GOOD GIRLS LIE Roundup

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Every book, I like to do a wrap up/round up of where it’s been featured, the reviews, interviews, podcasts, all the cool things that happened for the book as it makes its way out into the world. GOOD GIRLS LIE was definitely out there in all sorts of places. If you featured the book and I missed it—please let me know!

FEATURES

Book Riot: 50 Must-Read Crime Novels for Fall and Winter 2019

She Reads: The Most Anticipated Thrillers of Fall 2019

CrimeReads: 9 books you should read in December

PopSugar: 18 New, Must-Read Books Coming Out In December

Hypable: Winter 2019-2020 movie, TV, book release dates to add to your calendar

The Free-Lance Star: December Mysteries Roundup: Death stalks the Old Dominion

The Real Book Spy’s December 2019 Reading Guide

BookTrib: 6 December Thrillers That Will Give You the Chills

ELLE Canada December 2019 Editors’ Radar

“If the Succession prequel series of our dreams actually existed, we imagine it would find Shiv Roy at a private school similar to the one where J.T. Ellison’s latest novel, Good Girls Lie (out on December 30), is set. The twisty psychological thriller follows Ash, who quickly makes friends with the popular crowd at her elite new prep school. But when Ash falls out of favour and a student ends up dead, she becomes the clear suspect. Enter secrets, betrayal and general mistrust—all of our favourite things (to read about).” 

Crime By the Book: CBTB’s Best Psychological Thrillers of 2019

Chatelaine: 9 New Thrillers For Chilling Fall Reading

BookRiot New Release Tuesday (video)

The Big Thrill: Up Close with J.T. Ellison

Betches: 20 Books To Read in 2020

The Kill Zone: When a Writing Break Turns Into a New Novel: J.T. Ellison

CrimeReads: The Lure of the Board School Mystery

The Page 69 Test

My Book The Movie

Rogue Women

Early PRAISE

“A high-tension thriller...Alternating points of view raise the suspense, blurring the lines between what’s true and false...Ellison keeps readers guessing throughout."
—★ Publishers Weekly, starred review


“If the Succession prequel series of our dreams actually existed, we imagine it would find Shiv Roy at a private school similar to the one where J.T. Ellison’s latest novel, Good Girls Lie, is set. The twisty psychological thriller follows Ash, who quickly makes friends with the popular crowd at her elite new prep school. But when Ash falls out of favour and a student ends up dead, she becomes the clear suspect. Enter secrets, betrayal and general mistrust—all of our favourite things (to read about).”
—ELLE Canada


“An intriguing plot, featuring a final twist, shows what can happen when hidden truths are revealed.”
—Booklist


“Good Girls Lie is an entertainingly twisted coming-of-age tale, pitting the desire for privacy against the corrosiveness of secrecy and taking an often harrowing look at how wealth and power can lull recipients into believing they’re untouchable.”
—BookPage


“Sinister and atmospheric, this page-turner elevates the thriller genre with descriptive writing and well-drawn characters. Ash arrives at the Goode School with secrets of her own. Following an honor code is difficult enough (no lies allowed), but throw in secret societies and overly privileged students, and the scene is set for murder. For readers who liked The Secret History and Watching You.”
—Douglas Beatty, Baltimore County Public Library, LibraryReads


“An exploration of deception and betrayal—and the caring-and-cruelty rollercoaster of adolescent friendships—“Good Girls Lie” represents a gripping read that simultaneously mesmerizes and disturbs.”
—The Free-Lance Star


“GOOD GIRLS LIE is a superb psychological thriller…a deliciously dark, wickedly plotted suspense story…with drama, secret societies, cliques, illicit affairs, manipulation, and, of course, murder, and it’s the sort of book you never want to end.”
—Crime By The Book


“A dark, moody, surprising, well-wrought psychological thriller that evokes the best of Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith, Good Girls Lie is a satisfying and engaging read that delves deeply into the psyches and carefully concealed secrets of the Goode School, its staff, and its students…Ellison continues to grow and excel as a writer, still delivering fresh and bold narratives even after many years in the game.”
—Mystery Scene Magazine


