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Can you believe it’s time for the release of WHEN SHADOWS FALL? Because it’s finally here. August 26th, the mass-market paperback version arrives on bookshelves everywhere, and it has a super special price — $5.99 for both the mass market and the digital edition. Plus, there’s a sneak peek into the first chapters of WHAT LIES BEHIND!

I’m so excited — I haven’t had a mass-market title since SO CLOSE THE HAND OF DEATH. The box of books arrived here yesterday, and they are so pretty. And SHADOWS received great critical acclaim — two starred reviews, a top pick, and so far, I’ve heard lovely comments from readers, so if you haven’t had a chance to dive into Sam’s third adventure, now’s the time.

And if one release wasn’t enough, I also have the mass-market of THE FINAL CUT releasing September 2. THE LOST KEY will quickly follow on September 30. THE LOST KEY has already begun garnering great reviews, so I see big things ahead for the 2nd Nicholas Drummond/Mike Caine story.

This also means there’s going to be a lot (A LOT) of promotion in the coming month. So please bear with me as you’re invited to party along, again and again and again.

In slightly different news, we have revamped the Murderati website. It is now a beautiful archival site, but with a twist — you can find the former Murderati authors who are still blogging on the site under Our Blogs. Check it out, make some new friends, and visit with the old ones.

And I’ve been doing a series of interviews with some of my favorite authors.
7 Minutes With... has featured the likes of Jeff Abbott, Laura Benedict and Chuck Driscoll, and there’s more to come, like Meg Gardiner! Check them out here, and stay tuned for a fun fall ahead.

Tours

I am so excited to be speaking at Annotations at Cheekwood on August 8th. Sponsored by our fabulous indie Parnassus Books, it will be held in the Literary Garden at 6:00 p.m. I’ll also be chatting live online August 10 at the Writerspace Beach Party — and I’ll be giving away all sorts of treats, so stop by at 8:30 EST.

I have two more big events this year — in October, it’s time for Nashville’s annual Southern Festival of Books, and in November, I am honored to be attending the Military Book Fair in San Diego.

See my tours page for all the details.

Get Thee to a Bookstore

Since I’m hard at work on Sam’s new book, I’ve been reading a lot of research material this month, and haven’t had a lot of pleasure reading time. But I managed a few great titles. I will have a short vacation when I turn in the new book, and I have a slew of books I plan to read. Can’t wait!

Allison Brennan and Laura Griffin — HIT AND RUN
David Ignatius — THE DIRECTOR
Meg Gardiner — PHANTOM INSTINCT
Diana Gabaldon — A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES
Brad Thor — HIDDEN ORDER

I’ve made a commitment to track all my reading this year, so if you’re on Goodreads, friend me, and follow along. I’m always interested in what you’re reading, too!

August Contest

The August contest is live now, enter to win a signed (by author JT Ellison) hardcover edition of THE FINAL CUT plus a $10 gift card (winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble).
Enter here to win.

August Recipe — Pear Sorbet

One of the things I loved the most in Paris was the dessert sorbets. Pear, in particular, was exquisitely yummy — tart and sweet, smooth on the tongue, freezing cold, perfect to lower body temps on a hot summer day. I set about trying to make the perfect Pear Sorbet, and we’ve finally come up with an easy, yummy recipe. It’s a great light alternative to ice cream, and better for you, too! And you can make this recipe with any fruit and fruit nectar you can find. Peach and mango are delightful.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of pears (4-6 depending on size and kind — I like to make this with Anjou pears)
• 1 ½ cups pear nectar, divided (pear juice works too, just increase your pears by 2 to get the right consistency)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• If you want to get really fancy, a bit of vanilla or lavender will alter the taste ever so slightly

• Quarter, core, peel, and roughly chop the pears.
• Put the chopped pears, 1/2 cup of the pear nectar, and the sugar in a medium saucepan.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixtures comes to a boil.
• Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook, still stirring when you think of it, until the pears are tender and the liquid has thickened a bit, about 10 minutes.
• Whirl the mixture in a blender until very smooth. (This is harder to do than it sounds — don’t skimp on time. Smoothness makes the end result silky, not grainy.)
• Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and let it come to room temperature.
• Cover and put in the fridge until chilled, usually a few hours (you can speed up this process by putting the pears in a metal mixing bowl, nesting that bowl inside a large bowl filled with ice water, and stirring the mixture until it’s chilled).
• Stir in the remaining 1 cup of pear nectar and the fresh lemon juice
• Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.
• If you don’t have an ice cream maker, transfer to a large metal pan or metal mixing bowl and put in the freezer.
• Stir the mixture every 30 minutes or so until it’s all frozen.
• Once it’s all frozen, whip it with electric beaters to lighten the texture, if you like, and then refreeze it before serving.

I can’t wait for Autumn to arrive — there will be more surprises, some changes to the newsletter and my website, and, as always, more writing. Have a brilliant August, and I’ll see you again on release day!

xoxo,