J.T. Ellison's Blog, page 3
June 17, 2025
Interim Step Eleven: What To Do When You Get Stuck
I want to tackle the elephant in the room—writers’ block. It happens. It happens to the best of us. It happens to professional career writers just as much as it does new writers. It is real, it is insidious, and it has its reasons for appearing.
But talking about it isn’t enough. Below you’re going to find multiple actionable ideas for breaking apart the block and moving forward in your creative life.
We all get stuck. Actually, I get stuck all the time, and quite a bit over the past few months. Granted, Q1 was a disaster, and since this 2025 is starting to feel like a Quarter Quell, I’ve been giving myself some grace. But I was getting that horrible, desperate, I’m never going to write again feeling, and then it broke! I was talking with my critique partner and shared the wonderful news that I had finally—finally—gotten out of the chapter I’d been stuck on for the past few weeks. Yes, weeks, on one chapter. We then had a bit of a laugh talking about some of my more notorious story-driven writing blocks. When we finished giggling, she said, “You really should write about this because it might help some folks.”
So here I am, to give you some specifics of places I’ve been stuck in my stories, and how I broke free and got writing again.
I think there is a commonality to most blocks: Your story is trying to tell you you’re going in the wrong direction.
You’re not blocked because you’re a bad writer, or you’re not doing the work, or you’re writing the wrong story. You’re blocked because there’s an element you’re missing. Is it that you don’t totally understand your character's motivation? Is it a lack of research? Is there something inauthentic to the story in what you’re trying to do? Are you bored and don’t know where to take things next? Are you writing in the wrong POV, the wrong tense, or with the wrong character names? Are you just distracted by the world?
All of the above, sometimes. The trick is to ascertain what, exactly the problem is, and develop a plan to fix it.
Talk To Me Of These Blocks You HaveI’ll start with probably my favorite ever block. In HER DARK LIES, Claire didn’t leave the room…for about 200 pages. She had jet lag, and I just couldn’t get her out the damn door. She drank espresso, she showered, she napped… I sent some pages to my friend and she made mention that perhaps the main character should actually be interacting with the rest of the story… well, duh.
When she did finally leave, there was still something wrong. Finally, we figured out that the estate needed dogs, and for some reason, the brothers Romulus and Remus made everything work.
In GOOD GIRLS LIE, I was about 70k in when things screeched to a halt. Like dead halt, couldn’t write another word. No idea what was stopping me, outside of not knowing for sure who was hanging from the gates in the opening scene.
It took a few weeks to realize I’d written the whole book in the wrong POV. I switched to first person present tense, rewrote the whole thing, and when I got to the spot where I’d been stuck, I miraculously blew past it and on to the finish line.
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
June 13, 2025
Unboxing BURY OUR BONES
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Friday Reads 6.12.25
Hullo Hullo, and happy Friday the 13th, friends! When the news cycle turns into a thriller novel, a taste of normalcy is hopefully welcome. So here you are, a little late, but full of optimism.
I saw a quote moments ago that said: “Do more of what makes you happy.”
I’d planned to tell you a bit about my week, which was nutso from start to finish, but instead, I want to reflect on this phrase. It’s unattributable, which means it’s been passed around a million times, a bite-sized directive as pleasing and unthreatening as an Oreo. It’s easy to say, to slip that sweet little platitude into your brainpan and wish you nothing but daisies and joy for the rest of the day—which I do, of course. Here I am, heaping bunches of daisies and sunshine and kittens and rainbows all over you. Huzzah! 🌼🌼😎😎🐱🐱🌈🌈 (Happy Pride Month, too, BTW…)
But really, doing more of what makes you happy is much, much harder than it sounds. A genuine challenge. There are too many things I love that are either unhealthy for me or impossible to do for a variety of reasons, generally financial. I mean, in a perfect world, I’d be jetting to New York right now to hang with my pals at Thrillerfest with my finished manuscript sitting in my editor’s inbox. Or to Paris, to sip champagne at a sidewalk table in Montparnasse. Or Italy, or Scotland, or any number of other places. I’d be able to see my parents weekly. I’d be able to eat actual Oreos, instead of my keto GF version, Choc Zero Dunkies. I’d read, all the time. I’d golf every day. I’d spend hours on my yoga mat, putter in my garden, walk around the lake after eating ice cream. Organize and clean and design and stargaze. Brush the cat and watch the birds. Figure out how to manage the newsletter and Friday Reads when they drop in the same 12-hour period. (Open to ideas on that…)
Oh, and I’d write. Well, constantly, with erudition and composure. Fearless and intense and muscular and deep. Emotionally, aggressively, simply.
Yes, I would LOVE to do more of the things that make me happy.
Am I taking this advice too literally? Or is it meant to be a simple, gentle reminder to appreciate the things that make us happy? To stop and think about what they are, and how to slip a few more into our everyday lives? Well, if that is the case, then let’s all take a moment today to find one small thing that brings us joy, appreciate it, and add an extra bit of it to our lives.
