3.31.16 - NO ONE KNOWS Roundup

NO ONE KNOWS cover

Whew!

For me, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind—but in the best kind of way. My beloved five-year project NO ONE KNOWS is finally out into the world, and I'm so tickled/thankful/relieved that you guys are enjoying it. 

You just never know what'll happen when you switch gears, ya know?

At any rate, for your entertainment, I've gathered up the articles, interviews, endorsements, and some of my favorite reviews of the book. After collecting all of this in one place, I can see how I actually wrote 1/4 of a novel in nonfiction about this book (20,000 words, folks). 

Enjoy!

_______

Recognition

SIBA 2016 Winter Okra Pick

Book of the Month Club – April 2016 Selection

She Reads Spring 2016 Book Club Selection

 

Written Interviews & Features

InD'Tale Magazine

Southern Writers Magazine

Chapter 16

SIBA's Lady Banks newsletter

Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything)

CAFTAR: What I'm Reading, Page 69 Test, and My Book, the Movie

Working Mother

Parnassus Books' Musing Blog

BookReporter

The Fresno Bee's Library column

My Book, the Movie

The Page 69 Test

Writers Read

She Reads

Off the Shelf

CBS Local

When I met with TN Ledger journalist Zack Barnes, I had no idea he was going to do three articles about me: three. But he did. And I'm so honored to be young journalist's first cover story. Here are articles onetwo, and three.

BookBub has been giving the book all sorts of love, naming it one of Ten New Thrillers to Read this Spring and one of 16 Books Compared to 'Gone Girl'

Fresh Fiction included NO ONE KNOWS in their quarterly mystery box

A nice feature on 2nd & Church online

XOXO After Dark featured the first chapter of the book

On Criminal Element, I talked about the dream that inspired NO ONE KNOWS. It may have included my husband, Opryland Hotel, and Harlan Coben.

For Southern Writers Magazine's Suite T blog, I wrote about my fears and journey to writing a standalone novel.

I also had a delightful conversation with Lori's Reading Corner!

It's always an honor to be part of The Big Thrill. I appreciate all the love ITW has thrown me over the years!

*We still have a couple more things in the works... I'll let you know as they pop up!

 

Audio Interviews

It's been a while since I've been on Suspense Magazine Radiobut it was such a blast!

It's always lovely to talk to my friend, Libby Hellemann. On Second Sunday Crime, we chatted about NO ONE KNOWS, writing, and the best wine out there.

I loved the premise of the Creative Push Podcast. Host Youngman Brown was a delight to talk to. Creatives, this is a podcast for you.


Reviews

Some of my favorites were:
 

Dream by Day Book Reviews (she knows how to style a photo—so elegant!)

Two Fangs About It

Book Splot Reviews

Project Fandom

All About Romance

Judith D. Collins Must Reads

The Reading Chick

Fallen Over Book Reviews

Red Carpet Crash

Page One

Murfreesboro Daily Journal

Fresh Fiction

Suspense Magazine

And here are the trade reviews you've seen:
 

“Riveting . . . a skillfully plotted story that's equal parts mystery, psychological thriller, and cautionary tale. Ellison's twists are fresh . . . and the novel's action-packed conclusion will shock.”
Publishers Weekly

“The unreliable female narrator is all the rage, and Aubrey Hamilton is up there with the slipperiest of them all.”
Kirkus Reviews

“The reader becomes enthralled with Aubrey and her life while also desperate to learn answers. The payoff succeeds in surprising.”
Booklist

 

Endorsements

“You think GONE GIRL couldn't be topped, try Ellison's web of betrayal, lies and deceit. And wonder --”
Catherine Coulter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of NEMESIS
 

“Enthralling! Ellison's twisty, turny thriller is my kind of novel; interesting characters, complex plotting, and an ending you'll never see coming. Suspense at its finest!”
Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of FIND HER
 

"J.T. Ellison's stand-alone thriller is a slow burn suspense that heats up, page-by-page, until the shocking end. NO ONE KNOWS is unputdownable, a gripping story that begs to be read in one sitting."
Allison BrennanNew York Times bestselling author of NO GOOD DEED
 

“Clever and compelling, JT Ellison’s NO ONE KNOWS is a page-turner full of unexpected twists and surprises. Pour a glass of wine, settle down in your favorite chair, and get ready for an entertaining roller coaster of a read. JT Ellison is a fast-rising star.”
Jeff AbbottNew York Times bestselling author of THE FIRST ORDER
 

“Reader beware: In NO ONE KNOWS J.T. Ellison has created a masterful game of cat-and-mouse—with Ellison being the cat and us readers her prey. My favorite kind of story—I loved it.”
Erica SpindlerNew York Times bestselling author of THE FIRST WIFE and THE FINAL SEVEN
 

“NO ONE KNOWS grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. A compelling thriller about loss, betrayal, and buried secrets, it’s a book you’ll devour, trying to guess what’s going on and what will happen next. The twists are genuinely—and satisfyingly—shocking. J.T. Ellison has written another winner.”
Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award-winning author of PHANTOM INSTINCT
 

“J.T. Ellison has created one hell of a brain-bender. NO ONE KNOWS is a masterfully written shell game in which a grief-stricken woman is forced to reckon with her past until everything she believes about love, hope, and trust is tested. Ellison’s storytelling powers are on sharp display in this literary thriller, proving that no one is who they claim to be and everyone has secrets worth protecting. Compelling, perceptive, unsettling and with an ending so on point I wish I could read it again for the first time. I inhaled this novel.”
Ariel Lawhon, author of FLIGHT OF DREAMS
 

“Like a nerve-shredding trip through a carnival house of mirrors, NO ONE KNOWS left me breathless. Ellison's deft, seamless prose makes her devilish twists look effortless, and her sleight-of-hand with the facts of Aubrey Hamilton’s troubled life keeps the tension wire-high. NO ONE KNOWS is razor-sharp, shocking, and delicious.”
Laura Benedict, author of CHARLOTTE’S STORY

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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.

