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Writers & Addicts
Writers are a weird bunch. For me, and I’m guessing that I’m not alone here, writing is addictive. The more you do, the more the urge to write builds, exactly like heroin. If I can’t chip a little here and there, I’ll start withdrawals, the shakes and hearing voices. Unlike heroin, there is no chemical […]
As Common as a Tramp Stamp in a Trailer Park
Working in and around prisons for years tends to change your outlook on things – and people. And, usually for good reason. Couple that little tidbit of learned behavior with the sick and twisted brain wave patterns of a mystery writer and all bets are off. Any snippet of a conversation overheard in a coffee shop, […]
How To Tell If You’re Burning The Candle At Both Ends
Sometimes, the word fairy takes vacation. When the fickle little trollop leaves me, she never gives the courtesy of a two-week notice. Here one minute – then poof! Gone. It must be a Fairy Union thing, another example of collective bargaining processes gone wild. I pressed on. Mind you, this isn’t an issue of simply […]
A Voice on Finishing What You’ve Started
Have you ever had that moment? That moment when you finish your novel and a dark creeping dread taps you on the shoulder? And all the joy evaporates… I have. Almost every single time. The drafting and writing is done. This should be a happy time – this should be a happy dance time. But, no. […]
Running on Empty
One of the most miserable sensations known to man comes at the precise moment your car starts to sputter, spit and lurch like a taser charged ferret. Your eyes immediately flick to the gas gauge, because deep in your soul-of-souls, you experience a charge of enlightenment worthy of a Shaolin monk. You, Young Grasshopper, have run out of […]
A Voice on Outline Driven Writing
Outlining versus Free Form writing is a hotly contested debate in author circles. I know, I know, the subject doesn’t carry the weight of discussing a solution to violence in Afghanistan, or searching for a missing jetliner in the middle of the Indian Ocean. But the fact that writers seem willing to spill blood over […]
How To Identify A Conspiracy
There is no such thing as paranoia. Your worst fears can come true at any moment. Hunter S. Thompson Who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory? Conspiracies have existed since the dawn of time, probably back to the day our hunter-gatherer forefathers led tribal rivals into the tar pits. What is it about a juicy […]
Stories From the Dog Bed
Here I sit, in my half completed writing room. A few months worth of sweat, blood and tears and I’m almost there. Almost. I like to consider myself a decently skilled DIYer. I’ve watched more than a few reruns of Renovation Realities on the DIY Network. If you ever need to feel good about yourself, just […]
Little River iBook Giveaway
E-books Galore There are so many choices for an e-book platform. Sure, Amazon’s Kindle is the biggest gorilla in the petting zoo, but there are couple of other creatures begging for a handout. I’ve been fortunate to have the e-book version of my human trafficking thriller, Little River, listed on Amazon (US, UK, EU, and AUS), […]
Top 7 Irksome Things
I find certain things irksome. Not mildly irritating people, or frustrating bureaucratic logic, but that burn under your skin kind of torment. I find myself less tolerant of bigoted buffoons and ignorance these days and I have compiled my top seven list of the things that irk me, based on the degree of irksomeness. 7. […]
James L'Etoile 