It was a huge week for publishing, with so many books releasing that I can’t stay on top of them all. First up, though… My darling friend VE Schwab’s latest, BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL, is finally, finally here. I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. It’s ADDIE LA RUE on steroids. Everything about it is wonderful, but the writing… see above about erudition and composure and fearlessness. I love that the opening line of description says—This is a story about hunger—because really, what is our quest for happiness other than a hunger for more? Congratulations, V! And thank you for the gf cake!
Kaira Rouda’s newest, JILL IS NOT HAPPY, has arrived as well. Kaira’s books never disappoint — they are always so gleefully improper. Totally love.
Like the rest of the world, I snagged a copy of S.A. Cosby’s KING OF ASHES, which I am sure is going to be astounding, like all of his other work.
I opened my iPad Tuesday morning to see a familiar name on my lock screen—Riley Sager’s newest, WITH A VENGEANCE, being talked about in the Hollywood Reporter. That was fun! Riley’s doing fantastic work reenvisioning the classics, and this one, a mashup of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, is getting raves. Highly recommend his books!
I missed Robert Dugoni’s A DEAD DRAW last week, the 11th installment in his Tracy Crosswhite series. Who’s reading these?
I also grabbed THE BOOK OF DOORS by Gareth Brown, because hello, magical world with a grumpy Scotsman….
And if watching and listening is more your speed, we’ve had several more episodes drop on A WORD ON WORDS — check them out!
And… I am very excited to host my friend and mentor next Friday here, on a Substack live. I’ll provide times and links in my notes. And because I haven’t ever done this before, (assuming the world is still standing) I will be doing a live later today to practice. Look for me later this afternoon… and forgive me in advance for any fumbling that might happen. 😜
That’s it from me this week. What are you reading this weekend? Would love to hear your recommendations for us!
And stay safe out there. It’s a wild world.
June 6, 2025
Friday Reads 6.6.25
Happy Friday, friends!
Have you ever just fallen head over heels in love with a new author? It’s the best feeling. New worlds open, characters become best friends, storylines keep you up late at night. That’s what happened to me when I discovered John Sandford—and of course, was then inspired to write my own books. I saw Taylor Jackson as a female Lucas Davenport, half-cop, half-rock star, the warrior goddess of Nashville. I’ve always been so grateful to the librarian who handed me those Sandford books all those years ago.
There have been plenty of authors whom I’ve fallen for over the years, books I’ve read and immediately gone searching for their backlists, preordered their frontlists, watched adaptations… anything and everything to live inside their heads for a while. Diana Gabaldon. Tess Gerritsen. Lee Child. Lisa Gardner. Lisa Jewell. Daniel Silva. Daphne Du Maurier. So many more. Authors whose work truly shaped me as a writer.
More recently, it’s been the fantasy worlds that capture me so profoundly. Deborah Harkness, Leigh Bardugo, Rebecca Yarros, VE Schwab, Suzanne Collins, Brandon Sanderson, Naomi Novak. Well, I have a new author to add to that list… Rachel Gillig.
Y’all. THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH is remarkable. It topped the NYT this week, and let me say, judging a book by its cover is real…and this cover sold me. Yes, it’s romantasy—a love story set in a fantasy world—but it is so much more. The writing is sublime, the longing swoon worthy, and the storytelling so wildly unique I almost abandoned the story in the opening chapter because it is…odd. Boy, am I glad I stuck with it. I’m gushing because of all that, plus I’m really in love with the characters, and the quest is pitch-perfect, but I'm also impressed because Rachel employs a woefully misunderstood technique that is hard to pull off, something called bathos.
From Merriam Webster: Bathos (bāˌTHäs)(especially in a work of literature): an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.
In simpler terms words, using humor to defuse the tension. You see it in movies and books all the time: the perfectly placed joke, the moment of unbearable tension relieved with a catchphrase. It’s usually ridiculous, and too often removes the tension from the story entirely—not a welcome event. But when it’s done well, it is a joy to behold.
Rachel does this with a gargoyle who misuses idioms. He calls everyone Bartholemew. He shows more emotion than you’d think possible from a stone creature, and is perpetually saving the day, awkwardly, with great fanfare for himself. He is erudite in all the wrong ways, hilariously so, but it’s so clear he’s more than just a gargoyle. He’s saying aloud what we, the reader, are thinking before we’re able to put it into words, and doing it at exactly the right moment. Hard to pull off, trust me. Even hard to write a story that ticks every box for me—joy, hope, despair, love, quest, philosophy, world building, humor, cleverness, curiosity and make a seasoned author forget she’s a writer and allows her to simply read
Anyway, Ms. Gillig now has a new fan. I’ve bought her previous books and will be waiting with bated breath for this series sequel to arrive. A true talent.
And during the daytime…I’m finally reading Leila Slima’s THE PERFECT NANNY, and it is perfectly creepy, thank you very much. The voice is incredible, so dark, so observational. Dark enough that I have avoided it before bed because we just don’t need those sorts of bad dreams, now do we?
Other books that have captured my attention (and my wallet or library card) and made it onto my groaning TBR this week:
My lovely friend and mentor Jayne Ann Krentz has a new novel out that you will absolutely love called IT TAKES A PSYCHIC. Jayne’s books always deliver, especially when exploring the universal theme of trust. Great read, and the Poisoned Pen has signed copies!!!
