Tag Archives: crime writer
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. […]
Location, Location, Location
Location, location, location – that’s what the old real estate sales slogan proclaims. The advice applies to more than selling your spinster aunt’s crumbling brownstone. Location in writing matters too. When you’re really into a book and the words paint a vibrant image of where the story is happening, the location becomes a character. The […]
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 […]
Human Trafficking is a Third World Problem, Right?
Law enforcement struck a heavy blow against human trafficking organizations in the last month, with major arrests in Thailand and Spain. Police raided a prison island off the coast of Thailand where hundreds of Burmese refugees were held for ransom, or auction. The European arrests netted 75 criminals in a Chinese-based trafficking ring. But, what […]
Will New Human Trafficking Laws Make A Difference?
When I wrote Little River, my human trafficking thriller, I was struck by how the Jamaican government responded to the issue of human trafficking on their island nation. Silence. With the disappearance of Natalee Holloway from Aruba, in May 2005, media accounts of the search, reports of the girl’s last known location and focus on […]
Writers Helping Writers
Do you suffer through those writing moments where you need a high energy spark to get your word slinging back on track? Like most writers, I’ve increased my caffeine intake to levels that make a howler monkey twitch. I’ve tried music until my ears bleed and my legs get cramps when I even think of […]
A Good Time To Be A Writer
July looks like it will roll out as a good time to be a writer. There must have been a planetary alignment sending geospasmic energy into the creative portion of my grey matter. I have no other explanation for the coming together of words and word things. During the month, I managed to complete a […]
Human Trafficking – It’s Not Only About Sex
The topic of human trafficking brings a certain set of preconceived ideas and images to mind. Popular media expresses trafficking as something they can market – and sex sells. Here in California, a recent voter initiative on the ballot passed after a frenzied campaign of television commercials promising tough anti-trafficking laws. All the new statutes […]
Natural Selection – Felony Stupid Criminals
Once in a blue moon, you stumble over a true crime story that gives you faith in the theory of Natural Selection. The human gene pool is also suffering from the ravages of global warming and the contents are evaporating at a rapid clip. The meth-riddled, video game shortened attention, deficit disordered strands of DNA […]
Procrastination as Art
Okay, here’s the deal, I have an addiction. My name’s James and I’m a procrastinator. “Hello, James,” says a choir of similarly afflicted souls. If only there were a 12 step group for my addiction. I procrastinate when I write, when I edit and especially when I’m planning a new project. When it comes to […]
James L'Etoile 