We recently connected with James L’Etoile and have shared our conversation below.

James , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I hadn’t planned on a creative path, writing commercial crime fiction, until later in life. It wasn’t until after I retired from a twenty-nine year career in California’s prison system that I took a leap into a very different world. I served as an Associate Warden in a maximum security prison, a hostage negotiator, and after that many years, you’re exposed to trauma on a scale that can’t help but change a person.

One morning after I left the prison system, I took my morning coffee out into the back yard and read a popular crime fiction novel. And, it wasn’t very good. I tossed the book aside and said, “I could do better than that.” A challenge. Could I write fiction?

That set me on a path to learn the skills necessary to envision, craft, and tell crime fiction stories. While I’d been a reader all my life, approaching story as a writer is much different. The art of pacing, character, dialogue, and story stutter were all new for me.

Now, with my tenth traditionally published novel set for release, I’m still learning. But I’m surrounded by a community of likeminded creatives who support one another and lift us up when we need it. Looking back, I made the right choice when I tossed that book aside and took my first steps into a very different world.

James , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My bio says I use my twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in my award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. I draw on my experience as a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. That said I don’t write dark noir prison stories, rather they tend to be novels about the people in the systems, on both sides of the bars. I’ve been fortunate that my novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Macavity, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers Award. River of Lies is the most recent novel. Look for Sins of the Father and Illusion of Truth, coming in soon.

I blend social issues into the stories. Homelessness, corruption, immigration, and domestic violence have served as themes in my novels. Readers are smart and I let them decide where we, as a society, need to stand on important issues.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The most valuable resource I’ve found is the community of authors, especially in the crime fiction genre. I expect a very competitive atmosphere where everyone was out for their own place in the spotlight. What i discovered was very much the opposite. Couldn’t ask for a more supportive environment.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, it gets down to the basic idea of being able to create something form nothing. You begin with a blank page and create characters and entire worlds. It’s incredibly rewarding to sit back and look at your completed novel and everything that went into bringing it to life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jamesletoile.com
• Instagram: @authorjamesletoile
• Facebook: @authorjamesletoile
• Twitter: @jamesletoile