J.T. Ellison's Blog, page 8

Friday Reads 10.26.24

Happy Friday! Can we talk bookshelves for a moment?

I’ve taken receipt of my beloved encyclopedias, as well as a few more delights—a decade of Science Year, my huge old atlas, a bunch of excellent first editions of some classics, some children's books from the 1920s, beautifully bound. Memories. Several shelves of memories. They went into the living room, and I styled them as best I could—despite all my wishes to the contrary, I am not a designer—and they are lovely.

But then I looked at the shelves in my office, and all I see is chaos. There are books, lots of books, and you know they are done according to color, so the rainbow effect is super cool. But recently, the books and toys are spilling over. I have an unreal amount of research books that honestly are outdated, and the new information is easily accessed online. I packaged them up to go to the local used bookstore and created some margin. And now I need to take all the toys and talismans and photos out, and redo it all.

I’ve toyed with three options: Keep the rainbow and convert some of the non-fiction area to fiction so I’m not double stacked; go alphabetical and just get every book onto a shelf in the right area regardless of topic; or take off the jacket covers and go with the plain spines, color-coded. The latter would be less colorful, but I’m wondering if that would feel more soothing. More like an old-school library.

When my office starts getting jumbled, it doesn’t help my creativity. I should probably just do a massive cull, Marie Kondo the whole space, and I would be much happier.

Anyway, I’m curious about your thoughts. How do you store your books?

And OMG y’all, it’s time to start talking release! If you’re in Nashville next Friday, November 1, I will be launching the gloriously beautiful big pink book, A VERY BAD THING, at Parnassus Books! You can RSVP right here. I’ll be in conversation with the fabulous , whose brilliant new book, THE FROZEN RIVER, is coming out in paperback on November 5! We will be chatting and signing, and we would love to see you!

If Kindle is more your speed, AVBT is in the First Reads program right now. You can get yours for free if you have Prime or $1.99 if you don’t.

Onward… As you read this, I’m sitting in a studio across town, talking books with some seriously interesting authors! A Word on Words is officially in its 10th season, and Jeremy and I have a full slate of authors to interview who are attending the Southern Festival of Books this weekend in Nashville. It’s a busy but enjoyable few days. Here are the books I read prepping this week:

Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez — a fascinating look at the archetypes in the Latine culture. I was struck by how universal they are.

skin & bones by Renée Watson — the first adult book by this prolific author, it is touching, moving love story, dives deep into self acceptance and body love, and also has a fascinating look at the history of Black culture in Oregon.

Grief is For People by Sloane Crosley — this elegy for Sloane’s friend Russell is beautifully realized. Sharp writing married to the confusion of suicide is not light reading, but worth it.

The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger — I’ve already read this, but we’re doing an in-conversation about it on Saturday! A fabulous redo of Rosemary’s Baby, you’ll remember I was inspired to try reading Ira Levin’s book…and failed.

One of the best parts of my job is reading books that aren’t thrillers, getting outside my comfort zone, and experiencing new thoughts, new cultures, and new experiences. Love it!

I also grabbed a copy of HEIR by one of my favorite authors, Sabaa Tahir, which I am reading the second this weekend is over. I love this world she’s created with these books, and love that she’s returned to it. And there was a wonderful article with her this week, in which she says the magic words: “The writing comes first.”

It’s funny, during PR season, it’s hard to remember that, but it’s so, so true! I have a draft proposal for my next book done, and will be sending it for first looks shortly. Wish me luck!

Oh, almost forgot… Step Twelve is up. And Step Thirteen is coming Tuesday.

That’s it from me (I think that’s more than enough from me 😂). How about you? Reading anything fabulous this weekend? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

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Step Twelve: The Editorial Letter

I present to you a nerve-wracking moment. You’ve sent in the finished manuscript, and you’re waiting to hear what your editor (and presumably your agent) thinks. If you’re like me, this is the crux of the book-writing process. Your editor has presumably only seen your synopsis, and if you’re earlier in your career, maybe some sample chapters. This is their first time with the whole story. It’s kind of a big deal. Like the Grand Canyon is kind of a ravine.

