Tag Archives: James L’Etoile
Tis the Season to Chill the F Out
When did it happen? When did Christmas change from a season of joy and happiness to a time of fear and loathing? Every day, I watch news reports of shopping mall shootings, department store riots over a new Air-Jordan release, and don’t get me started on the Black Friday stampedes that make running with the […]
Newspaper Marketing for Your Novel
Getting new eyes on your work is what it’s about. No…not in a creepy way. It doesn’t matter if you choose to self publish, or go the traditional route through a publisher – getting attention about a book means looking at every possible marketing avenue. Much of that will fall on the author. In October, […]
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 […]
Conspiracy Theory
Pssst… Come here… There is a conspiracy out there, I tell ya. A cabal of ruthless, black-minded villains put in overtime this week to keep me from writing. They’re cagey, these evil-doers. At every turn, they construct a barrier, obstacle, or canyon, so deep and wide that I have no choice, but to retreat and […]
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 […]
You Are What You Read
When did choosing a literary genre become so difficult? In the “olden days” of books, there were vast collections of works contained within a single place. The Library. In this mystical building, there existed a structure, a set of expectations to guide those who sought out new tales and adventures. All books were created along […]
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 […]
Guerrilla Marketing
Guerrilla Marketing is the new anti-spam If you choose to release your book through a traditional publisher, or you are the author-publisher, you are the one who will bear the responsibility for marketing your work. Traditional publishers may provide an initial push of the fledgling novel from the nest, but unless you learn to fly […]
Little River Giveaway Coming Soon!
I’m planning a giveaway to celebrate the release of the print edition of Little River, a human trafficking thriller set in Jamaica. Little River is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Ingram connected bookstores everywhere. I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support during the e-book’s release and to celebrate this milestone […]
What Writing Your Novel and Dog Training Have in Common
When I’m not writing, a good chunk of time is spent training our dogs, two Pembroke Welsh Corgis. They are (most of the time) good little pups, who compete in American Kennel Club sanctioned Obedience and Rally trials. Writing and dog training are more connected than I first thought and there are five principles that […]
James L'Etoile 