He is also the author of 9 SCORPIONS, a tale of corruption at the Supreme Court. That book inspired Paul to co-create (with Don Bellisario) FIRST MONDAY, the CBS TV series starring James Garner and Joe Mantegna. The show was canceled after one season, despite being a hit with disbarred lawyers, disgruntled litigants, and a demographic best described as "between Medicare and the mortuary."
Paul also wrote 20 episodes of the TV series JAG, which gave him an opportunity to steer a nuclear submarine and land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, all without endangering national security. He has written, with a self-deprecating tone, about beginning his Hollywood career at the advanced age of 51.
"Before I traveled west, I thought Hollywood writers rolled into work around 11 a.m., scribbled for a couple hours, drank their lunch at Musso and Frank's, then cracked wise with starlets the rest of the day. Like Rick, who came to Casablanca for the waters, I was misinformed."
(The full article, "The Good, the Bad, & the Nutty: Mystery Writer Tackles Hollywood," appears on the "Other Words" page of the website).
Photo by Alan Weissman