What should you do now? Read? Clean your office? Stress eat? This is a delicate time, and anything that calms your nerves should be employed. Because soon, you will receive word from your editor or your agent, or both, about whether they like what you’ve done. I say time and again that revision is the art of writing—interpreting and reworking your book based on an editorial letter is a vital part of that process.

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Friday Reads 10.18.24

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you’ve had a calm week and had lots of time to enjoy the first cold snap of Fall. My sweet little pumpkin already gave up the ghost and melted; it was just too warm for him. I got another and am keeping it inside until I’m sure it’s chilly enough to go out on the porch. 🎃

I've had my publisher hat on this week. The fifth Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian book is finished, so it was time to actually make the physical books, turning the Word document into both an epub for digital download and a hardcover and trade paperback edition. Once they were perfect, I got them into the Ingram Spark system, ordered a box of hardcovers, and updated the Two Tales Press catalog on Edelweiss, which is the system I use to get the word out to booksellers and librarians about the book’s ordering details. It was a lot of work, but it went relatively smoothly (once I gave my artist the correct page numbers and ISBNs.)

I think this fifth and penultimate book is the best yet. For booksellers and librarians, the catalog is live for the searching. And readers, you can preorder the digital, and the print should be online in the stores shortly! My passion project is drawing to a close...but not yet. Not yet.

I also have Step 12 almost ready and Step 13 underway because next year’s book is done! The developmental edit went incredibly smoothly, and the next time I see it will be the copyedit.

I did some selfish reading this week. Do you remember my book TEAR ME APART, about Mindy Wright, the downhill skiing phenom who finds out her whole life is a lie? It came out before the pandemic and is one of my favorites. I’m working on the next, next book idea, and I wanted to revisit the messy family aspect of this one. It’s been long enough that I forgot many of the finer details, which was a lot of fun, actually. I don’t usually reread my books, like, EVER, but I am far enough removed from this one that I read it for pleasure and truly enjoyed it.

Then I started Gillian McAllister’s WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME, which has a banger of an opening, and also stuck my nose into THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hildenbrand because I’m really interested in how the adaptation was done. I’ll be dipping in and out of several books over the next week or two as I write up my nascent idea. Inspiration comes from all sorts of quarters; seeing how the uber-successful kick off their books is very important.

I also have Sloane Crosley’s GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE on the weekend’s agenda. It is both homework and research.

It’s a good thing the Dodgers are in the pennant hunt because it’s giving me loads of evening reading time. There’s nothing I like better than a cozy fire, a baseball game, and a good book.

That’s it from me. How about you? Reading anything fabulous this weekend? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

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Friday Reads 10.11.24

October is always my cruelest month. This year, it’s been mean to everybody!

I say “cruel” when I should really just be saying “busy,” but you know how much I despise that word. Plus, cruel is so much more dramatic for the spooky season! Rude works, too, considering the hurricanes and fires. My family had two houses in the path of Milton, and it looks like both have survived with minimal damage and flooding, so perhaps I should just say I’m grateful.

Grateful…and yes, busy. I’ve been a little stressy this week. Travel, moving, and hurricanes aside…I'm juggling for the next few weeks. Two deadlines, two books to get into production, prep for multiple A WORD ON WORDS tapings, a new story idea brewing (can I tell you how much I’m using my own 22 Steps posts to build the synopsis?), and a quick upcoming appearance at Southern Festival hosting Lisa Unger’s event. And let’s not forget the release of ”O Murder Night” in the Death Comes at Christmas anthology the 22nd, and all the upcoming touring for A VERY BAD THING.

Plus, I’ve been loving the fabulous outpouring of support for A VERY BAD THING in First Reads—you made the book a bestseller immediately, and it’s stayed in the top five for two weeks now. THANK YOU! I can’t tell you how exciting and, yes, gratifying it’s been.

We got my parents all packed up and moved out, too. I wrote a short piece about the influence their bookshelves had on me growing up, in case you’re interested.

All this to say, I haven’t done a ton of reading this week. In between the wall-to-wall hurricane coverage, I have been watching some truly spectacular TV for distraction. THE PERFECT COUPLE is top of the list (OMG, I am in love with this messy family; I bought the book and will read it once I’m done watching), as well as THE MAYFAIR WITCHES (a superb adaptation that I thought was going to be scarier than it is) and SLOW HORSES Season 4 (Mick Herron blows the spy novel out of the water with these books, and the show just keeps getting better), and the Dodgers are in the playoffs…

Quiet time ahead with some books this weekend, I hope.

