On Book Festivals and Waiting for Workmen

First up - you will notice a pretty little widget to the right of the blog - that's so you can browse inside of the new book. Enjoy!

Instead of working this morning, I've been waiting for the air conditioner repairman - the umpteenth in a long line of people attempting to fix a leak in our system. He's late, and so I am blogging, because I don't want to interrupt the flow of words to deal with the mundane. 

A fabulous time was had by (almost) all at the Southern Kentucky Festival of Books this past weekend. I was lucky enough to have a friend in town, brilliant author chick Deanna Raybourn. If you don't read her, and follow her blog, you simply must. We ate barbeque and went shopping and did honkytonking Ellison style - which means Patterson House, Oak Room, Merchants and Past Perfect with a brisk walk past Tootsie's and Legends - and sandwiched in a trip north to Bowling Green for the festival. It's one of my favorites, always drawing a crowd of fun and interesting people, as well as a few, shall we say, odd ducks. 

With so many authors and readers in a single room, you really can't go wrong. There was something for everyone, and I counted the day a complete success, not only because my stack of A DEEPER DARKNESS was gone within the first two hours, but I got to panel with a few of my favorites - Will Lavender, David Bell and Rick Robinson, who are all fascinating, and make faces at Deanna, who was right across from me, and sit next to one of the sweetest girls ever, who was so gracious and happy to be a part of her first event that I couldn't help but smile every time I looked her way, and spend some serious quality time with Heather Graham and hubby Dennis. Talk about a blessing - good friends, awesome fans, a well-run event - yep, it was a good day.

But y'all know me - my glass is always more than half-full. Meeting readers whilst surrounded by a stack of books is my idea of a good time.

One little housekeeping note: you'll notice I've turned off comments. Because we normally talk on Facebook and Twitter, and I deal with legions of spam, it seems the right thing to do. You can now come, read and move on with your day without feeling compelled to leave a comment or jump through the CAPTCHA hoops. I hope that works better for us all!

AC man here and gone, thankfully, so I'm off to revise Edge of Black. Have a super day! 

Spring 2012 Newsletter

Spring 2012, Volume XIII
A DEEPER DARKNESS IS ON SALE TODAY!

The first Samantha Owens novel is a May Indie Next Pick! 

Dearest friends,

Two years ago May 1, Nashville was hit by a flood of biblical proportion. It is fitting that the first book in my new series, A DEEPER DARKNESS, is releasing so near the second anniversary. I'm so excited to share this book with you, my first foray away from Taylor Jackson.

The past few weeks leading into the release have been rather amazing, and I have a boatload of good news to share. 

First, the print and audio editions of A DEEPER DARKNESS are on sale now. The electronic edition for your Nook, Kindle, Kobo, Sony Reader, iPad, etc., goes on sale Tuesday, May 1. I am thrilled to share that the novel has been chosen an Indie Next Pick for May. This is an amazing honor, and I am so excited! Our independent booksellers have been the lifeblood of my career from day one, and to have this happen for Samantha's first foray is incredibly exciting. And I've just learned that A DEEPER DARKNESS is a Publishers Weekly Pick for this week! I am floored.

A DEEPER DARKNESS is also a Top Pick from Romantic Times this month. Part of the review reads: "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." I am so happy that they loved it. Publishers Weekly called A DEEPER DARKNESS, "(A) scintillating first in a new forensic series." Suffice it to say I am very, very happy to see this first Samantha Owens novel being well-received!

We have some serious momentum building behind this novel. So I have a favor to ask of you. If you haven't already, please order your book today. These first few weeks are vital to the life of the book. And if you like it, please share it with your friends through recommendations on your Facebook pages, Twitter, Goodreads, Shelfari, etc. And if you're so inclined, leave a review on the sites as well. Your support helps me continue writing stories, giving you new books to read. Thank you so much for all your help spreading the word about A DEEPER DARKNESS!