“J.T. Ellison’s new psychological thriller Good Girls Lie is a whopper of a dark tale, a nail-biter bound to keep you reading beyond the midnight hour…With her powerful character development skills, Ellison…delivers a complex, yet fast-paced, suspenseful story that is sure to evoke intense emotional reactions from readers.”
—BookTrib


“Every facet this author weaves will have you chilled to the bone. Out of all the books you choose to read, make sure this is the one you do not overlook.”
—Suspense Magazine

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Sunday Smatterings

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Smatterings - February 9.png

Greetings from the Southern Command. It’s my mom’s 83rd birthday weekend, so we’ve all gathered to pay homage and celebrate, with plenty of presents, cakes, and laughter. And movies. We are a movie family—it’s the favorite lunchtime discussion—what movie are we watching tonight? 

Last night, we watched Contagion, which was wildly prescient considering the current novel coronavirus pandemic. I follow a number of epidemiologists and virologists, have done since I did all the research for WHAT LIES BEHIND, the most recent Samantha Owens novel, that centers around a bioterrorism attack.

Trust me when I say this current outbreak event is worth paying attention to. I fear the narrative doesn’t match the reality, and that’s terrifying. Wash your hands, a lot. Avoid crowds, and if you are sick, STAY HOME! ( I mean, that’s basic common sense for any flu season, but as this virus has the “novel” designation, that means they don’t know how it works yet.) My heart hurts for the people affected.

In better news, I got to see a sneak peek of the cover for the next year’s standalone novel, and trust me, it is SO COOL! I love everything about it - I can’t wait to see the final version, and share it with you!

On to the links…

THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

George R.R. Martin Will Give 'Game of Thrones' Fans a New Ending to the Series. Well, this is very interesting news...

Writing in the Dark: Spotlight on Meg Gardiner. She’s a supremely awesome human being, who also just got a new Amazon TV deal. Three cheers for Meg!

Control. “Some research has shown that people who feel they have more control over what happens in their lives have higher levels of work and lifestyle satisfaction than their peers who feel less in control. And there’s evidence that feelings of ineffectiveness often correlate with neuroticism, self-efficacy, and issues with self-esteem.” So interesting…

Everything You Wanted to Know about Book Sales (But Were Afraid to Ask). This is a great behind-the-scenes on the publishing world, from how books are sold to how they are accounted for.

Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village. Hilarious. I’m taking notes…

Is Jane Austen the Antidote to Social Media Overload? Maybe… Maybe not…

Toss a Coin to Your Author: PW Talks with Andrzej Sapkowski. I've got Witcher fever, apparently. I’m hoping I can talk my folks into watching it so I can see it yet again…

28 Little Free Libraries That Are So Adorable It Hurts. Incredible! Have you started a LFL in your area?

Transform your Mac’s trackpad with the 3-finger drag. Very cool! I love this hack and have found it VERY useful.

Peek inside the fantastical world of book nooks. People are so creative!

WHAT I’M READING:

BEHIND EVERY LIE by Christina McDonald

I absolutely loved this book. Following the great The Night Olivia Fell, Christina McDonald has crafted a wild story with all the great suspense elements—murder; intrigue; amnesia; deep, dark secrets—and a blistering pace to boot. I snarfed it down in two sittings, and find it highly recommendable. It’s hard to talk too much about the story without ruining it so y’all just trust me okay?

What are you reading?

That’s it from me. Wash your hands (yes, again) put out some dryer lint for the birds who are nesting, buy yourself some pretty flowers, and I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

A Word On Words: Ann Patchett

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On this week’s A Word on Words, the incomparable Mary Laura Philpott sits down with Nashville’s own Ann Patchett to discuss her wonderful latest novel, The Dutch House. #KeepReading

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Sunday Smatterings

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Smatterings - February 2.png

Happy Sunday, y’all!

I read something this week that gave me pause. An indie author wrote—and I’m paraphrasing—that readers just don’t care about the authors’ writing process. They don’t care about the authors’ day-to-day existence, how we write, how we think. That the finished product is all that matters, and even that is transient and will only stay in the readers’ consciousness for a hot minute unless it’s something truly unique. 