Kimberly Bell’s latest, THE EXPAT AFFAIR, dropped Tuesday. LOVE the cover!
Yes, I have TJR’s ATMOSPHERE, and yes, I am going to wait for a nice break in the weather to sit by the pool and read it.
You are never not going to see me grab a book called THE GHOSTWRITER — and this one by Julie Clark looks incredible!
debut WE DON’T TALK ABOUT CAROL came out this week, too. She wrote a lovely piece about the experience that I enjoyed.
Grabbed TINY DAGGERS by Caroline Corcoran for my Amazon first read this month, as well as the short story ABSCOND by Abraham Verghese. I’ve already told you how great FOG AND FURY by Rachel Howzell Hall is… all you need to do is look at the cover for my thoughts!
And Elin Hilderbrand’s NANTUCKET NIGHTS slipped into my cart, too. I love her books, don’t you? Just so much fun, about an area of the country I know very little.
That’s it from me this week. What are you reading this weekend? Would love to hear your recommendations for us!
May 30, 2025
Friday Reads 5.29.25
Hallo, and happy Friday! It’s good to see you. I hope your week has been uneventful and fruitful. Mine’s been quiet and full of words. Making real progress on the new book, finally. So many starts and stops in the first half of a story as the foundation is laid. I am very much ready for the second half of this book to start. It always goes 10x faster than the beginning. As I mentioned in my Notes this week, finishing is vital, and I am eager to be a month hence, when I will (hopefully) be closer to typing ‘The End’.
But for the moment, I’m shifting gears. I’ve started counting down to the release of LAST SEEN (OMG 63 days 😱.) Since August 1 will be here in the blink of an eye, it’s time to start prepping. PA Paige has some amazing ideas for our socials, and publicist extraordinaire Rachel has been working hard in the background to get the tour and all the necessary coverage set up. I’ve already taped a few podcast interviews, and today, I am officially beginning the requisite essays and interviews. They are diverse, wide-ranging, and should be a lot of fun.
It’s a somewhat surreal moment, really. I must step out of the make-believe world I am currently creating and cast my mind back a year to the writing of LAST SEEN and the make-believe world that I’ve already made. I have to remember the inspirations, the ideas, the aches and pains and joys of writing the book. Fortunately, I have a comprehensive record of the entire process in the 22 Steps series. Still, it’s vital to remember the little things, such as putting together a Pinterest mood board to establish the aesthetic and convey the proper sense of claustrophobia and fear that surrounded the creation of this story. And realizing when I deleted Instagram from my phone at the beginning of the year, I deleted the two VERY cool reels I’d made based on my dark forest screensaver. Oops.
Also, a poignant anniversary is coming in fast and hard. June 7 will be exactly two years since I wrote the proposal for LAST SEEN. It feels like yesterday. That was sweet Jameson’s last night on this earth, and I cling to the knowledge that she gave me this story. The original title was "Her Last Night,” and while I initially resisted changing it, I’m glad I did now, as it allows me to separate the marketing of the book from the sorrow of her passing.
You will be shocked to hear there is a cat in LAST SEEN. His name is Ailuros—inventive, I know (the word Ailuros is Greek for cat)—and he is a spoiled, chonky Siamese with a heart of gold. I loved writing him into the story. My very first cat was a very vocal Siamese named Jezebel. I got her a few days before my fifth birthday, and she lived to the ripe old age of 23. She saw me through every life event from kindergarten to marriage. It’s incredible, really, to be blessed with such longevity. She was an adorable soul. And the first of our J cats… I can’t think of her without thinking of Jasmine, Jemima, Jiblet, and Jade. And of course, Jameson and Jordan. All very good girls, much loved.
There is also an anechoic chamber in this book. If you’re not familiar…consider the utter dislocation brought about by the absence of all sensory input. For writers, to make a story come alive, you must ground the reader in all five senses. An anechoic chamber removes them from your surroundings. Imagine how fun the research was for this! I am compiling a bibliography of all the books and articles I read for research on LAST SEEN, and I will include some articles on these terrifying creations.
Onward!
SILVER ELITE by Dani Francis was great. It’s been compared to Divergent and The Hunger Games, and while it’s not quite as philosophically complex as those stories, it was a compelling and quick read that I heartily enjoyed. I’m anxious for the next book in the series to drop.
Next up is the wonderful Alex Finlay’s PARENTS WEEKEND. I absolutely love his books, and I can’t wait to spend MY weekend with his story. Great premise, too.
I also have a gorgeous copy of THE ONES WE LOVE by Anna Snoekstra. If you haven’t read her before, I highly recommend her work. Very cool. It’s interesting how memory is a big component to suspense these days. I’m playing with it myself.
Have I recommended JULIE CHAN IS DEAD to you yet? I read it as a galley, and it’s now available. A searing satire, a clever mystery, and a completely over-the-top ending make it a total hoot of a book. Liann Zhang has a huge future ahead.
