April 06, 2015

4.6.15 - NEW ANTHOLOGY ANNOUNCEMENT - BASED ON: WORDS, NOTES AND ART FROM NASHVILLE

April 06, 2015/ J.T. Ellison

I have a surprise for you! I'm involved in another EPIC anthology project. This is WAY more than just stories -- it's stories from local Tennessee authors, songs based on those stories, and artwork based on them both. I've been dying to share this incredible project with you -- and here it is. If you're in Nashville, this is an absolute MUST literary/songwriting/art event. Happily, anyone interested in Nashville will have access to this one-of-a-kind anthology.

My contribution is a never-before-seen, greatly expanded version of a short story I wrote called THE NUMBER OF MAN. It's a love story, of sorts. With a twist. A very twisted twist.

Read on for lots more information, and a great opportunity to participate in this truly unique anthology.

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On Monday, June 15th, 2015, East Side Story and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville will celebrate the release of what could possibly be the most epic creative collaboration of Nashville artists ... ever. Titled BASED ON: Words, Notes, and Art from Nashville, the project is a special collection of short stories, songs, and visual art prints which are all inspired by one another and blended together into the fold of a single book (cd of the music included). The one-night release concert extravaganza at Belmont's University's McAfee Concert Hall performed by a majority of the contributing artists will commemorate the launch of this unique project.

Please find more information about the list of contributors and the release event at the end of this message.

Aside from collecting corporate sponsorships, we are running a limited chance for YOU to individually help with the production of this Nashville project. The first 200 folks who donate $100 will receive an autographed copy of the book/cd, one ticket for admission to the release event, and a receipt for a $50 tax deductible donation.

If you would like to be one of the first 200, please send a check addressed to Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville to:

Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville
1900 Belmont Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37212

Please include a memo with your check that states: For East Side Story Anthology.

More about this incredible project:

BASED ON: Words, Notes, and Art from Nashville

What: BASED ON: Words, Notes, and Art from Nashville (book/cd & event)

When: June 15th, 2015

Where: Belmont’s McAfee Concert Hall (event), East Side Story and http://www.abcnashville.org (book/cd sales).

Artist Participants from BASED ON:

Authors - Chuck Beard, Paige Crutcher, Tony Earley, JT Ellison, Cary Graham, River Jordan, Ariel Lawhon, Betsy Phillips, RashadthaPoet (Rashad Rayford), Victoria Schwab, Shawn Whitsell, and Tommy Womack. (intro by- Craig Havighurst /afterword by- Robert Hicks)

Musicians - Kyle Andrews, Boom Forest, Carolina Story, Michael B. Hicks, Griffin House, Phil Madeira, David Mead, The Coal Men, The Lower Caves, The Rough and Tumble, Tristen, and Brooke Waggoner.

Visual Artists - Adam Baker, Cory Basil, Carl Carbonell, efharper (Emily Harper Beard), Michael McBride, Barry Noland, Rebecca Sloan, Julie Sola, and Ian White.

What to Expect: The Arts & Business Council is thrilled to join with East Side Story to present Nashville’s first-ever, all-local major collaboration between Nashville musicians, authors, and visual artists. This book/cd and release event will be like none other in town before. It will be hosted by Music City Roots host Craig Havighurst and include various local creative artists, leaders, and more.

How YOU can Help: In order to produce the anthology book/cd and launch a successful release concert June 15th, we are raising a pool of monetary awards for the local sponsors that fit with the project the best and we want you on board! Your generous support will take care of the release event costs and also pay a local copyeditor, printing company, music producer, and recording studio for their services to make the book/cd in Nashville from start to finish. All proceeds from this project will go directly to Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville in order to help them continue to leverage and unite the unique resources of the arts and business communities to create a thriving, sustainable creative culture in Nashville.

April 03, 2015

4.4.15 - CROSSED Digital ARC Giveaway

April 03, 2015/ J.T. Ellison

a Rafflecopter giveaway

From NYT bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes the long awaited prequel to her Taylor Jackson series. CROSSED, the story of a madman trying to create his own end-of-days apocalypse, introduces Lieutenant Taylor Jackson to the young, troubled FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin.

In 2014, the boxed set curated by Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research (title A SWEET LIFE) raised almost $100,000. This year we’re back for a second helping, and you can indulge, too! This fascinating limited edition collection features thirteen brand-new thrillers by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors.

Make a difference while you read! All proceeds from the sale of SWEET DREAMS will be donated to the Diabetes Research Institute via Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research.

