Tag Archives: crime fiction
A Voice on Editing and Ego
Editing a manuscript is one thing you cannot shortcut. The process is direct, personal and, if you’re not ready for it, editing will rip the flesh from your bones, leaving you and your story a quivering mass of gelatin. Like most things in life, I’ve learned this the hard way. You’ve finished a draft of your […]
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 […]
Top 7 Irksome Things
I find certain things irksome. Not mildly irritating people, or frustrating bureaucratic logic, but that burn under your skin kind of torment. I find myself less tolerant of bigoted buffoons and ignorance these days and I have compiled my top seven list of the things that irk me, based on the degree of irksomeness. 7. […]
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 […]
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 […]
James L'Etoile 