That’s it from me, short and sweet. How about you? Reading anything fabulous this weekend? And were you impacted by Milton? Let us know if you need help!

A Glimpse Into My Parents' Library

I’ve spoken many times about how encouraging my parents were when it came to my young reading life. You’ve heard me say this, I’m sure: I was allowed to read anything I could reach on the shelves, and I was a very tall kid. Which means I was reading well above my age very early. I read Aldus Huxley’s ROOTS and Colleen McCollough’s THE THORN BIRDS when I was in elementary school. Dr. Spock’s book on childrearing was a constant companion. Linda Goodman’s SUN SIGNS also helped me understand my personality (I am the quintessential Taurus.)

I relished the memories of my time with the Norton Anthology of Poetry; but was terrified and developed an aversion to horror after Peter Straub’s GHOST STORY. I read Camus THE STRANGER and Richard Bach’s JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL and Erich Segal’s LOVE STORY. One of my all-time favorites that introduced me to many adult themes was Jean Auel’s CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR.

There were science fiction novels and Shakespeare, Michael Crichton thrillers and Judy Blume books. Danielle Steele was a staple (PALOMINO remains a personal favorite.) There were books on Einstein and the heavens and all the Le Carré. Octavia Butler and Margaret Atwood and Madeleine L’Engle and Hemingway. Biographies and mysteries, romance and speculative fiction, and tons of mythology. The full set of encyclopedias and the big dictionary are well-thumbed (yes, I was one of those kids who read the dictionary for fun — and to find the curse words that I would be allowed to use once I’d correctly cited their etymology. Bitch was the most commonly quoted.)

It was heaven for a young, gawkish introvert growing up in the woods.

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Friday Reads 10.3.24

October. For once, I am not panicked about the year drawing to a close. I am ready to hunker down, enjoy the cooler weather, prep for the holidays and book tour, and simply be. I have a new book to get started on, one that I’ve been noodling on in Story Planner (see this stage—Concept and Title—for more on that process) and several other projects that need wrapping up.

But y’all, it has been a week. Moving my folks; packing up the library; the last round of golf in the Park; the excitement of A VERY BAD THING in First Reads; the news…I’ve cried too many times to count—tears of joy, of sadness, of empathetic horror. Emotional whiplash. The thing is, it all pales in comparison to what is unfolding in Eastern TN and Western NC. As difficult as this week has been, it is an honor to have the opportunity to sort through my memories, knowing too many people have lost everything. I know folks all across the southeast are hurting today. My heart is with you.

Here are a few places you can look if you want to help:
Tennessee
North Carolina
General Disaster Relief - The Y’all Squad
Bookish Relief - BINC

Books heal, too. Let’s do this.

has a new book out this week - EVERY MOMENT SINCE! I’ve read it, and it is fantastic! Darkly compelling and richly layered. Superb.

I finished THE GOD OF THE WOODS and I loved it. Bad decisions make for wonderful mysteries. I also found a deer bone necklace I made at camp in one of the random boxes I had to sort, with my camp name, Little Deer. Made it all that much better.

Next up is CREATION LAKE by Rachel Kushner. I’ve been looking forward to it for a while now, and my library hold finally came in!

Gillian Macallister WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME was on special this week and I snapped it up. A Halloween-themed book, just in time for the holiday? Yes, please.

I’m about to gear up for a bunch of interviews for A WORD ON WORDS, and I have some really cool books waiting for me at home. More on them next time.

As I mentioned above, A VERY BAD THING was chosen for Amazon First Reads, and it has already been a rollercoaster of fun. It’s awesome that you can get two books this month, too. A suggestion? My friend and fellow thriller writer Tony Wirt has a book in the program this month, too: PIKE ISLAND. So you can download BOTH our books for free this month, or, if you’re not a Prime member, you can get them for $1.99 each. For you print lovers, the hardcover and trade paper will be released on November 1, as planned. Same for the audiobook. (Saskia Maarleveld reads, and she is FABULOUS.

So, what’s happening in your world? I’d love to hear what you’re reading this weekend! Any recommendations?

