I’m dreaming of a white Christmas...

Which ain’t going to happen, no matter how much I dream, because I don’t get to spend Christmas in Colorado anymore. But I remember how much I used to love getting up on Christmas morning to find out Santa had brought a lovely storm. It was so magical. Christmas Eve, we always watched the classics—Charlie Brown, The Grinch, and Rudolph. If you recall...the final plot twist in Rudolph is a terrible winter storm that’s going to cancel Christmas. Because of his big, beautiful red nose, Santa realizes he’ll be able to deliver all the gifts after all—and of course, the stop to the Island of Misfit Toys never failed to leave me sobbing into my pillow at the injustice of the very concept of unwanted toys, with every toy I owned on the bed so none of them—NONE—would feel left out. (Even as an adult, I can’t watch that scene without crying. It’s so wonderful, the message of inclusion, of gratitude, of little joys, and not taking love for granted.)

And then, spent, I’d fall asleep and wake to a winter wonderland, evergreens bowing under the weight of the snow, the gentle susurring of branches shaking themselves free of their white blankets, the deep silence only a snowfall can bring, and I’d know Santa had come. It was glorious.

So now you know what I’ll be doing Tuesday night...

We have some other family traditions, one in particular that’s very important to our Christmas Eve. We light bayberry candles at sunset and let them burn down all night in remembrance of those loved ones who are no longer with us. As the youngest in the family, I always have the honor of lighting the candles. I keep promising myself I will loop some people in my world into this tradition, but always end up with the usual seasonal overwhelm. It will happen, eventually. 2020, The Year of Enough, is going to see some major changes in how I approach the whole commercial side of my life in addition to my perfectionism, so this seems like a great time to get started.

Do you have any holiday traditions—new or old—that you just will not miss?

And with that, off we go…

Closer To Home:

GOOD GIRLS LIE comes out one week from tomorrow!!!

You can imagine my delight at seeing this wonderful snippet in ELLE Canada this week: “If the Succession prequel series of our dreams actually existed, we imagine it would find Shiv Roy at a private school similar to the one where J.T. Ellison’s latest novel, Good Girls Lie (out on December 30), is set. The twisty psychological thriller follows Ash, who quickly makes friends with the popular crowd at her elite new prep school. But when Ash falls out of favour and a student ends up dead, she becomes the clear suspect. Enter secrets, betrayal and general mistrust—all of our favourite things (to read about).”

I am obsessed with Succession, and Shiv Roy, and I admit to absolute delight at this comparison. Also, when I first started writing, I was reviewing for the Elle Book Club, and Elle Magazine was my very first byline. This has a bit of a full-circle feel to me. 🥰

A few of the places GGL has popped up recently:

-Providence Journal: “A bracingly original thriller set inside the ironically named Goode School that reads like a female-centric A Separate Peace spiced with murder.”

-BookTrib: Good Girls Lie, Cheat and Murder … Or Do They? “A whopper of a dark tale, a nail-biter bound to keep you reading beyond the midnight hour.”

-Mystery Scene Magazine: “A dark, moody, surprising, well-wrought psychological thriller that evokes the best of Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith.”

Don’t forget to check out the Events page to see if I’ll be in your town for book tour. I would love to see you! If I’m not coming to your area, you can preorder a personalized copy from Parnassus Books.

THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

Cozy cabin was custom-designed for reading. What an amazing getaway!

Best mystery books of 2019. This is a fabulous list, including two of my best of 2019 reads, Laura Benedict’s THE STRANGER INSIDE and Michael Kortya’s IF SHE WAKES. My full list of top 2019 books is coming soon!

Shop Less, Give More: 4 Ways to Give Bookish Experiences as Gifts This Holiday Season. Great ideas!

How Reese Witherspoon Took Charge of Her Career and Changed Hollywood. This is so inspiring! I know I speak for all of us when I say - GOOD FOR HER!

New owners and location for Mysterious Galaxy in 2020. Wonderful news! Welcome to the family, Matt and Jenni.

Video of a Delivery Man Discovering Snacks Outside a House. This is so lovely - putting together my basket this weekend.

'The Silent Patient' Wins Best Mystery of 2019. And it’s incredibly well deserved. I loved this book and I appreciate the effort that went into it.

My favorite gifts to give and receive. A superb gathering of goodies to gift and receive this holiday season, from Anne Bogel.

(Almost) Every Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV or Movie Adaptation in the Works Right Now. Lots of good stuff ahead!

104-year-old woman celebrates birthday with a children's book drive. How remarkable!

Writing Inspiration: Turning Good Reading into Good Writing. Good tips here.

WHAT I’M READING:

THE KILL CLUB by Wendy Heard

A chilling, clever plot combined with highly original characters makes Wendy Heard's THE KILL CLUB a surefire winner. Relentlessly paced, elegantly written, diabolically twisted, you will not be able to put it down. Heard is a true talent. And a really, really cool chick.

What are you reading?

That’s it from me. Watch a classic, listen to one of the awesome new book podcasts, take a few days off this week, and I’ll see you next week!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Season’s Greetings, Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, heck… MERRY EVERYTHING!!!!!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.