1.Author James L'Etoile's crime fiction work has been
recognized by the Creative World Awards, Acclaim Film and the Scriptapalooza
Television Script Competition. Bury the Past was a 2018 Killer Nashville Silver
Falchion Award finalist for best procedural of the year. Specializing in gritty
crime fiction, his complex, edgy stories are fueled by two decades of
experience in prisons and jails across the country. Realistic crime fiction
requires an eye for detail while immersed deep within the darkest criminal elements.
James brings these stories to life with his background in probation, parole,
investigation and prison operation. An experienced Associate Warden, Chief of
Institution Operations, Hostage Negotiator and Director of Parole, James is
unique among crime fiction authors.
Major social themes weave through his work, including the
world of human trafficking and future releases include stories set around black
market organ transplants, homelessness, domestic terrorism, political
corruption and the pharmaceutical industry. James is represented by
Elizabeth K. Kracht, of the Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency.
Follow James.
What is the first piece of writing you ever
sold and do you remember how much you got paid for it? Technically, the first
paid crime writing gig was preparing pre-sentence investigations. As a probation
officer, I would pore over the police reports, talk to the investigators, get victim
statements, and interview jailed defendants, all to pull together a “crime
story” and a recommendation for the judge. I didn’t know it at the time, but it
prepared me for becoming an author. There will never be a critic of your
written work, more vocal than a public defender with a client looking at 25
years to life. The first piece of commercial fiction sold was a human trafficking
themed thriller, Little River, to a small press in 2013. I didn’t receive an
advance for that sale and I donated a portion of the royalties to
NotForSale.orghttps://www.notforsalecampaign.org/about-us/, a not-for-profit organization devoted to the fight against
human trafficking.