The Dark Academia collection, IN THESE HALLOWED HALLS, is on sale this week. If you’ve not read it, it’s chock-full of excellent stories. I am reading Olivie Blake’s story first since I am now a superfan after reading THE ATLAS SIX. THE ATLAS PARADOX is on my TBR too…
I’m really looking forward to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new book, ATMOSPHERE, which comes out Tuesday. I think we all need more books about female astronauts. Granted, the one I wrote with Catherine features an astronaut who is a wee bit bonkers, but it was a lot of fun to research and write. Space is the ultimate anechoic chamber… but of course we can’t experience it fully without imploding…
We’re also going to start watching the TV show based on Alafair Burke’s THE BETTER SISTER. So cool to see that book make it to the small screen.
In Jayne news, I’m very grateful for all the love on THE SCROLLS OF TIME release last week! The first reviews have started coming in, and they’re very positive. It seems I did my job, making sure the series goes out with a bang. I would be remiss not to mention the entire series is on sale for .99 this week!
Also, on Tuesday, you will be able to purchase/download my short story LOUCHE 49. It was first published in the INFINITY anthology from Suspense Magazine. It will be available in Kindle Unlimited for the first 90 days, and then I’ll make it available widely. I love this story of a French spy’s demise and her daughter’s quest to find the truth. It was inspired by the French noir film Elevator to the Gallows.
That’s it from me this week. What are you up to, and reading, this weekend? Any great recommendations for us?
May 23, 2025
Friday Reads 5.23.25
Hallo friends! Happy Friday. Happy Memorial Day weekend. Blessings on all of those brave souls who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. 🇺🇸
What a week it’s been. I finally managed to get to my parents, so I’m writing this from the very hot Atlantic coast of Florida. Did I mention it’s very hot? Record temps this week. My mother’s roses are blooming like mad and their cuttings are all over the house, perfuming the air. My beloved porch swing got a bit of a workout yesterday, which was very nice. It’s been a pretty low key week, and I head back home tomorrow.
This place has changed so much since I was a kid. I spent my summers here visiting my grandparents, and when they passed, my parents redid the house to be theirs. The town has grown—it’s much more commercial than it used to be; I found a fabulous new coffee shop today—but there are quiet moments, and when I close my eyes, I can still hear the beach of my childhood. Waves crash, the doves coo, the palms whisper in the wind. I can conjure the old place sometimes, the excitement of arriving to visit my grandparents, almost a portal experience, from the woods of Colorado into the lush, alien humidity of Florida. The must, the banana spiders, gritty sand and sand dollars and warm hugs. No-see-ums and salty skin and Evan Williams over ice. Decades of memories. Very special.
Since it’s a long weekend, I hope many of you have plans that involve good books! Hopefully ones recommended to you by legitimate sources, too. (If you don’t know what I mean, take a look at Kathleen Schmidt’s article on about the ridiculous AI summer book recommendation article that made it into several newspapers this week. Insert eyeroll here.)
Hey, AI is a thing. It’s here to stay. It has some very helpful uses, including research and interpreting medical information. I have thoughts about its proper usage in the creative fields, but that’s probably an essay for another day.
In the meantime, here are some legitimate, human recommendations from yours truly.
I finished LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera, and my goodness, what a fun, clever, intense book. I am so impressed. It’s hard to write a crime fiction novel that feels fresh and new, but Amy has succeeded.
My current read is Olivie Blake’s ATLAS SIX. I’ve had this book since it came out, long enough for two more in the series to join it, but because it’s urban fantasy and related to the library of Alexandria, with a crew of people brought together in a unique magical system, I’ve been saving it until I was wrapped with the Jayne books. And since the last Jayne book (THE SCROLLS OF TIME) came out Tuesday, my reward was this one—and holy cow is it good. Very engaging. And of course very different from my own magical librarians. Blake’s book has a very Magicians feel to it which I love!
I have two galleys on the list: HOT WAX by and SILENT CREEK from my Thomas & Mercer bandmate Tony Wirt. Both look AMAZING…
Also discovered my friend Kate White’s book I SHOULDN’T BE TELLING YOU THIS. Kate is a fantastic mystery novelist now but she spent a huge swath of her career as the editor-in-chief of Cosmo magazine. This is a book she wrote a decade ago for “gutsy girls” and its advice is still salient and welcome.
I also grabbed THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK by Emiko Jean which was on special. It looks so good! There are so many amazing crime fiction novels right now, I can’t keep up.
And lastly, had to grab SILVER ELITE by Dani Francis, which is creating its own huge stir because Francis is a pen name and everyone wants to figure who the author is. I started reading and am interested enough to continue, but I’ve been waiting too long for ATLAS SIX, so it’s up first.
That’s it from me this week. What are you up to, and reading, this weekend? Any great recommendations for us?
May 16, 2025
Friday Reads 5.15.25
Hallo friends! Happy Friday.
In Oliver Burkeman’s newsletter yesterday, he opens with the following: “The concept that sits right at the heart of a sane and meaningful life, I’m increasingly convinced, is something like aliveness.”
