I`ve read many postconviction books over the years of working in the federal habeas corpus field and noticed there were always more questions I had while reading them that those books couldn`t answer. This led me to write my own postconviction books, mainly to answer those questions I had because I figured others had the same questions.
I gathered all this information and then wrote books that I would`ve wanted when seeking postconviction relief, specifically federal habeas relief. After I wrote my first book, people said they were impressed and wanted a copy. I signed a contract with a publisher and, as I was editing them for printing, I came up with even more questions. I kept adding more and more to my books, constantly coming up with more questions.
At what point do I just publish something? I asked someone who`s been through this never-ending process themselves. They had no real answer. “Just get to a point and publish it.” I`ve read somewhere that over-analysis leads to paralysis. I can identify with that in this book-writing process. I can over-analyze with the best of them! But there comes a time when I just have to do it and stop analyzing things. It reminds me of the popular saying in business, “shoot, ready, aim.” Just get moving already!
Fast-forward to today, and I`m still revising and adding stuff to my books. The federal postconviction world never stops evolving! My books from just two years ago now look very different today. Not only are they revised to clarify some procedural changes in federal habeas corpus, but I`ve added more real-world examples of how the federal habeas process works.
I promised everyone I would keep them updated on the availability of the new versions of my Insider`s Guide series. While I don`t have an exact date for their printing yet, I`m still projecting it to be early this fall. I`ll continue to post updates as I get closer to the printing date. And, as always, feel free to leave comments for me.
Gassho, Dale Chappell
