Wolters said both of them ran in 'the same little Noho lesbian social circle', and spent time together when she returned from her travels. Kerman wrote in her memoir that Wolters was part of a 'clique of impossibly stylish and cool lesbians in their mid-30s'. Wolters met Kerman in 1991 in Northampton, Massachusetts, becoming friends around the time Kerman graduated from Smith College. Their stint in Chicago is portrayed in the series' second season however, the defendant they were to testify against was changed to the cartel's kingpin, as was the fact that Wolters and Kerman were cell-mates in the prison. In actuality, Kerman and Wolters did not serve their prison sentences together as depicted in the series however, they were reunited in a flight to Chicago, where they were detained for several weeks in a detention facility to testify in the drug trafficking case. In Kerman's memoir, Wolters is given the pseudonym Nora Jansen, who is a marginal character in the book. The character of Alex Vause is loosely based on Catherine Cleary Wolters, ex-girlfriend of Piper Kerman, the author of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison and an executive consultant on the series. She is a main character in seasons one, three, four, five, six, and seven and a recurring character in season two. Vause is noted for her pragmatism, forthrightness, wit and veiled vulnerability. Her relationship with Chapman is reignited, as they carry out a tumultuous love affair in prison. She is reunited with her ex-lover in federal prison, nearly a decade after the events that led to their breakup. Vause is portrayed as the catalyst for Chapman's indictment. Before her arrest, Vause worked for an international drug cartel and was in a relationship with protagonist Piper Chapman, who once transported drug money for her during their travels. The character is loosely based on the real ex-girlfriend of Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison. Alex Vause is a fictional character played by Laura Prepon on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.

Piper kerman catherine cleary wolters