Order Yours Now!   Amazon  Barnes & Noble  IndieBound  Audio

RITA! RITA! RITA!  

Is that enough for you? Well, hang on, because there's more. And it's HUGE!  WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE has been nominated for a 2012 RITA® Award for Best Romantic Suspense. When I got the call from Romance Writers of America® (RWA) I was completely speechless. I still am. The awards ceremony is in Anaheim, California in late July, at a gala black-tie event. I can't wait to go to RWA, and will let you know what happens. Regardless, the honor of being nominated in the romance field is major for me. I'm up against some incredible writers, and to be mentioned in their company literally brought me to tears. 

Tour Dates

In addition to my visit to California, I'm also touring a bit for A DEEPER DARKNESS. Things kick off tonight at Reading Rock Books in Dickson, Tennessee, and Thursday evening I am hosting a live video chat online. I wish I could come to every store in every market, but since that's not feasible, the video chat is a chance for those of you outside the local area to hear the stories that went into writing A DEEPER DARKNESS. I hope to see you at one of these events:

April 17, 3pm EST
Live on Cover to Cover
Sirius/XM Book Radio
Channel 80

April 17, 6-8 pm
A DEEPER DARKNESS LAUNCH
Reading Rock Books 
122 North Main Street
Dickson, Tennessee 

April 19 6-8 pm EST
Shindig Video Chat
Reading and Speaking on A DEEPER DARKNESS
Shindig Events
RSVP by Clicking Here   

April 20-21
Southern Kentucky Bookfest
2355 Nashville Road
Bowling Green, Kentucky

April 28, 1-3 pm
Reading and Signing A DEEPER DARKNESS
Parnassus Books
3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14
Nashville, Tennessee

May 5, 11-2 pm
Heart of Dixie Luncheon
Huntsville, Alabama

May 12, 2-4 pm
Reading and Signing A DEEPER DARKNESS
Mysteries & More
Lenox Village, 6965 Sunnywood Drive
Nashville, Tennessee 

Treats

From me to you, as an added thank you to being a loyal reader of this newsletter, I am instituting a quarterly giveaway. Since this one is at the same time as a book release, I'm going to give away a few things. Don't worry, I've done all the work for you already, by picking winners at random from this mailing list. 

Grand Prize Winner: Melissa Suitt
$50 giftcard to your favorite bookseller

First Place: Dan Elam 
Signed Copy of the divine Allison Brennan's new Lucy Kincaid novel, SILENCED, also a Romantic Times Top Pick, and on sale April 24.

Second Place: Shirley Farris
Signed copy of your choice of backlist titles in the Taylor Jackson series

Melissa, Dan and Shirley, you have until April 30 to get in touch with your address, or your prize goes back in the pot for another to win.

Enjoy your treats!


LOVE IS MURDER!

I have a brand new short story in this amazing anthology, which just received a STARRED Review from Publishers Weekly. Prepare for heart-racing suspense in this original collection by thirty of the hottest bestselling authors and new voices writing romance suspense today. My contribution, THE NUMBER OF MAN is a love story, of sorts. Love twisted, love that hurts. Love that is unrequited, unwanted, and definitely not nice.

LOVE IS MURDER is on sale May 28, 2012. 




This Month's Recipe

Light and delicious, this summer salad is perfect for barbeques, picnics, or adventurous lunchboxes!

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 9 oz frozen corn, thawed
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 small hass avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 lime, juice of
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp cilantro
• salt and fresh pepper

Directions: 

Combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix with lime juice and olive oil. Marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado before serving.


Social Butterfly

My break from blogging has been a real help to my fiction. So while I'm not out there as often, you can still find me in several places across the web, including occasional updates to my blog on the site - Tao of JT, on Twitter under the handle @thrillerchick, and on Facebook.

Thank you so much for all your support! You mean to the world to me. See you on the road!

xoxo,

The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly Celebrates National Poetry Month

Happy Friday the 13th!