8.14.15 - The (long-overdue) Round-Up of WHAT LIES BEHIND

WHAT LIES BEHIND

So WHAT LIES BEHIND has been out since just before Memorial Day, right when spring was on the cusp of becoming summer. Lots of people have said lots of nice things about this book, and in the dual interests of posterity and housekeeping, I've gathered them together in one, convenient place. It's my media scrapbook, of sorts. Forgive the delay on the post, but if you haven't read Sam's latest adventure yet, this should tip you right on over the edge. Happy Friday!

 

 

 

Reviews

I’m always grateful to get a good review from the fine people at Publisher’s Weekly

Bestseller Ellison’s captivating fourth Samantha Owens novel (after 2014’s When Shadows Fall) finds the former Washington, D.C., medical examiner working as a consultant for the FBI. When a woman is found dead and a man near death in a house in Sam’s Georgetown neighborhood, the bloody crime scene suggests that the man stabbed the woman, then himself, in a fit of passion. Sam’s police detective friend, Darren Fletcher, who was recently promoted to homicide lieutenant, consults with Sam on the case. When the U.S. State Department asks them to keep the investigation under wraps, Sam and Fletch become increasingly suspicious that the crime wasn’t a simple murder-suicide. Meanwhile, Sam’s boyfriend, bodyguard Xander Whitfield, takes on the job of protecting James Denon, a wealthy British industrialist, while he’s visiting his business interests in the States. As Sam and Xander’s missions converge, they discover evidence of a serious bioterrorist threat. The cliffhanger conclusion will leave fans of romantic suspense eagerly anticipating the next installment. 

Romantic Times deemed WHAT LIES BEHIND a June Top Pick! 

Ellison just keeps getting better and better! This new addition to her Dr. Samantha Owens series further develops the ensemble of complex characters who play off each other nicely. This would make a fine beach read, except with the fast pace and thrills — the action all takes place in about 24 hours — you might never make it into the water. Minor plot threads and a brief appearance by Taylor Jackson (another Ellison protagonist) hint at more good stories to come.

Loved this quotable quote from Library Journal:

"Verdict: The fourth Samantha Owens novel moves from forensics to international bioterrorism, and the results are breathtaking! Thriller fanatics craving an action-packed novel of intrigue will be abundantly rewarded." 

Idgie over at Dew on the Kudzu has some lovely things to say as well (thank you, Idgie!).  

Samantha has an interesting case on her hands . . .   This novel involves spies, double spies, sociopath spies, mama spies and apparently a slightly slutty spy. Finally, throw some bioterrorism in there and you get really nervous while reading.

Shout-out to the incomparable Margaret Renkl of Chapter 16, and thank you for a stellar review (Speaking of, did you see Margaret's op-ed in last Sunday's New York Times on caregiving? Beautifully written, that). 

Fans of Patricia Cornwell will appreciate Ellison’s brand of high intrigue paired with a medical-examiner slant . . . What Lies Behind is a straightforward and multilayered thriller with a dynamic cast of characters and an intricate web of conspiracy and backstory. Nashville-based Ellison, whose national reputation has been growing for years, is sure to win more new fans and critical acclaim with her latest thriller.

Working Mother Magazine has some kind things to say as well. 

What Lies Behind has an explosive storyline that is all too realistic. The plot is a compelling mystery with a lot of action and terror.”

MilitaryPress.com. called WHAT LIES BEHIND a "realistic, frightening novel." You know, they'd probably know . . . 

Blackfive.net seemed to dig the plot:

“Because the plot takes place in one harrowing day the action never seems to stop.  It can be seen as a warning for a terrorist threat that seems to have fallen under the radar.

I so enjoyed chatting with Debbie Haupt, mastermind behind The Reading Frenzy, who was ridiculously kind in her assessment of the novel! 

“Where do I start telling how wonderful this was, do I start by giving it the 6 out of 5 stars it deserves? Do I start by saying what an adrenalin rush this nail biting, page-turning, one-sitting tale is so that by the end readers will need to breathe into a brown paper bad to stop hyperventilating?”

Universal Creativity, Inc. Magazine was so gracious with their comments in the May issue.

A highly thrilling and fact-paced novel that readers will come to love. The suspense hangs high in the air on every page.

 

Guest Posts & Chats

Suite T, Southern Writers Magazine’s blog, invited me over for a guest post! 

And many thanks to Crimespree Magazine for hosting such a fun chat. 

 

Interviews & Features

Amazon featured WHAT LIES BEHIND in crime newsletter and on Kindle Post blog! 

I was honored that Bookpage invited me to be one of their “Meet the Author” segments in June. That was pretty cool. 

A kind literary blogger from Bulgaria, Ognian Georgiev of LandofBooks.com interviewed me too.

Anthony Franze of Suspense Magazine portrays me more charmingly than I deserve. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation on writing, and giving you, gentle readers, a few of my secrets.

I had so much fun with Josie Brown of The Big Thrill. She asked me a delightful mixture of insightful yet fun questions!  

 

Signings

I also had a few signings, where I had the good fortune to meet some of you lovelies. Many thanks to each of these venues for hosting me!

  • FoxTale Book Shoppe: Atlanta, GA
  • Parnassus Books: Nashville, TN
  • Reading Rock Books: Dickson, TN
  • Books-A-Million: Nashville, TN
  • The Friends of the Decatur Public Library: Decatur, AL
  • Publix Highway 100: Nashville, TN

And most of all, thanks to you, gentle reader, for your kind words and support. You mean more to me than you'll ever know! Xoxo

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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.