In Episode 91, Caitlin Wahrer (author of The Damage) shares how she decided to tackle sexual assault of a man by a man, how she felt about writing a gay male protagonist as a straight woman, and how the U.S. legal system is re-traumatizing for sexual assault victims.

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Highlights

• Why Caitlin doesn’t use cases she actually worked on as inspiration for her fiction writing.
• How Caitlin decided to tackle sexual assault of a man by a man.
• How Caitlin felt about writing a story about a gay, male protagonist as a straight woman (and what the discussions with her publisher looked like).
• What it was like to work with a sensitivity reader.
• What it means to her when gay men and sexual assault survivors tell her The Damage had an impact on them. (rephrase).
• The biggest difference she discovered in the impact of sexual assault of a female vs. of a male.
• How the U.S. legal system is re-traumatizing for sexual assault victims, Caitlin’s view of the legal system’s biggest problems, and how she thinks it could be improved.
• The restorative justice process.
• Why attorneys make such great fiction writers.

Caitlin’s Book Recommendations [31:19]

Two OLD Books She Loves

• Know My Name by Chanel Miller | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [31:34]
• Wild Seedby Octavia Butler | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [34:31]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [37:28]
• Bath Haus by PJ Vernon | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [39:35]

One Book She DIDN’T LOVE

• Cujo by Stephen King | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [44:12]

One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About

• Dog Park by Sofi Oksanen (September 21, 2021) | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Bookshop.org [42:13]

Last 5 Star Book(s) Caitlin Read [49:03]

• That Night by Gillian McAllister | Buy from Amazon [46:40]

Other Books Mentioned

• Kindred by Octavia Butler [34:49]
• Salem’s Lot by Stephen King [46:13]

About Caitlin

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Caitlin is a Maine girl through and through. She was born to two hippies who raised her in a small town in central-southern Maine without a single stoplight in it. Caitlin left the state for four years to study criminal justice and marriage and family studies at a college in Pennsylvania. She returned to Maine after graduation to attend law school and practice law. She and her husband live in southern Maine with their dog.