Category author
Betrayed–A Crime Fiction Anthology
On October 1, 2017, the publishing arm of the Authors on the Air, Global Radio Network, releases their very first anthology of short crime fiction. BETRAYED features stories from twenty, critically acclaimed, best selling authors, and I’m thrilled they let me come and play with them. If you’re a crime fiction junkie, like I am, […]
Password Paranoia
Are you the Keymaker? I forgot a password this week. I needed to get to work writing on a new project and “advanced technology” got in the way. It wasn’t pretty. I had a Matrix flashback and felt as though I was on a search for the Keymaker to unlock a password for one of […]
Professional Envy–You have to be happy for the other guy, even if it’s your dog
Jealousy–the green monster–envy–Thou Shall not covet The warnings against envy and jealousy go back centuries and biblical scholars of every stripe include envy in the list of Seven Deadly Sins deep within all the holy texts. In more modern times, the movie Seven didn’t end too well for Gywenneth Paltrow’s character…(psst, her head’s in that […]
Bedrock – The Violence Control Unit
From the outside, the goings on in prison are invisible. If you live close enough to one, you might catch a glimpse of concrete walls and high mast yard lighting. If the wind is just right, you could hear the shrill buzz of an alarm in the distance. For most people, that’s the only thought–a […]
Cover Reveal – The Leaked Edition
Everyone likes a good leak, right? No, not that kind of leak–I’m talking about the information kind. They must be a popular thing, because I can’t turn on a television news broadcast without someone blathering on about leaks. It doesn’t seem to matter what the leak is about–it turns into a hot, salacious topic and […]
Story Surgery
There are times in my writing process I feel like a hired gun with a scalpel. A slice here, a nip and tuck there–gut the beast. Readers, editors, agents and publishers all shout (okay maybe not really shout–but it seem that way at times) for me to make a change in a POV, or my […]
The Coffee Apocalypse
For something a little lighter this week–because damn. There is a balance to all things. Light and dark. Good and evil. When one force outweighs the other, the universe shifts to readjust the equilibrium and puts a thumb on the scale like a small town butcher. The forces of karma must be running out of […]
Blurred Lines – the true crime connection
Crime fiction is a strange place. Crime writing takes advantage of a basic human flaw–the willingness to see the victimization of others as a spectator sport. It seems that it’s been part of human nature since we “civilized people” would gather together for a rousing session of Christians Versus Lions–The Ultimate Cage Match. Fast forward […]
A Book By Any Other Name
A title. One simple fricken title. That’s all I’m looking for. I’m searching for a better title for the second book in the Penley Mystery Series. I want something to grab the reader’s attention and imagination. In the search for the name, I’ve staged my own mini-protest and all that’s missing is a #All Titles Matter […]
Reader’s Choice Awards
I need your vote! This week I discovered that my Novel AT WHAT COST (Crooked Lane Books) is up for Best Thriller in the annual Killer Nashville Silver Falchion – Reader’s Choice Awards. The ballot went out this week and what’s cool about it is that you don’t have to register for the conference to vote. If […]
James L'Etoile 