featured Rachel Knight , a strong-willed deputy district attorney in Los Angeles , with a deep sense of justice and a bit of a rebellious streak . Sound like anyone familiar ? Now Rachel Knight returns in `` Guilt by Degrees , '' which hits book stores May 8 . This time out Rachel is looking for a homeless man 's killer . In her investigation she uncovers a connection to the brutal murder of a Los Angeles police officer . As Rachel gets closer to the truth , she becomes the target of a cunning psychopath . Given her background , it 's no surprise that Clark 's writing crackles with authenticity . The courtroom exchanges in her latest novel are crisp and brimming with tension . The lawyers , cops and bad guys feel real . The story is fast-paced and will keep readers interested to the end . While Clark closed the door on her career as a prosecutor , she continues to stay active with the law by working on appellate court cases . She 's also a frequent legal commentator and analyst for several TV networks , including CNN , but Clark says writing has become her real passion . She recently talked to CNN from her home in Los Angeles . The following is an edited transcript : . CNN : I understand you 're a longtime fan of crime fiction . When did you know you wanted to be a writer ? Clark : This has been a lifelong addiction for me . It started with Nancy Drew . She was my hero . I loved reading those stories . When I was 10 or 11 I cracked her code . I figured out the formula that every time her dad went out of town she caught a case . I was still fascinated . Then I graduated into crime fiction of the adult variety . I was so addicted that even when I was a prosecutor I was reading murder mysteries , authors like James Ellroy and watching `` Law & Order , '' as well as doing it for real all day long . So that 's obsessed . CNN : It seems like you share a lot in common with your heroine , Rachel Knight . How autobiographical are your books ? Clark : I share traits in common with all the characters . I do n't know if there 's a way to avoid putting yourself into each and every character , the bad guys as well as the good ones . I 'd like to try because I certainly do n't want the book to be about me , but it is about a female prosecutor so there 's going to be things in common . I was only conscious of giving her my bad traits . I think of Rachel as being so much better than me , with the exception of the places where she 's like me and then she 's not so good . CNN : How did being a prosecutor help you in becoming a writer ? Clark : First of all , the experience of meeting the kind of people that you meet being a criminal attorney , whether its prosecutor or defense attorney , is unmatchable . There 's nothing like it . There 's no duplicating that in any other job or career . You run into worlds of people you would never ordinarily meet . That gives you a sense of the kinds of characters that are out there . As a criminal lawyer , especially as a prosecutor , you have to be able to tell a story and put that story together as cogently as possible and then try to present it as cogently as possible . You do set up a case with the idea in mind that you 're going to be telling a story as effectively , as comprehensively , and as dramatically as you can . Now judges can get in the way of that , every time an objection gets sustained and every time you get a bad ruling things can go awry . You ca n't control it all , but you try . CNN : What kind of feedback have you had from other lawyers ? Clark : From what I 've heard so far they agree that it feels spot on . What I was trying to do was capture more than the technical and procedural details , because sometimes I had to bend those rules , shorten time frames and things like that . If I have to start talking about the backlog at the crime lab or how long it takes to get a rape kit tested -- snore ! I need to tighten that up and make it sound like we can get our results as fast as we wish we could . Other than that , I wanted to share the feeling of camaraderie among prosecutors and police officers , the kind of humor they share , their dialogue , the way they 're always needling each other , messing with each other , that kind of sense of sharing a world together , I wanted to convey that feeling . The people who have read the books who are in the business tell me it feels very real . CNN : Do you miss your days in court ? Clark : I get as much as I want from doing appellate work . I handle criminal appeals . That 's something you can do from home . You review transcripts for technical errors and you write briefs , so it 's all written . It keeps me up to speed with how cases are being tried today , as opposed to back when I was in court . It keeps me up to speed with the technology they 're using in courtrooms , the kinds of crimes that are being prosecuted , the kinds of criminals that are coming through . So it keeps me fresh that way . I really do n't miss the trials and courtroom appearances . CNN : As a legal analyst , I expect you 're following the Trayvon Martin case . What 's your take ? Clark : I would expect now what 's going to happen is this is going to go away for quite some time . If I 'm a defense attorney what I want is for everybody to calm down , go away and forget about the case and let tempers cool . Because right now it 's still very hot , there 's a lot of hard feelings and emotion in the air . That 's the last thing the defense wants if you go to trial under these circumstances . So , I would expect the defense to do everything they can to delay the trial and it would n't surprise me if it took at least a year to get into court . CNN : Is this a case you would have wanted to prosecute ? Clark : I ca n't say there 's any case I look at and say , `` Gee , I wish I was the prosecutor . '' I 'm really done . I 've really closed that door . CNN : What 's next for you ? Clark : I 'm sticking with the books . I 'm wrapping up book three right now and then jumping into book four . I just want to continue the Rachel Knight series and focus on that because I 'm really loving it . I just know if I had to stop writing Rachel , I 'd miss her ! Connect with Marcia Clark on her website .
O.J . Rachel Knight prosecutor Rachel Knight is now a crime fiction writer . Clark 's newest novel follows Los Angeles D.A . Simpson in her hunt for a killer . Marcia Clark says she has no desire to return to the courtroom .