An Interview with James Lalonde

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.

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.

So, how do you talk to your husband?

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.

Did your grandparents look after you while your parents were at work?

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.

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.

Really?

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