Some Wonderful Advance Praise for WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE

I am so honored to have received the following endorsements for WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE from these three amazing authors, all of whom are incredible writers, and among my all time favorites! If you aren't reading them, you must, must, must!

"JT Ellison gets her Hitchcock on, expertly ratcheting up the tension, twisting her finely honed plot, and just plain messing with her characters' heads until the superbly explosive end. Not to be missed!"

- Lisa Gardner, #1 NYT bestselling author of LOVE YOU MORE

"WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE is riveting! J.T. Ellison is in top form with this stunning novel of psychological suspense. WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE is atmospheric, emotional, eerie and impossible to put down."

 – Carla Neggers, NYT bestselling author of SAINT'S GATE

"This is one of those novels that grips you from the very first page. Excellent and intriguing with full blown characters that come alive. It's a novel not to be missed."

- Heather Graham, NYT bestselling author of GHOST WALK

Taylor Jackson #7 A Gothic Suspense Coming 9.20.11

WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE will be in stores September 20. I am so excited to start sharing all the fun stuff for this book - but let's kick things off with the soundtrack, shall we?

Also, if you aren't signed up for my newsletter - please do, because there will be exclusive specials--contests, offers and other goodies--that will only be available to my newsletter readers.

Sign up for the newsletter here!

Hope this hot summer is treating you well!

xo,
JT

The Thriller

It's been a bit of a surreal weekend.

As most of you have heard by now, THE COLD ROOM was named 2010's Best Paperback Original by the International Thriller Writers Saturday night. I was overwhelmed at the nomination - and up against two very good friends, Shane Gericke and Rob Browne, both incredibly fine writers. I was a bag of nerves going into the conference too: I've never been nominated for anything, and I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself because I was really nervous about the whole thing.

Well, someone divine knew I needed to stop fretting, because Tuesday morning I woke with a whoppingly (soppingly?) bad cold. I was shocked they let me on the plane Wednesday, actually. I had to cancel all my Wednesday plans, and suck it up when I woke Thursday for my Craftfest class with Erica Spindler and felt exactly like hell. I had left my sparkle in the room. (Sorry, Erica, for being so scattered and blech!)

I made it through the day, but at the big cocktail party Thursday night, my voice started to go. By Friday, I had none. By Saturday, it was even worse - I was feeling okay, but mute. So the divine Toni McGee Causey moderated my panel for me.

Now, this was strangely prophetic on several levels. First, because of my nervous state, I told Randy I'd been praying for laryngitis so if I did win, I couldn't get up in front of all those people and speak, thus making a fool out of myself. Second, because in the new book, WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE, Taylor is suffering from hysterical aphonia. She has no voice. I joked to my publisher that I was simply starting the marketing early.

And third, when I got choked up and started to cry on stage, I was able to mask it.

Yes, I cried. I am such a girl. I get overly emotional all the time, and this was no exception. To be honored by your peers, to be told your book was the best of the year, was utterly overwhelming.

But that's wasn't the only magic happening in New York Saturday night. Many of you know that John Sandford was my direct inspiration to start my writing career. I was reading the PREY series and three books in had this epiphany: I wanted to write a female Lucas Davenport. And so I did. Of course, Taylor is very different from Davenport on many levels, but I absolutely took the idea of a cop who was half rock star, half hero from those books. John's novel was up for best novel, and lo and behold, he won. Which meant things like this were happening Sunday and Monday:

Publishers Marketplace:

Sandford and Ellison Top ITW Thriller Awards

I really can't put into words what reading that headline did to me. Affirmation of my chosen career, a reward for the many hours of labor spent toiling away, the knowledge that I've done something only one other woman in our field has accomplished... (two - truth be told, they are a writing team) all combined with winning the award with my heroes in the room.... it was priceless.

And yes, I say heroes, because it wasn't just John there. Diana Gabaldon, my favorite author, was there too! When she congratulated me, I about melted into the floor.

But it was even more than that. ITW has been a part of my writing life from day one. I will never forget how excited I was when I got my deal just in time to add PUBLISHED AUTHOR to my name badge at that first, mythical Thrillerfest in Phoenix. To be honored by the very organization that has been nurturing my career from day one... well, you get the idea. 