It hit me hard, but in a good way. I’d spent the morning crying over a tree we had to cut down. She was alive. Flourishing, actually, despite being rotted, with three literal holes in her trunk from providing shelter to multiple woodpeckers and squirells over the years. She was struggling, and a good wind would definitely topple her—right into our house. I understand empirically that she needed to come down. Our neighbor lost three trees last week, and one missed our place by inches. Trees can’t withstand holes in their trunks. This is necessary. I get it.
It didn’t stop me from weeping. Druid treehugger that I am, I talked to her, laid hands on her, warned her what was coming, asked for forgiveness, told her spirit to move to another place. Ten minutes later, they were climbing her truck to remove her limbs. I couldn’t watch, but I couldn’t leave her, either. (Considering the pressure in my head, I think she left with me the moment I warned her… but that might just be the Covid talking.)
I am not great with strong emotions. They make me uncomfortable. I prefer to leave that to my characters, to allow them the room to expand and overflow on the page. They are my conduit, as it were. IT’S ONE OF US is probably the first time I really let it all out for the world to see. It was cathartic, for sure. I never thought I’d be able to tour that book. On the contrary. I was healed.
Oliver’s newsletter reminds me that emotions are completely and incontrovertibly linked to aliveness.
So instead of feeling silly that I spent the morning crying for a tree, I remind myself that this is part of being alive. That feelings are important. Understandable. Expected.
I say all the time with change comes loss. And as my friend told me last week, grief means you’ve loved something or someone enough to feel their absense. I loved that tree enough to mourn her. Mourn with her, then lose her. Happily, they left enough that we can turn some bowls from her trunk, so she’ll stay with us, even now.
Fitting perfectly with my philosophical mood… Last week I mentioned I was settling in to read RAISING HARE. To say this book is comfort food almost does it an injustice, but there it is. I was sick, miserable, had a headache and cough, and yet, was utterly transformed by Chloe’s words. This book is now my top read of 2025, and I don’t know how it can be unseated. It’s the story of a small abandoned leveret being raised by a very busy woman who wanted to respect its wildness. But it is so much more.
Here’s the thing. I closed the cover and realized I was profoundly moved. So invested in the life of this hare, actually, that I immediately sought out the author to see whether she’d updated the situation since the book was published. It hadn’t occured to me that she would have photos of the leveret on her instagram feed. The book has wonderful illustrations, but the writing brings the leveret to life so fully that I knew exactly what she looked like. I guess being sick meant my brain just wasn’t functioning, so I was shocked, amazed, and overjoyed to see actual photos and videos of this sweet hare. And then I got to fan girl all over Chloe.
Can’t recommend this one enough.
I also started LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera, which is brilliant so far. Brilliant enough that it helped me see a problem in my own book.
My character just didn’t have a voice. Ironically, it took me losing mine (hello laryngitis) to be able to still the world long enough to hear her crying for release. I’ve been changing the book to first person this week, and sure enough, there she is.
I don’t normally write in first. GOOD GIRLS LIE was an exception—also a book that wasn’t working that needed a POV shift. Can’t wait to see where this leads me now.
Lastly, a quick note—my paid subscribers are getting a special treat on Tuesday. If you haven’t upgraded, this is your chance. There may be a hint in the Annual Subscription model… 😇
So that’s me this week. Voiceless, but chatty.
What are you up to, and reading, this weekend? Any great recommendations for us?
May 13, 2025
Unleashing Strength: Women Owning Their Power in Literature
Unsure. Uncertain. Unwilling.
When faced with a matter of conscience, a dangerous situation, a threat to your very being—or that of your family and friends—what would you do? Would you happily step up and lead others into the fray? Would you shrink away and hope that the problem disappears? Are you willing to be a hero? Able to be a leader? Or are you just a person, a regular, not in the spotlight, living your life person, who is confronted by an untenable situation not of your own making, and forced to make a life-altering choice? What would that choice be? To heal, to fix, to conquer? To disappear, to run, to hide? To seek the strength of another? To lead? To solve the case on your own?
This overarching scenario is my absolute favorite story theme. It is a rich vein of gold to mine, and I do so over and over in my books. Finding a character on their worst (or best) day, thrusting them into this quandary, and seeing how they react, creates an amazing story. They say that those who want to lead shouldn’t, and those who don’t should. The theme of women finding their power plays into this parable perfectly.
I especially love stories of ordinary women forced into action. Their door is knocked upon by destiny, and they must choose: accept the challenge, or slam the door in adventure’s face. This is the heart of the suspense genre: an innocent, faced with certain death or destruction, who must rise above and save herself—and others. Or an unreliable narrator doing battle with their own mind, struggling through the story to ascertain what’s real and what isn’t.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on UnsplashIn my most recent novel, A VERY BAD THING, I dive into this theme using a more devious device: The main character has been murdered, and the story revolves around all of the people closest to her who might have a motive to kill. Columbia Jones is a world-renowned author, and in starting with her death, the reader must rewind her life to show all the ways in which she achieved that crowning glory, only to have it cruelly stripped away. It’s not the only unique take on the myriad ways women find their power in today’s novels.
From feminist retellings to unreliable narrators to expansive fantasy worlds, the following novels all celebrate women embracing their inner fires, mastering mystical abilities, and claiming power through acts of heroic leadership against daunting odds.
