January 24, 2009
Transcendence, or What Is Creativity?
JT has done a guest blog for Timothy Hallinan's Creative Living Series at The Blog Cabin. Click here to read...
January 23, 2009
Romance Reviews Today Loves JUDAS KISS!
JUDAS KISS - J. T. Ellison
MIRA Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2629-8
January 2009
Suspense Thriller
Nashville, Tennessee - Present Day
A young, pregnant woman lies dead on the floor of her bedroom, and her eighteen-month-old daughter wanders the empty house covered in her blood. Two days later, Corinne Wolff’s sister, Michelle Harris, arrives for their tennis date. They’ve been practicing for the upcoming tournament at their country club, something they’ve been doing for years with Michelle always playing the lackey to Corinne’s talented expertise. When she arrives at Corinne’s home, Michelle walks in through the unlocked door (no one in this quiet neighborhood locks their doors). The house is unnaturally quiet, and a horrific stench hangs like a cloak on the inside. Michelle finds Corinne’s bludgeoned body and calls 911.
Homicide Detective Lieutenant Taylor Jackson has just returned from a wonderfully relaxing three week vacation to Italy. This trip was supposed to be her honeymoon, but thanks to a criminal who thwarted her special day by kidnapping her (see 14, Sept. 2008), the wedding didn’t happen, and the honeymoon trip just turned into a lovely extended vacation for Taylor and her fiancé, FBI Profiler John Baldwin. Today, John is leaving for Virginia to follow up on an urgent case of his own when Taylor gets the call about the Wolff murder. A pregnant wife, a missing husband, and a disgruntled family are all fodder for rampant speculation and tabloid news. What kind of psychopath would murder a pregnant woman and leave her baby daughter wandering alone in the house? It’s Taylor’s job to find the answers.
A Taylor Jackson Mystery is always something special we can dig into and know that we will enjoy every single word of the ride. In this third episode, JUDAS KISS, Taylor is after Corinne Wolff’s killer, while another unseen killer is stalking Taylor. The love of her life, John Baldwin, is off to Quantico, but he's hiding the real facts of his case from Taylor in a lie that he has neglected to tell her about, never having found the right moment. Although it is something she should know so that she can protect herself from an unseen stalker, Taylor is oblivious to John's deception. They truly love each other, and Taylor trusts John implicitly, but their upcoming wedding just never seems to get off the ground. John even proposed a second time and presented her with a new ring while they were in Italy, but even so, Taylor is still l little bit commitment-shy.
Taylor's team of detectives are back in this third novel. Pete Fitzgerald, Lincoln Ross, and Marcus Wade are busy helping her fight some new personal battles that loom while they all are searching for Corinne Wolff’s killer. Someone is trying to smear Taylor’s name and her reputation, and her team won’t let that happen, not on their watch. Taylor’s best friend, Dr. Sam (Samantha) Loughley, is also on board. Sam will lend a friendly ear, if only Taylor would share her troubles, which she doesn’t.
JUDAS KISS is the third Taylor Jackson Mystery and follows ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, (November 2007); and 14, (September, 2008). And get ready for the fourth book in this series, EDGE OF BLACK, due out in September 2009. JUDAS KISS stands totally alone, and although the focus this time is only on just one murder and a single killer, there's another danger queuing up in the shadows, and the final spine-tingling chapter ends with a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into in the next installment of Taylor’s adventures! JUDAS KISS is a wonderful edge-of-your-seat novel. It is a guarantee that you will not put it down until the very last page!
-Diana Risso
MIRA Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2629-8
January 2009
Suspense Thriller
Nashville, Tennessee - Present Day
A young, pregnant woman lies dead on the floor of her bedroom, and her eighteen-month-old daughter wanders the empty house covered in her blood. Two days later, Corinne Wolff’s sister, Michelle Harris, arrives for their tennis date. They’ve been practicing for the upcoming tournament at their country club, something they’ve been doing for years with Michelle always playing the lackey to Corinne’s talented expertise. When she arrives at Corinne’s home, Michelle walks in through the unlocked door (no one in this quiet neighborhood locks their doors). The house is unnaturally quiet, and a horrific stench hangs like a cloak on the inside. Michelle finds Corinne’s bludgeoned body and calls 911.
Homicide Detective Lieutenant Taylor Jackson has just returned from a wonderfully relaxing three week vacation to Italy. This trip was supposed to be her honeymoon, but thanks to a criminal who thwarted her special day by kidnapping her (see 14, Sept. 2008), the wedding didn’t happen, and the honeymoon trip just turned into a lovely extended vacation for Taylor and her fiancé, FBI Profiler John Baldwin. Today, John is leaving for Virginia to follow up on an urgent case of his own when Taylor gets the call about the Wolff murder. A pregnant wife, a missing husband, and a disgruntled family are all fodder for rampant speculation and tabloid news. What kind of psychopath would murder a pregnant woman and leave her baby daughter wandering alone in the house? It’s Taylor’s job to find the answers.
A Taylor Jackson Mystery is always something special we can dig into and know that we will enjoy every single word of the ride. In this third episode, JUDAS KISS, Taylor is after Corinne Wolff’s killer, while another unseen killer is stalking Taylor. The love of her life, John Baldwin, is off to Quantico, but he's hiding the real facts of his case from Taylor in a lie that he has neglected to tell her about, never having found the right moment. Although it is something she should know so that she can protect herself from an unseen stalker, Taylor is oblivious to John's deception. They truly love each other, and Taylor trusts John implicitly, but their upcoming wedding just never seems to get off the ground. John even proposed a second time and presented her with a new ring while they were in Italy, but even so, Taylor is still l little bit commitment-shy.
