Tag Archives: crime fiction authors
Want to Time Travel? Go To Prison
I’ve been playing with an idea for a new book and it involves – wait for it – time travel. Not like the H. G. Wells, Time Machine kind of time travel. There is not fanciful device to dial up the year and zap you to the exact time and place of your choosing. The story I’m noodling […]
Is Our Guest Room Ready?
I don’t blog about politics, but I often touch on social issues in posts, from human trafficking, to violence and crime. All great makings for flashy television news ratings. I’ve been watching the coverage on the Syrian refugee coverage for months. Nearly 5 million refugees have fled the country, and another 6 million displaced within […]
50 Shades of Grey Matter
Have you been around that person, the one with the brain that operates on an entirely different level than the rest of us? This guy (or gal) is the one doing their sudoku puzzles in ink along with their morning herbal tea. They are the ones who do math equations for the fun of it and […]
Have you tried plugging it back in?
I swear I was completely sober when this all began. Maybe “completely” isn’t accurate, but the point is, customer service drove me to drink. I should rewind a few days and start from the beginning, then you can get all judgey on my level of sobriety. It’s all about customer service and the times we […]
Prison and Politics – Part II
All societies operate within the rules, boundaries and limitations of a political framework, a culture. The prison culture is no different. There are rules on the inside and the keepers as well as the kept know them. These rules dictate how the prison will run, or how it will fall apart. The typical State Trooper […]
Character Interventions
Addictions and Interventions They come in different packages. In a dream, I find myself entering a uncomfortable, but familar room, a windowless basement. In this dank space, ten other slack-jawed, baggy-eyed people sit in a circle and stare at one another, each waiting for the other to break the silence. Their faces turn as I take […]
Timing is Everything
Timing is everything. Timing and fate seem to stroll hand in hand down the pathways of life. The two forces push and pull, a rip current of influence, moving us to some unseen script, a story that hasn’t been finished yet. But timing and fate can only go so far. They provide a nudge in one direction […]
A Crappy Commute
When did the daily commute become a trial by fire? These days my daily commute consists of a few yards from the coffee urn to the desk. Barring unforeseen complications, I make my journey in a few minutes, negotiating the stairs and stray dog toys. On those occasions where I am required to leave the compound, […]
A Survivalist’s Guide To Writing
Survive You need to think like a survivalist when you start out on a writing adventure. The only goal in this first draft is to survive. The key to surviving your writing project is all in the preparation. Traditional survivalists are a sturdy lot who know what they are getting into before they step out into the […]
What Color Is Your Asshat?
What Color Is It? Recently, social media went on meltdown status over the color of a dress. A Tumblr photo set off a barrage of comments over the viewer’s perception of the color. Was it white and gold, or black and blue? (It was white and gold – and hideous) Perception. This little haute couture […]
James L'Etoile 