A DEEPER DARKNESS gets a Top Pick from Romantic Times!

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Oh, my goodness. The good news keeps on coming. Just got this wonderful review from Romantic Times - 4 1/2 Stars and a Top Pick! Thank you, RT!

"Ellison's latest focuses on medical examiner Samantha Owens, and readers will quickly realize they don't miss Taylor Jackson at all. A gut-wrenching tale that rings with emotional resonance and heart amidst the thrills, A DEEPER DARKNESS ranks as Ellison's best book yet. Her amazing streak of great thrillers continues."

Summary: Samantha Owens receives a phone call from the mother of an ex-boyfriend, Eddie Donovan. It appears the he was the victim of a carjacking, but his mom has her doubts. So Samantha flies to Washington, D.C., to run a second forensic examination of Eddie's body. His distrustful widow and a detective attracted to Samantha add to the intrigue. Can she overcome her demons to solve the case while managing to stay out of the killer's crosshairs?

To celebrate all of today's wonderful news, here's a sneak peek inside A DEEPER DARKNESS:

Click here for an exclusive excerpt!

Want to Read A DEEPER DARKNESS before it releases?

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Dear friends:

Reviews make the author's world go around. They are vital to word of mouth sales, and I need your help spreading the word about my brand new series starring Dr. Samantha Owens. You've been so amazing in the past, I am hoping that I can count on you to help me promote the book, which releases from online sellers (Amazon and B&N) April 17, will be in physical stores April 24, and will release for eReaders (Nook, Kindle, etc.) May 1, 2012.

Here's how you can help:

If you'd like an advance review copy of A DEEPER DARKNESS, you can get one from my publisher through NetGalley. From their site:

NetGalley delivers secure, digital galleys to professional readers. If you are a reviewer, blogger, journalist, librarian, bookseller, educator, or in the media, you can use NetGalley for FREE to read and request titles before they are published.

The catch is, if you get the advance reader copy, we ask that in return you review the book, on your blog, through Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, Shelfari, Amazon, B&N, or wherever you reside online, and spread the word to your reader friends.

Having your help raising awareness of A DEEPER DARKNESS will make a huge difference. You are the best readers in the world, and it is such a pleasure to give you this opportunity to have a sneak peek at the first Sam Owens novel. And if you want to follow up, I'm happy to answer questions, do an interview, or whatever you'd like.

Click here to get to NetGalley. You will be asked to sign up, but don't worry, it's free!

Thank you so much!  

XO,

JT

Here's what your favorite authors are saying about A DEEPER DARKNESS

"Shocking suspense, compelling characters and fascinating forensic details. When it comes to fast-paced thrillers, J.T. Ellison always has her game on."
~Lisa Gardner, #1 NYT bestselling author of CATCH ME

"A DEEPER DARKNESS has everything I love in a thriller: stunning twists and shocks, fascinating forensics, and heroines I deeply cared about. JT Ellison is one of the best writers in the game."
~Tess Gerritsen, NYT bestselling author of THE SILENT GIRL

"A DEEPER DARKNESS is not only a compelling thriller but a multilayered meditation on grief and loss. Dr. Samantha Owens is a forensic investigator with heart and soul and this is the start of a most promising new series for rising star JT Ellison."
~Jeff Abbott, NYT bestselling Author of ADRENALINE

"Intense and riveting, A DEEPER DARKNESS is JT Ellison at her finest. Dr. Samantha Owens is one of the most memorable and engaging characters in thriller fiction today. I want more Sam! JT Ellison is a master storyteller, and ultimately A DEEPER DARKNESS is an extraordinary story of life and hope. Superb!"
~Carla Neggers, NYT bestselling author of Saint's Gate

"A Deeper Darkness hits all the right notes: terrific characters, great setting, fast pace and fascinating storyline. Dark and compelling, rich with authentic detail, I couldn’t put it down. Look out Kay Scarpetta, there’s a new medical examiner on the block."
~Erica Spindler, NYT bestselling author of WATCH ME DIE

"A Deeper Darkness is everything a great thriller should be: clever, complex, and captivating. J.T. Ellison’s gripping new series is a winner!"
~Allison Brennan, NYT bestselling author of SILENCED

Soundtrack for A DEEPER DARKNESS

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Funny thing about writing this book. I needed to get into the right frame of mind to allow myself to experience Samantha Owens loss on a visceral level. One can imagine how horrid it must be to lose one's family, but to really feel it, you need an anthem. I latched on to Johnny Cash's version of Hurt, by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, right away, and lived inside that song for the three months it took me to pound out the draft of this book. 

