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An Interview with James Lalonde

by | Behind the Scenes, James Lalonde Insiders

Hello, Book Lovers!

 

If you’ve read the books in my James Lalonde Mystery Series or my Rookie Reporter Mystery Series, you’ll be familiar with my protagonist, James Lalonde. The events that occurred in Suspicion happened in May 2015. So, I thought it would be fun to interview my protagonist seven years later and have a bit of a catchup, minus the spoilers.

 

But, if you’re yet to read Suspicion or any of the other books, this will serve as the perfect icebreaker.

 

Amelia:
James:
Hello, James. Please take a seat, and make yourself at home.
I’m not entirely sure if you really want me to do that, but if you insist.
He sits in the middle of my grey modular L-shaped sofa, stretches his long legs out in front of him, and rests his left arm along the pillows.
Amelia:
James:
Amelia:
James:
Amelia:
James:
Amelia:
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview. I thought it would be best to keep this interview light and act as an icebreaker for my audience.
I have no problem keeping things light.
Is that a French accent I hear?
Ah…yes, you must have an excellent ear for accents.
Actually, my husband is French.
Donc tu parles français.
Sorry, I don’t speak French.
James’s eyes widen.
James:
So, how do you talk to your husband?
James raises his eyebrows.
James:
Amelia:
James:
Amelia:
James:
Amelia:
James:
Amelia:
James:
Or maybe, you don’t talk.
I want to keep this interview G-rated.
So, you’re going to edit that out, aren’t you?
No, I’ll keep it in, but you must keep things at a G-Rating.
It was a joke. Lighten up. I feel like there’s no room in my life for jokes.
Now that we’ve put that awkwardness behind us. Let’s get into the interview.
[Laughs] Subtle.
[Looks down at her iPad.] Tell me a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up?
In a university town called Poitiers in France. It’s in central-western France. You can catch a high-speed train from Gare Montparnasse in Paris. Actually, the University of Poitiers was founded in 1431. My grandfather lectures at the University now that he has retired. Both of my grandparents worked at the local hospital. The town is beautiful—it has a medieval feel to it. I love the city centre. As a boy, I didn’t appreciate it. All I wanted to do was play in the park. I drove my grandmother nuts.
Amelia:
Did your grandparents look after you while your parents were at work?
James squints suspiciously.
James:
Amelia:
James:
No, I was raised by my grandparents.
Do you remember your parents?
No. Technically, my grandparents are my parents. They’re my legal guardians, and that’s all that matters to me. As a child, I was curious about my parents and often searched my grandfather’s study for information about them. They were very secretive about my parentage. Eventually, I figured out the truth. It’s a long story. But it involves a lot of lies, good intentions, and a whole bunch of other things that I haven’t been able to wrap my mind around. It’s completely changed my identity and perception of self. And how I understand others. I’m pretty cynical and distrusting now, more so than when I figured out who stole Excalibur from the home of Elizabeth James. Or is it Carmichael? I’m so confused.
Amelia:
James:
What made you pursue Journalism?
It was born out of a need to rip away the veil of secrecy and expose the truth. That’s the thing about growing up practically orphaned. Not knowing almost kills you. And I detest lies. Even white lies, more so when I tell them. Sometimes I need to bend the truth, on occasion, even if it’s to get passed a closed gate or to make someone trust me. That’s the worst. I feel terrible about lying to Pippa Baker’s neighbour. I wasn’t really working with the police, but with Elizabeth to help clear her name and to have something to write to fill the blank space in the cultures section of the Northampton Tribune. Seven years later, I still feel guilty.
Amelia:
Really?
The rest of this interview is exclusively for my James Lalonde Insiders and Advanced Reader team.

 

To become a James Lalonde insider and receive the password to access the rest of the interview, please enter your first name and email address into the signup form below and get the password in the welcome email, which you should receive in a few seconds after signing up.

RESTRICTED ACCESS

I hope you enjoyed this interview with James Lalonde. Please let me know whether you want to see more interviews just like this scheduled between book releases.

 

Happy reading, book lovers!

 

Amelia xx

A. D. Hay (Amelia)

Amateur Sleuth Mystery Author

Amelia writes amateur sleuth mysteries under the pen name A.D. Hay. She is the author of The Lawn, Suspicion, and Duplicity—the first three stories in the James Lalonde Amateur Sleuth Mystery series. The Candidate is the first book in the Rookie Reporter Mystery series. And she is the author of the stand-alone murder mystery The Locked Room. When not absorbed in a gripping page-turner or writing my James Lalonde series, Amelia loves to travel around Europe, drink tea and rosé, and eat pizza. She is also obsessed with journalism, art history, and is a closet religious thriller fan. She is also the host of The Authorpreneur Podcast and the Mystery Novel Nerd Podcast. Right now, she is writing a cozy mystery short story, which will eventually be the first instalment of a series, the second book in the Rookie Reporter Mystery series and the third James Lalonde novel.

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