So, why did I choose to write under a pen name? Well, it’s quite simple. My last name is French and isn’t pronounced the way it sounds. It’s pronounced “Le-vi-lla.” And, I write for an English speaking audience. It seemed best to use my maiden name which is Scottish and the initials from my first name and one of my middle names.
Just in case you were wondering, I do speak a bit of French but more at a toddler or beginner level.
About My Books
I’m the author of the James Lalonde Mystery Novels. My books are set in the world of investigative journalism with a dash of conspiracy, crime, art theft, and medical sci-fi as James Lalonde hunts down the facts in a quest for the truth. The series is heavily influenced by my natural curiosity about what goes on behind the scenes of a newspaper and my love of medical science. As a teenager, I wanted to become a novelist, investigative journalist or pathologist. I know, I’m both extremes. The series begins with Immunity as book one but also contains three prequel stories about the events that lead to James’s arrival in New York.
When I’m not writing amateur sleuth mysteries, I’m a Book Cover Designer and Book Formatter with Le Villain Book Covers and the host of The Authorpreneur Podcast™ and the Mystery Novel Nerd Podcast.
Right now, I’m writing a cozy mystery short story, which will eventually be the first instalment of a series, while I think through a story problem that I’m experiencing with James Lalonde, book three.
About Me
When I’m not writing, hosting my podcasts or designing book covers, I live in London with my husband Roland, who happens to be the most amazing man in the world, and I can’t believe he picked me. And, no, I’m not at all biased.
I’m a self-confessed Louis Vuitton addict. When I’m not drooling over handbags, you can find me in a bookshop purchasing books to add to my never-ending reading list. I love the Harry Potter Series, Agatha Christie, Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl, Victor Hugo, J. F. Penn, Ben Aaronovitch, JD Robb, and James Patterson. I also consider Dan Brown’s novels as a guilty pleasure; no judging. As a keen traveller with Australian and British passports, I love to travel around Europe with my husband Roland, drink tea, rosé, and eat pizza.
My Writing Journey
This is going to sound super cliche, but I’ve always loved books. In fact, it’s something my mother accidentally instilled in me as a child. She used to bribe me with a little golden book as a small child for good behaviour during grocery shopping. Thus, an obsession began. I know, stop the presses—another writer has been obsessed with reading and writing since childhood.
My husband and I, outside the Natural History Museum in New York.
As a child, I wrote stories on bits of paper torn from my school books which ended up being scattered across my bedroom floor, much to the dismay of my Mother. Mum, if you’re reading this, consider this your long-awaited apology. At the age of eight, I wrote my first play. I was super secretive about the script and wrote the script out by hand in an HB pencil and gave each actor lines to memorise, as opposed to a whole script. So, what happened, you ask? Let’s just say I was a little bossy, okay, maybe, very bossy, and had difficulties managing the talent.
What can I say? I was a weird kid.
As a teenager, I dreamed of being a journalist and then a novelist, but I made one mistake. I listened to the never-ending brigade of negative voices around me who all said the same thing “You can’t make money writing”, but later changed to pursuing pathology.
Spoiler alert, I end up in finance and accounting for over ten years.
What can you expect from my blog?
- A monthly short story within the sci-fi thriller or mystery-thriller genre.
- A sneak peek into the life of a writer.
- Book hauls.
- An honest and spoiler-free book reviews on my latest reads from the Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, and Crime Genres via the Mystery Novel Nerd Podcast.