What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall
When Bailey Meadows goes undercover at a writing retreat to find a woman who’s gone missing from her own private investigation firm, it initially looks like she’s completely in control of the situation. Quickly, the tables are turned. When she is chosen to co-write with the legendary Jack Beckam, Jr, Bailey is thrust into a multi-layered mystery and must find herself to stay alive. Set against the backdrop of Topanga Canyon and the very real threat of an unseasonable wildfire, Bailey must journey deep into the past—and her own psyche—to survive.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
When reporter Camille Preaker returns to her hometown to cover the murder of two girls, it’s clear from the outset she’s going through hell. Returning to a home and family that look beautiful on the surface but cut razor blade deep destabilizes her, revealing a dizzying array of secrets—most about Camille’s own past. Can an unreliable narrator be a woman finding her power? You betcha—and Camille is the perfect example of a woman who succeeds against all odds.
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
One of the most original stories I’ve ever read, Korede is a sweet girl whose sister Ayoola is a serial killer—and makes her complicit in the murders. Korede is willing to be her sister’s keeper, but when Ayoola sets her murderous sights on Korede’s longtime love, choices must be made. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, the setting’s conventions and domestic expectations become part of the tale, helping and hurting Korede’s bid for freedom from her sister’s murderous impulses.
Athena Liu, a rising star in the own voices movement specializing in Asian fiction, dies at the beginning of this haunting satire. Her best friend, June Hayward, is a struggling white author who does what she sees as the only logical thing when she realizes her friend has a drafted manuscript of unsurpassing beauty and literary achievement on her desk: she steals her BFFs manuscript for her own, gets it published to unbelievable fanfare, and spends the rest of the story trying to live with the lie she’s created. It’s impossible not to root for June even though she’s done the unimaginable, and the insider look at the vagaries of publishing is delicious. June is the ultimate anti-hero, a woman whose power is found in the strength of another.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
A much more classic version of the woman finding her power theme, Clarice Starling is an up-and-coming FBI agent trainee who is tasked with finding a serial killer using the ultimate weapon—another serial killer. When she captures the sick attention of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, she must overcome her own childhood trauma to unlock the killer’s secrets, and Dr. Lecter is more than happy to drag her through the coals for his own twisted pleasure. Clarice trades her secrets, and ultimately her soul, to achieve her goals. This manipulative and terrifying story cemented the forensic thriller in the canon and is the gold standard for the thematic journey we’re on today.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
The second Mrs. de Winter is one hell of a strong lady. The young ingenue is rescued from a paid companionship by the rich widower Maxim de Winter and taken back to his familial home in Cornwall, the infamous Manderley, where she is in turns disrespected, haunted, reviled, and otherwise treated abominably by the staff who loved and cherished the first Mrs. de Winter. She also does supernatural battle with the estate itself. Our anonymous lead refuses to be daunted, though, and when the tables turn, it is she who provides the strength to her languishing husband.
A reimagining of the mythological Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios, and the nymph Perse, a minor goddess who discovers her power in witchcraft. An absolute stunner of a tale, Circe is banished to the isle of Aiaia, where she takes full advantage of her burgeoning power to right the wrongs against her and womankind in general. Even her infamous encounter with Odysseus has a completely new spin, and she makes her own place in the history books. Without a single misstep throughout, Madeline Miller weaves a tale so heartbreaking and true that one wonders how mythology itself would have been reshaped were it understood to be true.
An Ember in the Ashes Quartet by Sabaa Tahir
Three of the four main characters in this quartet are women, all on their own unique paths to power. One is the cruel commandant of the battle school Blackcliff Military Academy, one the heroic and ferocious mask-in-training Helene Aquilla, and one is the quiet, smart Laia: a slave and Scholar who becomes a spy for the resistance, finds her magic, and becomes more powerful than them all. These books are wildly original, using southern Asian mythology and a caste system coupled with a violent world similar to ancient Rome, and the women are all satellites to the top student at Blackcliff, Elias Veturius, without ever once becoming subservient. A wonderfully imagined series.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Katniss Everdeen is probably my favorite and most accessible example of this theme. Living in the desolate District Thirteen under the brutal authoritarian rule of the Capitol, Katniss is already a rule breaker, sneaking outside the confines of the village to hunt. But when her little sister is chosen by lottery to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a twisted repressive show pitting the children of the districts against one another in a fight to the death, Katniss unhesitatingly volunteers as “tribute.” In taking her sister’s place, she lights a match to a smoldering spark of a new resistance making its way through the districts. Katniss doesn’t want power, she just wants to save her sister—and that selfless gesture makes her the perfect symbol for the resistance. She becomes a hero because she has no choice, finding her power and revenge in the only way she knows how—surviving, and saving those around her.
Last but not least, the fabulous story of Violet Sorrengail, daughter to the fearsome General Sorrengail, who was trained from birth to be a scholar because of her brittle body (Violet has Ehler’s Danlos, a connective tissue disorder shared by the author of the book, and also the author of this essay.) In the book’s shocking opening, Violet’s heartless mother, the general, has decided she will instead be a part of the Rider Corps—as in, the riders of battle dragons. This should condemn weak Violet to death, but with courage and ingenuity, instead, she becomes the most powerful Rider of them all. Overcoming her handicap, using her brains, and falling in love with a forbidden enemy follows. It’s a brilliant start to an amazing series and the perfect place to end this list.