My friend Gerald So runs an amazing poetry site that features original and unique works by many artists - with the lovely added touch of an audio recording of the week's poem. I highly recommend the site. Gerald has asked a few of us to pick our favorite poem from the 5-2, and share it with you.

Since I am so drawn to works about stalkers, this evocative poem by Nyla Alisia completely caught my eye. Look at how the words mingle love and lust. Look at the masterful presentation of the question: Is this wrong? Or is it right? Love allows for all sorts of peccadilloes. If this is a lover, these unknown caresses may be welcome.

But... if this is a stranger, consider the violation, the fear, the very hair-raising quality of these innocuous words, words often used in a very specific context: closer, touching, kiss. It shoots ice water into your veins, doesn't it? It is masterful use of confusion. You cringe, you want more. You fear for the subject's life, you wonder if she allows this behavior.

Good poetry creates questions, as well as guidance. It pulls your emotions every which way. With so many things to consider here, I'll leave you with a simple declarative statement. I love it!

ENTER THE SANDMAN: 31S LOVE AFFAIR

Dark glasses at night,
disguise the unblinking white,
hide well my lover's stare,
that follows you, everywhere.
Your lips move beyond my hearing,
but not for long,
I know it's me you're simply daring,
to just come ...closer,
like when I bend over,
while watching you sleeping.
Some call it peeping,
but what do they know of this?
Over and over,
breath sucked in from an almost kiss,
held inside me
as I stand in the shadows
touching
like this,
and this,
and this.
All night,
till early hours turn late,
the second hand races around the clock
as I wait,
watching till just moments before;
silver handled scissors snip
another lock of your hair,
another night's souvenir.
Then, out the window,
as your alarm clock rings,
I disappear
with only seconds to spare.

NYLA ALISIA is an award-winning poet, performance poetry artist and talk-radio personality. Her poem The Secret Of Me is nominated for the 2011 Pushcart Prize. Nyla is the founder and host of three international poetry radio programs, The SpeakEasy Cafe open-mic poetry radio show, Re-verse and The Inkwell. She teaches Writer's-Block Is Just An Urban Legend and Stop Pissing Off Your Muse, workshops for writers.

______

The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is edited by Gerald So. A member of the Academy of American Poets, his poems have appeared in Nerve Cowboy, Barbaric Yawp, Defenestration, Cherry Bleeds, Yellow Mama, Gutter Eloquence Magazine and other provocatively-named venues. He has served as Short Mystery Fiction Society president (2008-'10) and Thrilling Detective fiction editor (2001-'09). After learning how to preserve The Lineup's poetry in ebook form, he published an ebook of his own poetry, We Might Have.

Hurt Wit Chu

This is too slick - Johnny Cash's HURT mashed with Queen's of the Stone Age's Make it Wit Chu - one of my favorite songs ever. Love it! Wonder what Samantha would think of this?

On the RITA® Nominations

I am floored. Speechless. Flabbergasted. Tickled pink. 

All I can say is thank you. From the bottom of my heart! And many kudos to my fellow nominees - I am honored to be in such august company. Just LOOK at this list, will you? 

2012 RITA^® Finalists for Romantic Suspense

Hidden Away by Maya Banks (Berkley Publishing Group Sensation; Cindy Hwang, editor)

Hot Zone by Catherine Mann (Sourcebooks Casablanca; Deb Werksman, editor)

Hush by Cherry Adair (Pocket Star; Lauren McKenna, editor)

New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb (Penguin Putnam; Leslie Gelbman, editor)

Secrets of Bella Terra by Christina Dodd (New American Library; Kerry Donovan, editor)

True Colors by Joyce Lamb (Berkley Publishing Group Sensation; Wendy McCurdy, editor)

True Shot by Joyce Lamb (Berkley Publishing Group Sensation; Wendy McCurdy, editor)

Where All the Dead Lie by J.T. Ellison (Harlequin MIRA; Adam Wilson and Miranda Indrigo, editors)

Anaheim, here we come! : )