Lewis Allan - A Thrilling Ride Through the Gritty Streets of Milwaukee

Lewis Allan is a pen name used by the two authors behind Mason Mitchell — a veteran criminal defense attorney, and a well-traveled freelance writer. These childhood friends reconnected after thirty-plus years to create a story that is entirely fictional, except for Clyde, who is 100% real. Mouse In The Box is their debut novel.

Russell Jones loves jury trials. He has conducted over 300 of them, including more than fifty homicide trials. With two decades of courtroom experience as a criminal defense attorney, he is recognized as a leader in the profession, winning several awards for his work. Now, he draws on the hard-earned knowledge from his day job as he embarks on a new career as a novelist. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, Laura and their two dogs – Clyde and Rusty.

Jason Wrubell writes left-handed. When he dropped out of college to join a band, he was the left-handed drummer. After that, he wandered all over, turning his childhood love of storytelling into a career as a freelance writer, producing everything from slogans to short stories, and even slumming it in advertising. Raised on the Great Canadian Prairies, he now lives with his beautiful wife in her hometown of Vienna, Austria, and is completely baffled as to how he ended up so lucky.

As our Authors of the Day, they tell us all about their book, Mouse in the Box.

Please give us a short introduction to what Mouse in the Box is about.

Mouse In The Box takes readers behind the curtain of criminal justice, exposing the shocking reality and human misery baked into the system. Mason’s personal turmoil mirrors his daily struggle to find real justice.

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

Mason’s character and the world he inhabits are drawn from Russell’s two decades as a criminal defense attorney in Milwaukee. He knew that the source material from his career had more than enough substance to fuel a compelling story.

Tell us more about Mason Mitchell. What makes him special, and what inspired his character?

Mason Mitchell is authentic. He is flawed and heroic. His need for justice overrides one's actions or character traits. His singular pursuit of ‘justice’ is the driving force behind Mason. This ideology keeps him grounded in his turbulent world.

Why did you title this book Mouse in the Box?

Mouse in the Box at one level is a nod to Mason’s closing argument. But it also speaks to how individuals can become trapped in an unjust and imbalanced system; also Mason himself is trapped – looking for the hole in the theoretical ‘box’.

Lewis Allan is a pen name. What was it like to co-write this book? How did you divide tasks?

Co-writing has its own challenges, and we did it remotely, separated by seven time zones. This meant we had to stay organized and communicate well to keep things on track. Conversely, the separation worked in our favor allowing each other time and space to develop ideas without being right on top of one another.

Why did you pick Milwaukee as the backdrop for your story?

Russell’s has primarily practiced in Milwaukee, so the setting was familiar. In we wanted to feature some of the unique Wisconsin culture to the reader.

What are you working on right now?

We’ve already started to gather our ideas for book two with Mason Mitchell!

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

We can be reached by email at [email protected]. We can be followed on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lewisallanauthor/ and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092680286291