The Immortals On Sale Today!

Happy Birthday to my fifth baby!

If you're in Nashville, join us tonight at Davis Kidd to celebrate the release with some wine and prizes. I'll be at Reading Rock Books in Dickson tomorrow night at 7. Check here for the rest of the tour scedule.

Here's a round up of reviews, interviews and guest blogs across the Interwebs.  

I'll be updating links as the pieces run.

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly (Starred Review): "Outstanding..."

Fresh Fiction: "Get ready for one of the most deliciously twisted, scary and murderous rides you've ever taken!"

The Reading Frenzy (B&N Bookclub): "A chilling tale of murder and mayhem and things that go bump in the night... Ellison is one of the most masterful storytellers I have ever had the privilege of reading."

Alethea Kontis: "The Immortals is not paranormal fiction, but is it?"

Romantic Times: 4 Stars!  "This dark thriller has nonstop action."

Romance Reviews Today: "The action never stops from start to finish."

Book Goggles: "With a storyline that is new reader friendly & a wonderfully macabre murder investigation, this book kept me reading at such a fast pace that I finished it within a day."

Larry Chavis: "...a fast-paced thriller that keeps the reader hanging on edge..."

Suspense Magazine: "Delving into an unexpected sub-culture—the occult—Ellison ratchets up the fear with each spine-tingling page..."

Interviews:

ITW The Big Thrill

Kay Elam

The Writers' Project

Blogs:

Harlequin Paranormal - Mythology and Secrets

Harlequin

Romantic Times

The Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers - On Research

Variance Publishing - Writing Advice

Janice Gable Bashman - Picking Favorites

The Immortals Soundtrack

Every book I write has its own soundtrack - a compilation of songs that either inspired me or helps to tell the story of the novel. Here's the soundtrack for THE IMMORTALS - Enjoy!

JT Featured on Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN TV)

As a part of the Oprah Winfrey Network's LIFE IS NOT A STRAIGHT LINE series, OWN came to Tennessee to delve into the 90 degree turn my life took when I decided to leave the world of politics and aerospace marketing behind and become a thriller writer.

Click here to see the very cool short movie they put together - and check out my gorgeous town.

On Loss

It's been a truly horrible week so far. Yesterday a friend miscarried, then my parents called to let me know that one of their old friends had passed. And this morning, I woke to even more tragic news: David Thompson from the wonderful Houston bookstore Murder by the Book and publisher of the recently acquired Busted Flush Press, passed away suddenly yesterday.

The emotions we go through when we hear about senseless death are overwhelming. Pain, sadness, fear. Unworthiness, relief. Voyeurism. But mostly, just an overwhelming feeling of loss, of dislocation. I know that right now, my heart hurts.

As a wife, I can't help but feel such pain for McKenna Jordan, the love of David's life and the owner of Murder by the Book. I had the great honor of signing at the store back in January of 2009. It's a great place, so homey, exactly what you want from a bookstore. After, we hit the bar next door for beers, sat outside in the cool evening air and shot the breeze. It was a great night.

Now that David is gone, there will always be a mark in time for all crime fiction writers - when we signed before, and when we signed after. I know I've spent the day reminiscing - chatting with David at the Crimespree booth in Indianapolis, catching up at BEA, how kind he was when the hurricane came through Houston and we needed to reschedule my signing.

We've all lost a great friend, a lover of books with an insatiable sense of humor. My first reaction this morning was of shock, of course, but then, tears, then that creepy weirdness that always surrounds a friend's passing - last night I was deleting Direct Messages in my Twitter acount. I came across a series of messages that David and I shared a few months back. I reread them, laughed again, and for some odd reason which I will never be able to explain, didn't delete them. Maybe it was the sense of inclusion that I got from having a DM from David Thompson. Maybe it was that they made me laugh, and I wanted to keep them around so I could revisit them and enjoy the conversation over and over. Or maybe, the universe was letting me know that we'd lost him.

McKenna asked that no tributes be sent to the store. But as Sarah Weinman suggested, the best tribute is purchasing a book from them today.

Here's their website. Help us honor David's memory.

xo,

JT

Update on 2010-09-16 15:34 by JT Ellison

Alafair Burke has set up a memorial fund for donations: Make checks for deposit to "In Memory of David Thompson," 7 E 14th St #1206, NY NY 10003-3121. Or buy as many Busted Flush Press books as you can, from your bookstore, or order from Murder by the Books, the store David managed and which his wife, McKenna Jordan, owns.

(Thanks, Sara in Vermont for letting me steal your PS)

New Forthcoming Flash Mystery Anthology From Untreed Reads

I'm so honored to have a short (SHORT) story in this super-unique anthology. I wrote HAVE YOU SEEN ME? specifically for Patti Abbott and Steve Weddle, and it's never been in print before. Just a note of thanks to them for including me, and for Untreed Reads and Stacia Decker for making it a reality.

We are talking killer anthology here - just look at this lineup!

Untreed Reads is very happy to announce that thanks to our partnership with Stacia J.N. Decker of the Donald Maass Literary Agency, Untreed Reads will be the ebook publisher for a new short mystery anthology tentatively titled Discount Noir. The anthology consists of super short/flash murder and mayhem centered around a very Wal-Mart/Target-esque backdrop.

The anthology contains works by: Patricia Abbott, Sophie Littlefield, Kieran Shea, Chad Eagleton, Ed Gorman, Cormac Brown, Fleur Bradley, Alan Griffiths, Laura Benedict, Garnett Elliot, Eric Beetner, Jack Bates, Bill Crider, Loren Eaton, John DuMond, John McFetridge, Toni McGee Causey, Jeff Vande Zande, James Reasoner, Kyle Minor, Randy Rohn, Todd Mason, Byron Quertermous, Sandra Scoppettone, Stephen D. Rogers, Steve Weddle, Evan Lewis, Daniel B. O’Shea, Sandra Seamans, Albert Tucher, Donna Moore, John Weagly, Keith Rawson, Gerald So, Dave Zeltserman, Dorte Hummelshoj Jakobsen, Jay Stringer, Anne Frasier, Kathleen A. Ryan, Eric Peterson, Chris Grabenstein and J.T. Ellison. The anthology was edited by Patricia Abbott and Steve Weddle.

Look for this title to be released in late September/early October.