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ince graduating from Lake Highlands High School in the 1970s, Kim Wozencraft has seen some horrible, fantastic and incredible things. Fortunately for us, some of her most harrowing experiences have fueled riveting works of fiction. Her latest novel, Neglect, is about a financially struggling mom who joins the Army Reserve. That impulsive decision leads to a tour in Afghanistan, post-traumatic stress, addiction and a woman’s fight for herself and her children inside an infuriating system. Wozencraft’s seventh book is an intense page-turner, but her first, 1990’s Rush, remains the most famous. Its film adaptation stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as an undercover narcotics officer who becomes addicted to street drugs, has a love affair with her partner and lands in prison for falsifying evidence. The story bears strong resemblance to Wozencraft’s real life. From her home in upstate New York, Wozencraft speaks about then, now and why coming back to Texas still makes her nervous.
MS. WRITE The LHHS graduate behind the 1991 hit Rush just published her seventh book, Neglect › Interview by CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB Photo courtesy of KIM WOZENCRAFT
14 lakehighlands.advocatemag.com MAY 2022
WHAT WAS IT LIKE SEEING YOUR LIFE PLAYED OUT IN THE MOVIE, RUSH? It was bizarre, but I never saw that as me. I saw that as my character, her own person. It did feel fantastic, gratifying, to see the book made into the movie. It was a long time coming and a lot of work.
