August 18, 2009
Like most college students, Jilliane Hoffman '89SVC, '92L began
her undergraduate days at St. John’s University without a definite
career plan in mind. She was, however, open to the many
opportunities that St. John’s had to offer, and by the time she was
a senior had decided to enter the legal profession by pursuing her
J.D. degree at St. John’s School of Law. From 1992
through 2001 she was a practicing attorney in Florida, initially as
an Assistant State Attorney and later as Regional Legal Advisor for
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
And then Jilliane Hoffman heard the Muse, and put aside her
stellar legal career to become one of the world’s most widely read
novelists. The courtroom, however, was always an important
part of her highly successful novels.
“My nearly 10 years as an attorney in the criminal justice
system actually laid the groundwork for me to write my first book,”
she said. “My experiences really gave me the material for the
plots and characters that I ultimately came up with. I felt
very comfortable translating into a book what I had experienced in
court.”
Since embarking on her new career Hoffman has authored three
bestselling legal thrillers: Retribution, Last
Witness and her most recent work, Plea of
Insanity. She is currently working on her fourth novel,
a legal, psychological suspense thriller set in South
Florida. As in her previous works, Hoffman is writing from
experience.
“I’ve always told young writers to write about what you know,
what you’ve experienced. That’s the way I write and I really
believe that it makes the plot and the characters very real.
If you can hear the voices of your characters when you’re
formulating the plot, it will make your writing so much more
authentic.”
Hoffman is quick to acknowledge the talents of her fellow
writers. “My favorite writer is Thomas Harris, who
wrote The Silence of the Lambs. He’s got a great way
with words. I also like to read John Grisham and James
Patterson.”
Hoffman characterizes her time at St. John’s as “…a great
experience. There was a group for everybody, everybody had
friends in the cafeteria. I really enjoyed myself, both as an
undergraduate and in the School of Law. I made lifelong
friends at St. John’s, and would probably have loved to live in the
dorms if they’d had them back then.”
She credits her Vincentian values for helping her to make many
important decisions throughout her professional and personal
life. “The values that I learned at St. John’s I definitely
carry with me,” she said. “The compassion that I learned
definitely influenced the decisions that I made as a
prosecutor. I also carry those values into my family
life. The foundation that I got at St. John’s has helped to
keep my family going strong. Those values shaped me into the
person that I am today.”
Hoffman acknowledges that St. John’s will always remain a big
part of her life, noting that, “I went there for seven years.
I met some of my best friends there, not friends for the moment but
friends for life. I could never just walk away from St.
John’s – it’s too ingrained in me and will be forever.”