Category James L’Etoile
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 […]
What Lemmings Can Tell Us
Ah, regard the noble Lemming. The Lemming is a four ounce fur ball with a single minded determination that often proves to be its undoing. Do you remember a teacher, or parent asking, “If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?” Well, if you’re a lemming, you’ll happily march, nose-to-butt off the nearest cliff. Lemmings […]
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), […]
The Tax Man Cometh
Death and Taxes. Ah, yes. The two inevitable givens in life. We can’t escape either end for very long. And, once again, the depressing season of tax preparation and gnashing of teeth is upon us. Pop Quiz: I prepare my own returns because I’m: a) Cheap, b) Fond of frustration, c) Just as smart as […]
Yard Sale Madness
A terrible disease festers in the suburbs. There is no known cure and it makes the looming Zombie Apocalypse look like an A Ticket ride at Disneyland. Okay, I dated myself there with the A Ticket reference. (Note to readers: Back in the Olden Times, you got a book of tickets when you visited the […]
Prison and Plotting
Prison changes a man. I actually heard a hardened prison gang member say that once. The man was feared in gang circles and ran one of the biggest gang, weapons and drug rackets in Folsom Prison in the 1980’s. New inmates, “fish” as they were called, had to check in with his underlings and pay […]
Writing California Interview & Book Signing Announcement
Recently, I had the opportunity to contribute to Sydney Avey’s blog series, Writing California. The Golden State has much to offer as a setting in contemporary fiction, yet most of California is overlooked. Los Angeles, San Francisco and the palm tree encrusted costal beaches serve as the backdrop to hundreds of books each and every […]
James L'Etoile 