Author’s Choice with Elle Jauffret

Please welcome Elle to Author’s Choice.

Dear readers, here’s where you get to play along. The author will tell us two truths and one lie (ed comment –I randomized the order). At the end of the questions, we’ll reveal what really happened. Remember, we write crime fiction, so lying is in our nature . . .

Two Truths, One Lie

Truth or Lie? I’m a lawyer in two different countries.

Truth or Lie? I kissed a killer whale on the tongue.

Truth or Lie? I am a triplet.

Eight Quick Questions

Now for some fun insight into today’s author. Here are eight forced choice questions.

1.         First draft: longhand, keyboard, or dictation? Longhand

2.         Plotter, pantser, or plantser (that chaotic middle ground)? Plantser

3.         Editing as you go, or vomit draft first and fix it later? Editing as I go

4.         Writing snack: sweet, salty, or "I forget to eat"? I forget to eat

5.         Character names: meticulously researched, stolen from real life, or whatever sounds right? Meticulously researched.

6.         Writing space: coffee shop chaos, library quiet, or home sweet home? Home

7.         Writer's block: push through, step away, or "it's not real"? Push through

8.         Social media for authors: necessary evil, genuine fun, or absolutely not? Necessary evil and genuine fun

About the Book

Enough about you, let’s turn to three questions about your book.

Q: If your main character in this novel showed up at your door right now, what would be the first thing they'd say to you (and would it be a complaint)?

A. She’d say, “Before anyone assumes I’m a tourist, I need your help. Do you have coffee? And a white board? I found another body, and the police are already drawing the wrong conclusions.”

Q: What's one thing you hope readers take away from this book?

A. That assumptions are rarely accurate and that identity is more complicated than what people hear, see, or expect.

Q: What question did you want me to ask, and what is your answer? 

A. Why did you give your protagonist an accent (foreign accent syndrome)? Because accents change how people treat you. They affect assumptions about intelligence, competence, and belonging. I wanted to explore how identity is shaped not only by who you are, but by how others hear you, and how strength comes from owning that difference rather than hiding it.

The Big Reveal

Now let’s see how good a sleuth (or guesser) our readers are. Please reveal all.

The lie is I am a triplet. I am only an identical twin.

I once kissed an orca on the tongue during a volunteer demonstration at a marine park. I trained in two legal systems (French/European and U.S.)—earning law degrees in France and a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University so I could keep practicing after moving to the U.S.

Here’s a blurb for and some links where you can find Elle’s latest:

Book Blurb

Second in the series — When former DC attorney Claire Fontaine returns to her California beach town to heal from a deadly law firm explosion, she expects peace, ocean breezes, and a fresh start as a private chef. Instead, she finds herself investigating two murders during an international surfing competition where cosplayers, Olympic hopefuls, and old grudges collide in deadly ways.

With her neurological French accent constantly questioned, an online troll sabotaging her new catering business, and her retired-cop father becoming a prime suspect, Claire must navigate surf culture, extreme body modification, and buried secrets to catch a killer. But as she gets closer to the truth, she discovers that some transformations hide darker motives, and that choosing between her legal past and culinary future might not be the real question at all.

A modern mystery with California sunshine, complex characters, and a heroine who refuses to pick just one lane.

[Amazon]       [Barnes & Noble]       [Apple]

Want to know more?

For more information about Elle Jauffret https://ellejauffret.com/