SWEET DREAMS includes stories from acclaimed authors such as:

Allison Brennan / J.T. Ellison / Cynthia Eden /Heather Graham / Liliana Hart / Alex Kava / CJ Lyons / Carla Neggers / Brenda Novak /Theresa Ragan / Erica Spindler / Jo Robertson / Tiffany Snow

PRE-ORDER SWEET DREAMS NOW!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

April 02, 2015

4.2.15 - 7 Minutes With... Brenda Novak

April 02, 2015/ J.T. Ellison

Ah, Brenda Novak. EVERYONE in the industry knows this name. Brenda is an icon – a brilliant author, a wonderful friend, and one of the biggest voices in the fight against Juvenile Diabetes. Every year, Brenda conducts a massive fundraising campaign to help combat the disease. Readers of this blog will be familiar with the Brenda Novak Auction – which I’ve been honored to participate in for several years. This year, though, Brenda’s massive fundraiser is in the form of box sets – because what could be better for a reader than stories: brand-new stories, never before seen – from their favorite authors? SWEET DREAMS (Thrillers), SWEET TALK (Romance) and SWEET SEDUCTION (Erotica) all go on sale May 1.

I’m very lucky to call Brenda my friend, and I’m honored to be a part of SWEET DREAMS. I’ve admired her for a very long time – her writing, her professionalism, her career trajectory, her work ethic, her wicked sense of humor and her honesty, and of course, her altruism. I’m so excited to have a chance to let you get to know her a little better today, too.

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” (only that’s not very good for writing because it makes me dance…) So…maybe “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. That should be a good song to get started on another Whiskey Creek romance. ;-)

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

Hmm…since I’m not working on a Whiskey Creek novel, I’m going to have to change the music again. (Actually, I don’t write to music. I can’t help listening and responding to it instead of concentrating on what I’m creating on the computer.) Today I’m working on HANOVER HOUSE, the prequel to my new suspense series that will be coming out from St. Martin’s Press next year. It features Evelyn Talbot, a psychiatrist who studies serial killers at a revolutionary new medical health center/prison in the remote town of Hilltop, Alaska. She’s determined to unlock the mysteries of the anti-social mind, even if it kills her—and being surrounded by murderers who feel no remorse means it just might do that.

What’s your latest book about?

THIS HEART OF MINE (just released) is part of my Whiskey Creek series, which follows a tight-knit group of friends (both male and female) who grew up together in California’s beautiful and quaint “Gold Country.” THIS HEART OF MINE is the 8th book and is a “second chance at love” story, which features a woman who’s just been released from prison and is anxious to get to know the son she wasn’t able to raise.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

I write in the retreat off my bedroom with a laptop and no other tools.

What was your favorite book as a child?

JANE EYRE.

What’s your secret talent?

I’m not sure I have any secret talents. Oh! I know! I’m good at guessing things. I could probably get work at some fair guessing people’s weight and/or age. LOL

What book are you reading now?

SAPIENS: A Brief History of Humankind

Who is your writing idol? Have you met him/her? If so, did you completely nerd out or keep your cool?

Ken Follett is one of my idols (EYE OF THE NEEDLE is iconic to me). I definitely did the fan girl thing when I met him at Thrillerfest a few years ago. I got a picture, which was the screensaver on my phone for the next year at least. LOL

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Believe. If you believe in yourself and your dream, you’ll work as hard as you have to in order to make it come true.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

I back up and see what I’ve done wrong. I don’t really believe in writer’s block. When I come to a grinding halt, it’s usually because I’ve taken a wrong turn, so I have to figure out what I did wrong and fix it. Then I’m able to move forward again.

Are you creatively satisfied?

Absolutely. I love what I do. I love that I’ve been able to experiment on a wide range of stories from contemporary romance to suspense to historical romance to women’s fiction (my first trade paper book—THE SECRET SISTER—will be out this August).

What would you like to be remembered for?

Like a lot of people, my motto is, “Do no harm.” I would like to be remembered as a person with integrity who did all she could to make the world a better place.

Alright, now for the really important questions:

Beach or mountains? Tough choice! Probably mountains.

Coffee or tea? Hot chocolate.

Skydive or bungee jump? Bungee jump. I like the added security of that rope. LOL

Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate for sure.

Winter or summer? Summer. I get cold WAY too easily.

Cake or pie? Both.

Cats or dogs? Dogs.

Pens or pencils? Pens.

Truth or dare? Truth.

Print or ebook? Both.

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of fifty books. A four-time Rita® nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.4 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.

And here's a little more about Brenda's newest novel, THIS HEART OF MINE:

First love. Second chance?

As the daughter of a hoarder, Phoenix Fuller had a tough childhood. So when the handsome, popular Riley Stinson became her boyfriend in high school, she finally felt as though she had something to be proud of. Phoenix was desperate not to lose him—especially once she found out she was pregnant. Yes, she might have acted a bit obsessive when he broke up with her. But she did not run down the girl he started dating next.

Unfortunately, there was no way to prove her innocence. Now, after serving her time in prison, Phoenix has been released. All she wants to do is return to Whiskey Creek and get to know her son. But Jacob's father isn't exactly welcoming.

Riley doesn't trust Phoenix, doesn't want her in Jacob's life. He is, however, ready to find someone to love. And he wants a good mother for his son. He has no idea that he's about to find both!