Category writing
My Little River Publishing Journey
Every writer’s road to getting a novel published is unique. No one takes the same turns, makes the same decisions and agrees to compromise in the same manner. Yes, I said compromise and before the cries of artistic freedom and censorship fall down from the heavens, let me explain how Little River came alive. The […]
The Chase
A few days ago, I read a post by Kirsten Lamb, the guiding force behind MyWana, a supporting and encouraging community for writers. Her post, The Cone of Shame Not Just for Pets Anymore, reminded me of my very own cone of shame moment. A few years back, I joined a van-pool to make the […]
The Place Where Death Lives
Outside of mythology and fiction, only a handful of locations in the world capture the imagination and send a twinge running up your spine. You get that disconcerting feeling when you visit a Civil War memorial, or the deep sorrow that soaks into your core when see the Viet Nam Veteran’s Memorial Wall for the […]
It Ain’t What it Looks Like
During a recent drive from Northern California to Phoenix, I witnessed thirteen hours of desert, farmland and urban sprawl, most of which you’d never find as a feature in any self-respecting travel guide. When people think of California, fanciful visions of surfers, bikini-clad beaches, palm trees and Disneyland fill the imagination. Living in the Northern […]
Murder, He Wrote
Criminals come in different flavors. Violent offenders, rapists, extortionists and drug addicts, each commit their crimes for reasons that germinate in their minds. In the dark ages of criminology, the ridges and bumps on a man’s head predicted his criminal future. I’m not a big believer in conspiring clouds of fate, or forces of biology […]
From the Archives – Felony Stupid Criminals
I’m starting a new feature here on my little slice of the blogosphere. Life is too damn serious most of the time and the headlines are enough to make you want to weld your doors and windows shut. So, in this segment, we will feature the criminal equivalent of David Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks. Let’s […]
Behind the Scenes – Crime in the Caribbean
After my first trip to Jamaica, I wanted to bring my fictional story about human trafficking to life. I knew the basic plot lines that I wanted to write, but my two decades of work in the criminal justice system didn’t give me enough to flesh out my story. I’ve seen the extortion of prison […]
Little River
During a recent trip to Jamaica, I had some down time waiting for my connecting flight and then again waiting in the customs lines in Montego Bay. My mind wandered, as it often does, but this time, it drifted and formed the framework of my novel. The plot line lay in the faces and unspoken […]
Human Trafficking – The 32 Billion Dollar Industry
Let me start out by stating that I’m not a social worker, reformer, or activist. I’m simply an observer – a writer. As I develop a novel and the plot lines within, I pull together source information and research the subject area to provide the reader with a realistic story line. In the process of […]
James L'Etoile 