Strangely enough, I'd only ever heard the Cash version. In a spooky coincidence, when I went to D.C. to do research, I was sitting at a stoplight at the steps to Georgetown University, which figures prominently in the story. The radio was on, and I suddenly heard the strains of music I'd become so familiar with, but they were different somehow, wrong. It was the original version of the song, the one I'd never heard. Coming to me as I sat, taking mental notes on the feel of the Georgetown campus.

Now that's an anthem.

The remaining songs fell into place as well, and this soundtrack became my daily prayer, my north, my south, my east, my west. Each song built on the next, telling the story of Sam, and her loss, and her revival, and ultimately, her happiness, touched by sorrow as it is, and always will be. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Here's the Line-Up:

Hurt - Johnny Cash 
My Immortal - Evanescence 
Three Wishes - The Pierces
Hero - Regina Spektor
Life - Josh Rouse 
Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straights 
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana 
Never Talk About It -  Tift Merritt 
The Rat - Dead Confederate 
Alone And Forsaken - Neko Case 
Marilyn Dean And James Monroe - John Kilzer 
Wherever You Will Go - The Calling
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straights 
Bring Me To Life - Evanescence 
An End Has a Start - Editors 
You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones
Winter Sleep - Antonio Vivaldi Elements: Four Seasons ( V ) 18
I Had a Farm (Out of Africa) - John Barry 

On Getting Older

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I went to get my eyes checked the other day because I was having a hard time reading small print while I had my regular distance glasses on. My optometrist smiled and nodded and said, yes, this is normal with people your age. So in translation, what he was really saying was this: Guess what, chickie? You need bifocals. Or readers. Or progressive lenses. 

Dear God, I have hit middle age.

Aside from the vanity issue, the reality of the situation freaks me out. The changes to my life and body have been gradual, so subtle that I barely noticed the grinning beast sneaking up on me. It's been little things, quiet things, practically unnoticed until the dreaded B word entered my lexicon. Preferring a Saturday night at home reading with music playing gently in the background. Not wanting to drink more than two glasses of wine in a sitting. The slight spreading around my middle. A sudden desire to stop coloring my hair, just to see what color exactly I am.* Less makeup, more sunscreen, and oodles of Crème de la Mer. Cholesterol checks and mammograms and inside jokes about hot flashes and colonoscopies.

When my new reading glasses arrived yesterday, I put them on and modeled them for my husband, who raised an eyebrow and said I looked a bit like Carrie Donovan. Not exactly the response I was looking for. Alas.

I can trace this now obviously cataclysmic change back to a single moment, a few years ago, when a friend's husband passed away. Her loss hit me in a way I coudn't have predicted, or even understood. It brought about a sudden recognition of my own mortality, and that of those I love, the first I've ever really felt. That led to a surprisingly deep depression, one of which I came out of with a new outlook on life. I wanted to be more authentic. To be true to myself, instead of what people expected of me. To focus on what matters to the internal me rather than worrying about buffing and polishing the surface. 

And I changed accordingly. And for the better, I believe. I do yoga now. I meditate. I feel a new creative freedom that I'd never felt before. I don't concern myself with what people think about me. I am infinitely more empathetic. I appreciate the things I have more, and feel losses more keenly.

I guess I shouldn't say I'm growing old. I am simply growing up.

Interesting....

 

*9 months in, it's dark blond with copious natural highlights. Rather pretty, actually.