My acceptance speech managed to thank my darling husband Randy (though I shouldn't have started with him, I got choked up immediately), my amazing agent Scott Miller, my incredible publishers Mira Books, my former editor Linda McFall, and the whole of ITW.

But let me take this moment to thank you. Because you read the books, bought the books, and gave me a career. Because you share the books with your mom and dad, your sister and brother and friends. Because you request the books be housed in your library, and tell your favorite bookseller that they need to carry the titles. Because each and every day, you reach out to me: here at the blog, on Twitter and Facebook, through email. Because of you, I am inspired. I have a writing career. And that's the most beautiful thing of all.

With love,

JT

So who's hotter - Lee Child or Steve Berry?

Now Available in Paperback!

FIRST THRILLS: High-Octane Stories from the Hottest Thriller Authors

FIRST THRILLS includes never-before-published stories by New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child, Stephen Coonts, Jeffrey Deaver, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, John Lescroart, John Lutz (with Lise E. Baker), Alex Kava (with Deb Carlin), Michael Palmer (with Daniel James Palmer), Karin Slaughter, and Wendi Corsi Staub.

The collection also serves as an introduction to a new generation of thriller authors, including Sean Michael Bailey, Ken Bruen, Ryan Brown, Bill Cameron, Rebecca Cantrell, Karen Dionne, JT Ellison, Theo Gangi, Rip Gerber, CJ Lyons, Grant McKenzie, Marc Paoletti, Cynthia Robinson, and Kelli Stanley.

"Hands down one of the best short story collections you’re ever likely to read.”—Booklist, starred review

Also available June 7 as 4 mini e-books for just $2.99!

All proceeds from the sales of FIRST THRILLS have been donated by the authors to support ITW's efforts to promote and elevate the thriller genre.

Plus: TWO FREE STORIES!

CLICK HERE to read "The Thief" by Gregg Hurwitz
CLICK HERE to read "Children's Day" by Kelli Stanley

Leave a comment here to be entered to win a copy of this awesome short story collection!

(contest ends June 7)

First Look at Taylor Jackson #7 - WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE (9.20.11)

I've been waiting and waiting and waiting to share the new Taylor Jackson with y'all... and I think it's finally time. I am so excited about this book. It was incredibly fun to write, and Mira came up with a brilliant cover and a whole new format, trade paperback. So it's a triply special book.

Fair warning: if you haven't finished SO CLOSE THE HAND OF DEATH, there is a small spoiler ahead.

Get ready for a whole different side of Taylor Jackson....

The headshot didn't kill Taylor Jackson.
But it will haunt.

In her showdown with the murderous Pretender, a bullet taken at close range severed the connection between Taylor’s thoughts and speech. Effectively mute, there’s no telling if her voice will ever come back. Trapped in silence, she is surrounded by ghosts—of the past, of friendships and trusts lost—of the specter of a lost faith in herself and her motives that night.

When Memphis Highsmythe offers Taylor his home in the Scottish highlands to recuperate, her fiancé John Baldwin can’t refuse her excitement, no matter his distrust of the man. At first, Memphis’s drafty and singularly romantic castle seems the perfect place for healing. But shortly the house itself surrounds her like a menacing presence. As Taylor’s sense of isolation and vulnerability grows, so, too, does her grip on reality.

PTSD. Pills. Ghosts. Grudges.

Someone or something is coming after Taylor. But is she being haunted by the dead...or hunted by the living?

WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE is available for pre-order from your favorite bookseller now! It goes on sale in late September (9-20-11) and the digital version will be out 10-1-11.

I hope you enjoy it!

Brenda Novak's Auction: Breakfast with JT

I am thrilled to be a part of Brenda Novak's Annual Auction for the Cure of Diabetes, 2011.

Up for auction is breakfast wth yours truly at either Thrillerfest in New York July 6-9 or Bouchercon in St. Louis September 15-18.* We'll talk books, publishing, writing, movies - whatever you want.

Bidding opens today - April 30.

It's such a great cause, I hope you'll consider getting involved. And hey, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right?

* You don't have to attend the conferences to participate in this auction - only planning to be in New York or St. Louis during that time frame.