Tag Archives: writing
Book Shots with Author Peggy Townsend
We’re launching a new series over here called Book Shots. It’s going to feature some of the top mystery writers working today. No one has time to doom scroll endlessly to find a YouTube clip of an interview. We’re giving you quick Book Shots of authors and their newly released books. Some may be familiar […]
The Waiting
I’m sharing this post from my friend George Cramer’s excellent blog. Go check him out here! The Waiting… Who knew Tom Petty would have been a prophet when he wrote The Waiting? Because waiting is the hardest part. If you’ve been in the traditional publishing trenches for more than a minute, you know that the industry […]
Where Did 2024 Go?
Remember when you were a kid and the old folks would say how fast the year went by? While you were stuck in middle school hell, the year passed like molasses through the eye of a needle. It. Would. Never. End. Now, I’m one of the old folks because this year flew by. Overall, the […]
Now For Something Completely Different
Authors on the Air podcast Over the last couple of months, I started something new. Because writing two different series a year gave me too much free time. The lawn needs mowing, there’s a dust slick building up on my desk, and sleep is apparently overrated. It started with a simple request from Pam Stack […]
Where the Story Ideas Come From…
Authors are always asked where they get their story ideas and the answer isn’t always what you’d expect. When people hear my background–working in some of the most brutal prisons in California, they expect me to write dark, noir prison stories. Tales of the worst humanity has to offer. Stories where redemption is rare as […]
The Highs and Lows of a Book Launch
Getting a new book out in the world is a stressful time when everything has to come together at a single moment, but there’s always something that slips through. No matter how much you plan, and how adept you are at keeping the plates spinning, one of those plates will fly off and threaten to […]
A New California Serial Killer on the Prowl
We know California has been a serial killer’s paradise since the 1970’s. More serial killers hunted in the state than all the others combined. While others may have racked up higher body counts, (think Ridgway and Dahmer) we seem to have lived with more than our share. The Sacramento region attracts the most with 15% […]
A Conversation with Author James L’Etoile – I Read What You Write!
IR– What inspired the idea for your book?
James– The inspiration for Dead Drop didn’t come from a single source. I worked in the California prison system for nearly thirty years. I met up with a few colorful characters—characters who have inspired some of my crime fiction work. There were thousands of men in prison with what we called “Immigration Holds,” which meant when they were done with the prison sentence for their state crimes, they would face deportation back to their home country.
Before they committed their crimes, most of them crossed the border in search of a new life, free from the crime, drugs, and corruption they faced back home. Many of the men I encountered turned to crime out of desperation, or were extorted by criminal organizations like the Mexican Mafia or the Cartels.
I took this background and put together a story where the influences behind the border violence and corruption don’t come from the usual sources.
Guest Post: James L’Etoile – DEAD DROP – The Book Diva’s Reads
It’s all about character! Many thanks to The Book Diva Reads for allowing me to return to the blog. This time around, I wanted to focus on one element of writing that can make or break a story–character. I recently had a chance to teach a session on character development at the Gold Country Writers […]
