Category crime fiction
The After Life
I have this new story idea bouncing around in my head. It refuses to leave me alone. The damned thing left a ransom note in a dusty corner of my brain, threatening to hold my attention hostage until I do something. So, here goes…the background. During the years I worked inside maximum security prisons, I […]
Hello Darkness, My Old Friend
Darkness. The word evokes emotion. From an early age, we are taught to fear the dark. “Be home before dark,” “Nothing good happens after dark,” Things that go bump in the night and, don’t forget the children’s prayer which includes, “If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord, my soul to take.” Darkness, […]
Readers Know Best
You release your hand-fed, carefully crafted book out into the wilds and you’re bound to get feedback. Reviews, critiques and comments from readers come in different flavors – Loved it, Hated it, or the worst feedback of all, the sound of crickets. By the time your book hits the streets, at least a dozen sets […]
Don’t Let the Y.A. Label Fool You
I had the chance to read a Y.A. paranormal novel, The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos. I’ve known Brenda for years and much to my embarrassment, I hadn’t read her work. We write two different types of fiction. I write crime and thriller novels like Little River and she creates paranormal beings living in with […]
The Stuff That Binds
You need something to bind your story together. No I’m not talking about adding more fiber to your literary diet. What I’m talking about is the thing that makes your story stand out in a field of similar work. There are a finite number of story lines and when you filter down to stories within […]
Guerrilla Marketing
Guerrilla Marketing is the new anti-spam If you choose to release your book through a traditional publisher, or you are the author-publisher, you are the one who will bear the responsibility for marketing your work. Traditional publishers may provide an initial push of the fledgling novel from the nest, but unless you learn to fly […]
Little River Giveaway Coming Soon!
I’m planning a giveaway to celebrate the release of the print edition of Little River, a human trafficking thriller set in Jamaica. Little River is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Ingram connected bookstores everywhere. I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support during the e-book’s release and to celebrate this milestone […]
Print Tales – Six Lessons Learned on E-Book to Print Conversion
Uploading two PDF files to IngramSpark didn’t sound too daunting. I took on the challenge, converting my e-book version of Little River to print, because I encountered a significant number of readers who asked for a physical book. SALT Media Productions, my publisher, and I worked out an amended contract to speed up the print […]
Little River Print Release & Cover Reveal
The e-book version of Little River has been out for a few months and I’m extremely grateful for the support and encouragement from readers and other writers. Now it’s time for the next step, gearing up for the print release. The date has not been etched in stone, but it is coming on me fast. […]
Sneak Peek
This week, I’ve been hip-deep in revisions and rewrites for a new novel. Like Little River, this new work also deals with trafficking, but this time, the trafficking takes a different form – the black market in human organs. I think we’ve all heard the urban legends of unsuspecting victims regaining consciousness in an ice-filled […]
James L'Etoile 