Davis Kidd Presents Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Celebration

On Sunday, July 11th, join Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Nashville’s community bookstore, for our To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary reading!

To celebrate, Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville will host six local authors from 1:00 to 4:00 pm to read their favorite passage from To Kill a Mockingbird. Authors include: Marshall Chapman, Goodbye Little Rock & Roller, Susan Gregg Gilmore, Looking for Salvation at the Diary Queen, Craig Havinghurst, Air Castle of the South, Beth Pattillo, Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart, Lisa Patton, Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’Easter and Clay Travis, On Rocky Top.

Additionally, 20 percent of all purchases made during the anniversary reading will be donated to Nashville’s local chapter of Room to Read.

Room to Read works in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.

Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 for To Kill a Mockingbird. The book became an international bestseller and was adapted to film in 1962. It has remained her only novel.

“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." -Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird

It’s easy to get lost in a book. Why not lose yourself in a bookstore? Offering books on all subjects, a DVD and music department specializing in bestsellers and local interest, cards and gifts, a children’s section
complete with story time and kids’ events, and around 250 author events a year, Davis-Kidd Booksellers is proud to serve as the premier independent bookstore in Nashville.
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Davis-Kidd Booksellers|Green Hills Mall|615.385.2645|daviskidd.com

I so wanted to join the fun, but had a scheduling conflict. Y'all go and show my peeps at Davis Kidd some love!

First Thrills Gets A Starred Review From Booklist

“This is hands down one of the best short story collections you’re ever likely to read. The brainchild of the (relatively new) International Thrillers Writers organization, the book features never-before-published stories by such notables as Jeffery Deaver, Michael Palmer, Gregg Hurwitz, Stephen Coonts, John Lescroart, Karin Slaughter, and Lee Child (who also serves as the book’s editor). Alongside them, you’ll find top-notch short fiction from names that might be less familiar—J. T. Ellison, CJ Lyons, Sean Michael Bailey—but they are writers who certainly won’t remain unfamiliar for long. The stories fit under the most inclusive of thriller umbrellas, but many contain elements of mysteries, science fiction, and horror as well. They feature an equally diverse cast of characters, too, ranging from con men and killers to aliens, ghosts, and zombies. In many short story collections, there are a few standouts. Here, nearly the entire lineup stands out. Lescroart’s “The Gato Conundrum,” for example, is a fine spy thriller that moves through Italy , England , Russia , France , and the U.S. , all in 20 pages. Heather Graham’s “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” combines grisly horror with a historical setting. Theo Gangi’s “Eddy May” is a seemingly straightforward story about a pair of con artists that turns out to be not straightforward at all; in an anthology full of plot twists, Gangi’s definitely out twists them all. A masterful collection.”

—Booklist, starred review.

I'm honored to be a part of this amazing anthology. First Thrills will be available from Tor Books June 22 and features my short story KILLING CAROL ANN.

AOL Opinion: Nashville Flood - Where is President Obama?

Many of you are well aware of the fact that my adopted hometown of Nashville has been devastated by a flood of biblical proportions. I've been tweeting it, blogging it, Facebooking it. But that wasn't enough. I wanted to get the real story out into the world, and my friend Ivory Madison, who runs the awesome site for authors Red Room, offered me a great opportunity. Write it up, and she'd pass it along to a friend she knew.

Well, that friend was the op-ed editor for AOL News. And between the two of them, the opinion piece I've written is up and running on AOL today. I can't thank them both enough for the opportunity to share what's really happening here in Nashville. Despite over $1.5 billion in damage, the President of the United States didn't bother to visit the affected areas. That's virtually unheard of - disasters are, sadly, Presidential bread and butter.

But it's more than that. The spirit of love in Nashville is alive and well. We didn't wait, we all pitched in immediately. We took care of our own. You know why? We Are Nashville. It's become our rallying cry. It is the truth - this is how we do things in the south.

Enjoy the piece, and think about donating if you can. Even five bucks makes a difference. Here's a link to a great list of local charities.

Do the Write Thing For Nashville Auction

My auction items are up on the Do the Write Thing for Nashville site. Check it out here, and bid. There might be a surprise for you if you do.

Thanks!

It's Official - More Taylor Jackson Books On The Way!!!

As reported in today's Publishers Marketplace, I am so excited to announce that I've inked a new deal for three more Taylor Jackson novels! It's kind of amazing, this is just one week shy of the four year anniversary of my very first deal. This deal is for books 7-9, so as you can imagine, I'm going to be hard at work for the foreseeable future.

Fiction: Mystery/Crime

JT Ellison's next three untitled novels, continuing the story of a Nashville homicide lieutenant and an FBI profiler, to Linda McFall at Mira, in a good deal, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.

Let me say a huge thank you to you, the readers, because your support is what gets new books added to the contract. And a huge thanks to Mira, and Linda, for being such a great family. It is truly a joy to write for all of you. And as always, to my dear agent, without whom I'd be lost. You rock, Scott.

Happy Birthday Week to me : )

Now, let the champagne flow!