Featured Interview With J. S. James
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Carole and I get around. Minnesota, Utah, Tennessee, and now Washington. But my home state was Oregon, a great source from which to draw story ideas, settings and character descriptions. By the way, if you don’t know about Vizslas (a Hungarian pointing breed), you should. Our second is a real Lulu. Hence, her name (Lulu Longlegs). Once persecuted by the communists for being considered “the gift of kings,” these sleek red dogs are making a steady comeback. Though gorgeous and loving, our version is a mischievous tease and a relentless exercise machine.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with lying on paper began with oral story telling for a merit badge in the Boy Scouts, something about a burglar trying to escape the police from a bathroom window, only to get his foot stuck in the toilet. When I wrote grants to fund projects in Education, my colleagues suggested I was writing fiction, so . . .
My current work of fiction, RIVER RUN: A DELIA CHAVEZ MYSTERY, had its origins in my adventures and misadventures hunting and fishing in the Willamette Valley with my brother (you need to get dumped out of a boat only once to learn Nature’s fundamental lesson). Several years working with migrant families in the Yakima Valley provided a wealth of character development insight for the protagonist in this novel. She represents the grit and stamina of some of the most hard-working members of our society.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorites to read include Dana Stabenow (especially her Kate Shugak series), Tricia Fields, James Lee Burke, Lee Child, Robert Crais, Erica Ferencik (THE RIVER AT NIGHT), Donna Tartt, to name a few.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
RIVER RUN: A DELIA CHAVEZ NOVEL evolved over fifteen or so years from three stories (280, 000 or more words), and several completely different characters (one called The Riverine). Delia emerged as the obvious choice to tell this story, after a colleague shocked me with the simple question, “Who am I supposed to root for?” The result is summarized below:
Newly promoted sheriff’s deputy Delia Chavez has worked hard to get where she is. Without any family to speak of, law enforcement is all she has. But just a few days into her new job, Delia finds the body of a hunter washed up on the bank of the Willamette River missing his trigger finger. Soon, more bodies are found–all hunters without their trigger fingers. Waterfowl season often means clashes between hunters and animal rights activists, but could someone be killing to make a statement? Petrified, but invigorated by the opportunity, Delia dives head first into the case. Soon, she catches a whiff of something foul and it’s not the dead bodies–man or bird.
What starts off looking like a simple case of a ruthless vigilante quickly devolves into something much more complex. Facing evasive killers who stop at nothing to conceal their crimes, Delia must bring the criminals to justice because everyone knows, if you’re not the predator, you’re prey.
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