I would love to hear some of your favorites!
This essay first appeared in the November 4, 2024 issue of CrimereadsEthical Dilemmas and Moral Quandaries: Women Finding Their Power in Literature
Unsure. Uncertain. Unwilling.
When faced with a matter of conscience, a dangerous situation, a threat to your very being—or that of your family and friends—what would you do? Would you happily step up and lead others into the fray? Would you shrink away and hope that the problem disappears? Are you willing to be a hero? Able to be a leader? Or are you just a person, a regular, not in the spotlight, living your life person, who is confronted by an untenable situation not of your own making, and forced to make a life-altering choice? What would that choice be? To heal, to fix, to conquer? To disappear, to run, to hide? To seek the strength of another? To lead? To solve the case on your own?
This overarching scenario is my absolute favorite story theme. It is a rich vein of gold to mine, and I do so over and over in my books. Finding a character on their worst (or best) day, thrusting them into this quandary, and seeing how they react, creates an amazing story. They say that those who want to lead shouldn’t, and those who don’t should. The theme of women finding their power plays into this parable perfectly.
I especially love stories of ordinary women forced into action. Their door is knocked upon by destiny, and they must choose: accept the challenge, or slam the door in adventure’s face. This is the heart of the suspense genre: an innocent, faced with certain death or destruction, who must rise above and save herself—and others. Or an unreliable narrator doing battle with their own mind, struggling through the story to ascertain what’s real and what isn’t.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on UnsplashIn my most recent novel, A VERY BAD THING, I dive into this theme using a more devious device: The main character has been murdered, and the story revolves around all of the people closest to her who might have a motive to kill. Columbia Jones is a world-renowned author, and in starting with her death, the reader must rewind her life to show all the ways in which she achieved that crowning glory, only to have it cruelly stripped away. It’s not the only unique take on the myriad ways women find their power in today’s novels.
From feminist retellings to unreliable narrators to expansive fantasy worlds, the following novels all celebrate women embracing their inner fires, mastering mystical abilities, and claiming power through acts of heroic leadership against daunting odds.
What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall
When Bailey Meadows goes undercover at a writing retreat to find a woman who’s gone missing from her own private investigation firm, it initially looks like she’s completely in control of the situation. Quickly, the tables are turned. When she is chosen to co-write with the legendary Jack Beckam, Jr, Bailey is thrust into a multi-layered mystery and must find herself to stay alive. Set against the backdrop of Topanga Canyon and the very real threat of an unseasonable wildfire, Bailey must journey deep into the past—and her own psyche—to survive.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
When reporter Camille Preaker returns to her hometown to cover the murder of two girls, it’s clear from the outset she’s going through hell. Returning to a home and family that look beautiful on the surface but cut razor blade deep destabilizes her, revealing a dizzying array of secrets—most about Camille’s own past. Can an unreliable narrator be a woman finding her power? You betcha—and Camille is the perfect example of a woman who succeeds against all odds.
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
One of the most original stories I’ve ever read, Korede is a sweet girl whose sister Ayoola is a serial killer—and makes her complicit in the murders. Korede is willing to be her sister’s keeper, but when Ayoola sets her murderous sights on Korede’s longtime love, choices must be made. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, the setting’s conventions and domestic expectations become part of the tale, helping and hurting Korede’s bid for freedom from her sister’s murderous impulses.
Athena Liu, a rising star in the own voices movement specializing in Asian fiction, dies at the beginning of this haunting satire. Her best friend, June Hayward, is a struggling white author who does what she sees as the only logical thing when she realizes her friend has a drafted manuscript of unsurpassing beauty and literary achievement on her desk: she steals her BFFs manuscript for her own, gets it published to unbelievable fanfare, and spends the rest of the story trying to live with the lie she’s created. It’s impossible not to root for June even though she’s done the unimaginable, and the insider look at the vagaries of publishing is delicious. June is the ultimate anti-hero, a woman whose power is found in the strength of another.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
A much more classic version of the woman finding her power theme, Clarice Starling is an up-and-coming FBI agent trainee who is tasked with finding a serial killer using the ultimate weapon—another serial killer. When she captures the sick attention of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, she must overcome her own childhood trauma to unlock the killer’s secrets, and Dr. Lecter is more than happy to drag her through the coals for his own twisted pleasure. Clarice trades her secrets, and ultimately her soul, to achieve her goals. This manipulative and terrifying story cemented the forensic thriller in the canon and is the gold standard for the thematic journey we’re on today.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
The second Mrs. de Winter is one hell of a strong lady. The young ingenue is rescued from a paid companionship by the rich widower Maxim de Winter and taken back to his familial home in Cornwall, the infamous Manderley, where she is in turns disrespected, haunted, reviled, and otherwise treated abominably by the staff who loved and cherished the first Mrs. de Winter. She also does supernatural battle with the estate itself. Our anonymous lead refuses to be daunted, though, and when the tables turn, it is she who provides the strength to her languishing husband.