And if you’re reading from any of the areas devastated by Helene, will you let us know you’re okay? It’s been hard to touch base with everyone, for obvious reasons, but people are coming back online now throughout the southeast, and I’d love to hear from you.

Surprise!

I have some excellent news to share. A VERY BAD THING has been chosen for Amazon First Reads, which means you can get the book TODAY, an entire month early! Nope, not kidding, you can read the big pink book right now!

How? If you are an Amazon Prime member, you get the book for free from the First Reads program. And if you're not, never fear, the book is only $1.99 for the entire month of October!

I can't tell you how excited I've been to share this fantastic news. And it gets even better because for this particular First Reads month, it's what they call "Double Credits," which means you can get TWO books, either for free or for that low price.

The hardcover and audio will still be released on November 1, so don’t worry if you’ve pre-ordered or want to get a signed copy at one of my events. But if you love ebooks, this deal is for you! 

I'll be back later this month with more news, but for those of you who love your ebooks, I can't give you a better deal. I hope you love A VERY BAD THING!

I WANT IT NOW!

Friday Reads 9.27.24

Oh, Helene, you nasty wench, wreaking havoc all over today. I hope you guys are okay, not in the path, not in the surge, with power and lots of snacks. We are hunkered down ourselves, enjoying the Fujiwhara effect of two systems colliding. Your faithful junior meteorologist was glued to multiple channels and refreshing X constantly until late last night, and again this morning. So a long on ramp, a podcast, and tea, peanut butter and berries, here I am.

I got home just in time, too. I had a huge gig in Huntsville this week, the 38th Annual Vive le Livre, which raises money for all the library systems in Alabama. It was a magnificent night, with lots of laughs and tons of books signed. The speech went great. I get so nervous before, but when I get to the mike, it all melts away and I can just chill, connect with the audience, and have fun. We had a fun Q&A, too - the question that I loved the most was - “What is your favorite word?” The answer? Onomatopoeia! And I loved getting a chance to talk about IT’S ONE OF US and A VERY BAD THING, plus tell the Sweet Home Alabama story. IFKYK. Many thanks to my friends at the Huntsville Madison County Public Library for hosting me! Vive le Livre!

Also finished an initial revision of the 2025 book and sent it in, and cooked up a title for my next book. The ideas for it are coming together, and I’m going to write the proposal in the next couple of weeks. I have a nice long plane flight ahead, so I will use that time to noodle out the plot points. I have a hard time working on a project without a title, and this one makes me very happy. So far, the team loves it, too!

Next week is going to be…rough. My parents put the Colorado house on the market. It’s time. I understand this empirically, but my bones are still fighting this reality. So I’m heading out to pack the library, go through some boxes of my school things, play some golf, and say goodbye. I anticipate tears. With change comes loss, right?

Enough mush. Let’s talk books.

I’ve been gobbling down THE GOD OF THE WOOD by Liz Moore this week. I *think* I know what’s going on, so we’ll see if I’m right. But the writing is gorgeous, and I care so very deeply for all of the characters. The structure was challenging at first, but now I’m invested to the hilt in them all. Omniscient narration is a hallmark on the literary novel and she’s combined that with a compelling mystery. Good stuff.

And since I finally have a quiet weekend off, I’m diving next into Rachel Howzell Hall’s THE LAST ONE, a new romantasy. I need an escape, and I know this book is going to give it to me.

I scored a galley of Patti Callahan Henry’s newest, THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND. It is gorgeous! Can’t wait to dig in. Patti is such a lovely writer, and her books always find some fascinating topics!

Of course, I must recommend CODE NAME HÉLÈNE from Ariel Lawhon. Also a strong woman who wouldn’t lay down for anyone.

So, what’s happening in your world? I’d love to hear what you’re reading this weekend! Any recommendations?

Friday Reads 9.20.24

Hello, friends! I’m back in the saddle and thrilled to be here. It was a wonderful break, and I return to you rested and reinvigorated. Bouchercon was a thrill, Scotland was wonderful, and fall fever is now underway. It was the moment I sat down to write this week’s blog when I realized time has lost all meaning. It’s been a month since we spoke last! This is a normal schedule for my main newsletter (subscribe here), but for this column, the weekly cadence is perfect. It gives me a chance to review my goings on, share snippets of what I’m reading and watching, and otherwise find myself at the online water cooler on Friday mornings, chatting with my buddies. It’s a glorious space, a virtual diary, and I’ve missed it. But it’s been a MONTH. And so much has happened in that time.