Now parts of this I’m sure are totally true—no one wants to hear writers whining about how hard their work is. But I am a reader, and I’m always interested in how the writer mind works, especially how a writer built a story. 

So I’m curious, and if you’d take a moment and record a response, I’d appreciate it. Sometimes it does feel like I’m writing into the void, and since I’m getting ready for my annual sabbatical, I’m deciding what I’m going to be doing over the break—and that includes blogging. This is totally unscientific and totally anonymous, so don’t worry. I’m just curious.

Or click here to answer the poll.


And since nevertheless, she persisted, here’s what happening in my world.

My publisher tells me GOOD GIRLS LIE is doing well out in the world. The reviews and the ratings make a HUGE difference, so if you get a chance to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads, please do. If you’re planning on reading it, but haven’t yet, please add it to your Goodreads shelf. Many thanks—these things matter tremendously, more than you know. 

For the first time in a long while, it’s been a quiet weekend. I’m at home, which is a huge bonus. I’m working on the new book again, another huge bonus. I had grand plans about writing on the road, but I think I managed 300 words on my first flight and another small chunk two days in when I had a couple of hours between events, but after that, I was in tour mode and I found it too much to try and focus for tiny increments. I finally threw up my hands and said c’est la vie! 

So now the laundry is done, the bags are unpacked, the house has settled back into a normal biorhythm. The cats are so freaking happy to have both of us home at once again (DH had travel in the middle of tour, so that meant kitty sitting) that they keep waking us in the night, chirping and purring. This too will settle down in short order. 

The daffodils are trying to bloom, which means I need to start thinking about the garden. We need to do some work on our laundry room. And oh, yeah, I need to finish the new book. It’s going to be a nice, quiet start to the year. Hurrah!

Speaking of starts—Season 5 of A WORD ON WORDS has begun! Check out my interview with investigative reporter Jeremy Finley about his amazing book THE DARK ABOVE.

On to the links…

THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

It’s a terribly sad weekend in the literary world, as we’ve lost a legend. RIP, Mary Higgins Clark.

A Veteran Screenwriter Makes Jane Austen Sexy. Have you watched Sanditon yet? What did you think?

The 11 Best Hotels for Book Lovers. Let’s go! I’ve actually stayed in several of these, including the Sheraton in Edinburgh which is as divine as they say.

Jack Reacher series author Lee Child ‘quits and lets brother step in.’ What an interesting development! I know Andrew will do Lee and Reacher justice, he’s a fantastic writer.

20 Books to Read in 2020. Amazing list—so happy to see GOOD GIRLS LIE on it!

How to Make Balanced Non-Alcoholic Cocktails, According to Bartenders. For my fellow Dry January peeps... some seriously cool combos. I’m missing several of these fun bases in my bar, but will be adding them soon.

Oh what a night! Twitter brings £1,000 worth of orders to empty bookshop. This is marvelous! Support indie bookstores however you can.

Five ways to recycle your unwanted books. Great ideas! I love donating mine.

10 Fascinating Facts About the Thesaurus for National Thesaurus Day. The more you know… I’ve always been a huge fan of the thesaurus.

How Three Bestselling Authors Boost Book Sales By Writing Collaboratively. Love seeing authors support each other. It’s more important now than any other time that we stand together and not tear each other down. Our industry is in flux, and we must, we MUST, work together.

8 Bequests By Famous Authors to Libraries. Makes you think about what you'd want to leave to your library...

WHAT I’M READING:

THE THIRD TO DIE by Allison Brennan

Look at this amazing cover! The book is riveting, terrifying, and simply fantastic. Brennan ratchets up the tension to the breaking point with her new FBI MRT team chasing a devious killer. This is classic crime fiction at its best. With deep characterizations and a truly scary villain driving the twisted plot, this is the start of a brilliant new series from the queen of the thriller. It comes out on Tuesday so be sure to get your preorder in!

What are you reading?

That’s it from me. Thanks for taking the poll! Take an afternoon and hit your favorite indie, work on a new project, be it garden or book, clean out a drawer, and I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

A Word On Words: Jeremy Finley

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Season 5 of A WORD ON WORDS kicks off with a trip to the dark side with the superb Jeremy Finley in The Dark Above. #keepreading!

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.