Sunday Smatterings

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Sunday Smatterings 1.29.17

 

Hello, dear readers. How's your Sunday? I hope you're getting some well-deserved R&R, or at least reading a good book or two.

This week? Not such a good writing week, y'all. I'm not really sure why, other than feeling very distracted, and all those little things added up to a lack of deep work. I'm still coming off last week's EMMY high, I suppose, and had a few things to take care of in the house. A few technical business issues to address, too (You'll notice a new system for getting this blog through email toward the end of today's Smatterings, for example.)

Que sera, sera, some weeks are just like this. I did get back in the groove Friday, thank heavens. The upcoming week will be calmer, more settled, and I'm looking forward to taking a deep breath and kicking it back into high gear.

Now that I've got that off my chest...
 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Despite the changes happening in our country as of late, I think we book people can agree on a few things: we love our books, and we're passionate about supporting the people who dedicate their lives to their craft. Which is why you may be particularly interested in this piece from Book Riot on why the NEA and NEH should not be defunded. 

I was so sad to hear we lost an icon in Mary Tyler Moore. The New York Times did a particularly poignant piece on her groundbreaking career, a new kind of strong, capable, funny, and complex female character she made normal on the social landscape. She was a pioneer who will most certainly be missed.

Interested in winning a copy of Taylor #7, WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE, and 40 other paranormal romances? I bet you are.

Trying to find something to write about, but feeling uninspired? These 11 writing prompts from famous authors might get the wheels moving again.

A quiz for serious book nerds only: can you identify the author by just reading one paragraph?

Last but not least, Chapter 16 gathered the details of all the lovely awards and honors for Tennessee book folks last week. And there were quite a few. Nashville represents!

 

And closer to home:

If you've been locked in a closet or hibernating this past week, you may have missed that yours truly won an EMMY last week!!!!! 🎉😭 I'm still speechless about it, but I managed to say a few things about it on the Tao.*

Speaking of the Tao, did you know that you can get it delivered straight into your inbox? It's true! If you never want to miss a blog post from me, sign up to receive them via email, now in beautiful mobile form!

A few years ago, I co-wrote two novellas with my friends Erica Spindler and Alex Kava. They're three-part stories, each one featuring our landmark characters (i.e. mine have Taylor in them—BLOOD SUGAR BABY and WHITEOUT). I'm so pleased to announce that for the first time these novellas are available in PRINT! Click each cover to learn more (and don't worry, Kindle lovers: they're still available via ebook, too). 

 

That's it from me, chickens! Enjoy your week, watch some football (who are you pulling for, Patriots or Falcons? Or are you only watching for the commercials?) and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

*PS: We had a wee snafu sending the blog by email on Thursday. Apologies! The email gremlins have been summarily punished and vow not to screw things up again. 

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

11.29.16 - FIELD OF GRAVES is out in paperback today!

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FIELD OF GRAVES by J.T. Ellison

One of our favorite English language idioms is the phrase "Last, but not least." It applies to today’s post because... 

I am here to announce my last release of 2016 – FIELD OF GRAVES in paperback!


Last, but not least, because FIELD OF GRAVES (or FOG, as it is lovingly referred to at Chez Ellison) is the 6th release of the year. Yes, 2016 was a very, very busy publishing year for me. And this is it until March 14, 2017, so enjoy it slowly…

FOG was a very fun book for me, not only because it was the very first book I ever wrote, but because it was a SIBA Okra Pick!, received a starred Publishers Weekly review, and saw me out on the road across the country on tour. I had so much fun releasing this baby out into the world, and I’m so thrilled it’s now available in paperback for your enjoyment.

Click here for the official round-up of all the reviews and articles.  

And in case you missed the hardcover release, here’s the scoop:

Taylor Jackson is back, y'all.
Get all of your questions answered (How did Taylor get her scar? How did she and Baldwin meet?), and say hello to your old favorites (Sam! Fitz! Marcus! Lincoln!) as they track down a madman trying to create his own apocalypse.


Enjoy revisiting Taylor and her team. And if you’ve already read FOG, might I suggest that it makes a fabulous, portable holiday gift… 
 

Buy Yours Now!
 

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

10.11.16 - SURPRISE! I have a new book out today!

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My anniversary as a published author is just around the corner. My very first novel, ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, released into the world for the first time October 23, 2007. 

But 2006 was when everything started really happening for me. It was a huge year, very exciting, very scary. My awesome agent (the brilliant Scott Miller) was shopping my novel to New York publishers. I placed a couple of short stories. I was part of a stellar line-up on an award-winning blog called Murderati. 