A reimagining of the mythological Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios, and the nymph Perse, a minor goddess who discovers her power in witchcraft. An absolute stunner of a tale, Circe is banished to the isle of Aiaia, where she takes full advantage of her burgeoning power to right the wrongs against her and womankind in general. Even her infamous encounter with Odysseus has a completely new spin, and she makes her own place in the history books. Without a single misstep throughout, Madeline Miller weaves a tale so heartbreaking and true that one wonders how mythology itself would have been reshaped were it understood to be true.
An Ember in the Ashes Quartet by Sabaa Tahir
Three of the four main characters in this quartet are women, all on their own unique paths to power. One is the cruel commandant of the battle school Blackcliff Military Academy, one the heroic and ferocious mask-in-training Helene Aquilla, and one is the quiet, smart Laia: a slave and Scholar who becomes a spy for the resistance, finds her magic, and becomes more powerful than them all. These books are wildly original, using southern Asian mythology and a caste system coupled with a violent world similar to ancient Rome, and the women are all satellites to the top student at Blackcliff, Elias Veturius, without ever once becoming subservient. A wonderfully imagined series.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Katniss Everdeen is probably my favorite and most accessible example of this theme. Living in the desolate District Thirteen under the brutal authoritarian rule of the Capitol, Katniss is already a rule breaker, sneaking outside the confines of the village to hunt. But when her little sister is chosen by lottery to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a twisted repressive show pitting the children of the districts against one another in a fight to the death, Katniss unhesitatingly volunteers as “tribute.” In taking her sister’s place, she lights a match to a smoldering spark of a new resistance making its way through the districts. Katniss doesn’t want power, she just wants to save her sister—and that selfless gesture makes her the perfect symbol for the resistance. She becomes a hero because she has no choice, finding her power and revenge in the only way she knows how—surviving, and saving those around her.
Last but not least, the fabulous story of Violet Sorrengail, daughter to the fearsome General Sorrengail, who was trained from birth to be a scholar because of her brittle body (Violet has Ehler’s Danlos, a connective tissue disorder shared by the author of the book, and also the author of this essay.) In the book’s shocking opening, Violet’s heartless mother, the general, has decided she will instead be a part of the Rider Corps—as in, the riders of battle dragons. This should condemn weak Violet to death, but with courage and ingenuity, instead, she becomes the most powerful Rider of them all. Overcoming her handicap, using her brains, and falling in love with a forbidden enemy follows. It’s a brilliant start to an amazing series and the perfect place to end this list.
I would love to hear some of your favorites!
This essay first appeared in the November 4, 2024 issue of CrimereadsMay 9, 2025
Friday Reads 5.9.25
…And I mean that in the most literal sense. We managed to contract the Tennessee crud, and we’ve been languishing this week, watching a bunch of movies and generally taking it easy. I’ve tried to do a little writing, because sometimes the greatest work comes from a depleted body. The critical voice is too busy feeling miserable, so the enlightened mind can solve problems and get work done. But that didn’t work the way I’d hoped, so it was Netflix and chill for me.
It’s been icky and rainy, too, which makes for perfect lay-by-the-fire-do-nothing days. The blue jays who’ve moved in are gobbling the feed I put out, and they scratch so much out of the feeder trying to get to the choicest morsels that the littlest ones have lots of ground food to forage. Very bucolic. I have also discovered the delight of vanilla yogurt with frozen blueberries as an excellent sore throat remedy. Highly recommended.
But being puny—as my in-laws say—also means I had to miss my gig with Lucy Foley at Parnassus (BOO. HISS.) The amazing stepped in to pinch hit and the event went great, but I was really bummed to miss it, especially considering how much fun I’ve had reading Lucy’s backlist over the past few months. I was disappointed not to have a chance to fangirl all over her.
And I’m supposed to be on a plane as we speak, but put that off too—couldn’t chance bringing the bug to the parental units.
Which leaves me a long weekend ahead of nothing but healing and chilling. Netflix and chilling. I watched CRAZY STUPID LOVE ( a favorite, also an excellent example of authorial misdirection) and EAT PRAY LOVE yesterday. I am hankering for an Avengers binge—for some reason, I want swashbuckling and heroes and life and death stakes right now. Recommendations welcome.
Today I might be able to read, which would be good, because I’m about to finish THE GALLERY ASSISTANT by Kate Belli and I’m very much enjoying it.
Next after that, for the suspense portion of our reading pleasure, I think I’ll jump into SALTWATER. (I keep typing that as SALTBURN, which was a fabulously creepy gothic movie, which I also recommend, though be prepared… True story: On first watch, because of the trailer, I thought it was about vampires. IYKYK. 🧛)
I also have WHALEFALL on the docket, which I’ve heard is incredible.
But right now I feel like reading RAISING HARE. Our rabbits have been—ahem—multiplying in the back yard recently, and as a storyteller, I have given them rich internal lives. I’m curious what raising one would be like.
That’s it from me today. What are you up to, and reading, this weekend? Any great recommendations for us?