I’ve talked before about how you’re a different person at the end of every day. Your world shifts and alters. Be it a news story, a personal earthquake, an eye-opening experience, a tragedy, or something joyous, we are constantly growing, changing, and shifting. It’s why I love to travel—to experience new things. That, and those fun liminal space between time zones, when, in essence, you’re gaining or losing time and no one else is. Fascinates me.

We can no more go back in time and unsee, unheard, or unwrite something than we can step into a telephone box and catapult ourselves through space. But we can step onto a plane or open our manuscript and create that kind of divine shift.

This is reason 7645 why I love writing. The words you lay down change you as a writer because they change the story. Even following the strictest outline, you’re going to write something unexpected. Those microshifts alter your path, day after day after day. Add in the reader who receives these changes, and we’re creating alchemical magic together, moment by moment.

Food for thought today.

Here are some pretty pictures from my travels.

Port Appin, Scotland. Photo by J.T. Ellison © 2024 Port Appin, Scotland. Photo by J.T. Ellison, © 2024 Culloden Moor. Photo by J.T. Ellison, © 2024 Isle of Skye. Photo by J.T. Ellison © 2024 Eilean Donan Castle. Photo by J.T. Ellison © 2024

I’ve done a good bit of reading since we spoke last.

THE BLACKBIRD ORACLE by Deborah Harkness was surprising and cliffhanger-y. Clearly, there are more books to come, and this is not a bad thing.

I’m deep into Signe Pike’s THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM, book two in her Arthurian legend reimagining. This is in prep to read book three, THE SHADOWED LAND, for an event in December. Great stuff, especially fun to read whilst tromping through Scotland.

I’ve also cheated on Signe and started THE GOD OF THE WOOD by Liz Moore because it came in at the library, and wow. WOW. WOWOWOWOW!

Have any of you read Sharon Kay Penman’s HERE BE DRAGONS? Also the first of a trilogy, it’s one of my all-time favorite books, and it was on the shelf in the little cottage we stayed in on the River Ness. The stunningly beautiful opening line—Theirs was a land of awesome grandeur, a land of mountains and moorlands and cherished myths—felt perfect for our travels, even though it’s more about Wales.

I was so sad to see we lost Nelson DeMille this week. THE CHARM SCHOOL is really one of the best spy thrillers ever written. If you’ve not read it, give it a shot, and when you’re done, read my essay about it in the anthology THRILLERS: 100 MUST READS, in which I wax poetic about how the book inspired me to join the foreign service, a career path interrupted by the lack of one French credit and a handsome boy from Tennessee.

I also grabbed up the new Brad Thor—SHADOW OF DOUBT. It's an excellent thriller series that is going strong!

Finally, I came across this great piece in the Guardian by Katie Ward about her relationship with her mentor, Hilary Mantel. There are some true pearls of wisdom to be gleaned.

So, what’s happening in your world? I’d love to hear what you’re reading this weekend! Any recommendations?

Step Eleven: The Second Revision

Here we are, halfway through the 22 STEPS series. What a landmark moment! As of the last post, I’ve now written 40,000 words non-fiction words about the writing of my 2025 novel. It clocked in at 110,000 — so that’s 150k since November 2024 on this title alone. The revolutions of writing the book, writing about writing the book, writing the book, and so on, has, without a doubt, made the book stronger. It’s given me new insights into my own process, allowed me to examine situations and problems, find new paths, and brought all of us together. A win-win situation, without a doubt.

So now we’re at the stage I call the second revision. This is where I prepare the manuscript to be submitted to my editor and agent.

While sending your manuscript to your first readers is filled with hopeful fraught, the moment you hit send to your editor and agent can only be defined as sheer terror. From this moment forward, the book is no longer yours…but theirs. They’ve been waiting patiently for the manuscript, and you are hopefully on time or ahead of schedule. (I still say totally missing deadlines derails your career—though there are certain situations in which that’s not the case, especially those moments when the team decides as a whole that date shifts need to happen. But just not turning in your work will absolutely ruin you.)

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