It’s amazing to look back on that year. I’m so glad I was a regular blogger, because I’m not much of a journaler, and the blog gives me a week-by-week snapshot of all the exciting things that happened those first couple of years. 

Now, I have 18 novels under my belt, and a wad of short stories. I co-write with Catherine Coulter, and co-host a literary television show. I’m writing standalones on my own—my ultimate goal—and I’ve started a publishing house for my fiction that doesn’t fit in with my traditionally published work.

Which is why I’m writing this post. 

Over the years, many people have asked if they could have a print version of my shorts. I’m so thrilled to be able to offer this option at last.

Today, my very first print novel through Two Tales Press is available. It’s aptly named THE FIRST DECADE, and represents my most popular and personal favorite short stories written over the past ten years.

THE FIRST DECADE by J.T. Ellison

It also has two brand-new, never-before-seen stories that I wrote expressly for this collection. Plus, it’s a delight to have my best work over the past ten years in one place, in a tangible, physical book. Because we all love that new book smell, right?

THE FIRST DECADE is available through all your favorite retailers, and with any luck, your local independent bookstore as well.

(though you will have to ask them to order it for you) We are partnering with several stores where you’ll be able to get copies (more on that later). 

I hope you’ll grab this one today, and spread the news to your friends as well.

 

Buy the Print Book


Download the ebook

Thank you for always supporting me and my writing. You mean the world to me!

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

7.26.16 - It's Time to devour the next Taylor Jackson novel

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ATPG now available

 

I’m so excited to share more Taylor and Baldwin with you!  


How often do you get the chance to marry your love of murder and mayhem with the great poets? I’ve done just that in ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, the story of a reluctant killer who grows to love his chosen profession and terrorizes the Southeastern United States with Nashville Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson and FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin hot on his trail. The Southern Strangler leaves presents at his crime scenes, love poems by the greats—Wordsworth, Blake, Coleridge, Yeats—and the previous victim’s severed hand. When he passes through Nashville, leaving behind a body, hand and poem, Taylor Jackson catches the case, and the chase is on.

With a spiffy new cover and a super-low price, I know you'll enjoy visiting (or revisiting!) this book. 

With a spiffy new cover and a super-low price, I know you'll enjoy visiting (or revisiting!) this book.


Enjoy, chickens. And look for more Taylor news soon!

xoxo,
J.T.

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

7.14.16 - FIELD OF GRAVES Roundup

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FIELD OF GRAVES

Hi, guys!

Amy here. Hard to believe it's been a month since FIELD OF GRAVES came into the world, right? Did you have fun getting to know all of your favorites before the series began? I know a lot of people enjoyed seeing Taylor and Baldwin's relationship blossom. But me? I'm glad I finally know how Taylor got that infamous scar.

J.T. likes to put together a digital scrapbook of sorts for each book. So I've taken the liberty to compile one for FIELD OF GRAVES. You can check it out below!

(and if you haven't read the book yet, what are you waiting for!?) 

The Official FIELD OF GRAVES roundup
 

Recognition

Trade Reviews

"Well-developed, multidimensional characters and an exceptionally strong plot power bestseller Ellison’s eighth Taylor Jackson novel, a prequel to 2007’s All the Pretty Girls, the series opener. . . . The characters’ humanity and the gut-wrenching problems they face in life-and-death situations put Ellison in the top rank of romantic suspense novelists."
– ★ Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Followers of this series will relish the revelations of how Ellison's protagonists first connected. New readers of this page-turning, suspenseful thriller will want to catch up on the author's other books."
– Library Journal

"As always when it comes to author J.T. Ellison, this book is a creation of fear, suspense, with even a little humor thrown in . . . Ellison shows a skill and talent that is more than exceptional at laying out a fresh path leading to a murderer that readers will not believe!"
– Suspense Magazine

"Everyone should already be reading Ellison, but those unfamiliar with her work could start here."
– RT Book Reviews
 
"Field of Graves features a dynamic cast of well-developed characters, a thrilling plot that leaves the reader guessing at every turn, and an unlikely love story simmering with sexual tension and genuine romance. Fans of J.T. Ellison’s dynamic crime-fighting duo Taylor Jackson and Samantha Owens will welcome this page-turner of a prequel for the new backstory it reveals about her beloved characters."
– Chapter 16

Book Tour

  • Nashville, TN: Parnassus Books
  • Houston, TX: Murder by the Book
  • Scottsdale, AZ: The Poisoned Pen
  • San Diego, CA: Mysterious Galaxy
  • Lone Tree, CO: Barnes & Noble
  • Littleton, CO: Tattered Cover

 

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.