Taylor's team of detectives are back in this third novel. Pete Fitzgerald, Lincoln Ross, and Marcus Wade are busy helping her fight some new personal battles that loom while they all are searching for Corinne Wolff’s killer. Someone is trying to smear Taylor’s name and her reputation, and her team won’t let that happen, not on their watch. Taylor’s best friend, Dr. Sam (Samantha) Loughley, is also on board. Sam will lend a friendly ear, if only Taylor would share her troubles, which she doesn’t.
JUDAS KISS is the third Taylor Jackson Mystery and follows ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, (November 2007); and 14, (September, 2008). And get ready for the fourth book in this series, EDGE OF BLACK, due out in September 2009. JUDAS KISS stands totally alone, and although the focus this time is only on just one murder and a single killer, there's another danger queuing up in the shadows, and the final spine-tingling chapter ends with a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into in the next installment of Taylor’s adventures! JUDAS KISS is a wonderful edge-of-your-seat novel. It is a guarantee that you will not put it down until the very last page!
-Diana Risso
January 18, 2009
J.T. ELLISON’S JUDAS KISS REACHES #1 ON DAVIS–KIDD BOOKSTORE’S BESTSELLER LIST
NASHVILLE, TN—January 20, 2009—J.T. Ellison, Nashville resident and Acclaimed Author, recently released the mystery/thriller, JUDAS KISS in January 2009. JUDAS KISS is the third novel in the critically acclaimed Taylor Jackson series, which includes ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, 14, and the forthcoming EDGE OF BLACK.
After only two weeks on the shelves, Ellison placed #3 the first week, and then #1 the second week on the Davis-Kidd Bookstore Best Seller lists.
Local events on Ellison’s book tour include: Evening With An Author at Martha's at the Belle Meade Plantation, 5025 Harding Road, Nashville, TN: Thursday, January 22, 6:00 PM
and Smyrna Public Library Winter Reading Program at 400 Enon Springs Road W. Smyrna, Tennessee 37167: Saturday, January 24, 1:00 PM
For additional book tour dates and locations, please visit http://booktour.com/author/j_t_ellison
All of the books are also available for download at www.eBooks.eHarlequin.com. In addition, ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS and 14 have been translated into French.
For more information, please visit, www.jtellison.com
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kim Dettwiller, Team Strategies, 615-321-4073 or 615-330-5656, kimdet@comcast.net
After only two weeks on the shelves, Ellison placed #3 the first week, and then #1 the second week on the Davis-Kidd Bookstore Best Seller lists.
Local events on Ellison’s book tour include: Evening With An Author at Martha's at the Belle Meade Plantation, 5025 Harding Road, Nashville, TN: Thursday, January 22, 6:00 PM
and Smyrna Public Library Winter Reading Program at 400 Enon Springs Road W. Smyrna, Tennessee 37167: Saturday, January 24, 1:00 PM
For additional book tour dates and locations, please visit http://booktour.com/author/j_t_ellison
All of the books are also available for download at www.eBooks.eHarlequin.com. In addition, ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS and 14 have been translated into French.
For more information, please visit, www.jtellison.com
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kim Dettwiller, Team Strategies, 615-321-4073 or 615-330-5656, kimdet@comcast.net
January 14, 2009
Fresh Fiction - Fictionalizing Reality
(From Fresh Fiction - January 14, 2009)
Twisted as I am, my imagination usually guides my stories. I dream up horrific endings by villainous creations (who end up giving me nightmares,) and terrorize my adopted hometown of Nashville with crazed killers. But up to now, every story I’ve written has been pure, straight out of my head, fiction.
I made an exception for JUDAS KISS. The fictional murder of my victim, Corinne Wolff, was based on a real case.
In 2006, I saw an article from a North Carolina newspaper about a young pregnant mother named Michelle Young who was found murdered by her sister. Her death was unspeakably violent, and her child had been alone in the house for days with her mother’s corpse. The media reported a number of salient details, including the bloody footprints the child had left through the house. I watched the case, hoping there would be a resolution. Unfortunately, Michelle Young’s murder still isn’t solved. Her husband is the prime suspect.
Her story became the opening of JUDAS KISS.
The crime stories that seem to capture our interest as a society are the ones that take place where we feel the safest, which is inside our own homes. That’s where the majority of homicides take place. And we all know how much the media loves a good suburban murder, especially in my fictional Nashville. In the novel, there’s a sense of the fantastic surrounding this case, an “it could have happened to me” mentality couple with the media frenzy – satellite trucks parks on quiet streets, reporters camped on the lawns, every moment chronicled. It doesn’t happen that way in the Section 8 housing. The drug and vendetta killings don’t make the news very much. So in a sense, I’m capitalizing on what does capture our attention.
But JUDAS KISS wasn’t the easiest book to write. Any time an author is faced with a child at a crime scene, a tightrope appears from your laptop, and gets thinner every moment you spend looking at it. It’s a difficult balancing act. Bad things do happen to children. Bad things do happen to animals. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of reading about either. Reality can stay out of my fiction, thank you very much.
So when I wrote the opening of JUDAS KISS, I didn’t give it much thought, simply because I wasn’t killing Corinne Wolff’s child. I was in safe territory. But one of my independent readers was very unhappy with the opening. She was terribly upset with me for leaving Hayden Wolff alone with her mother’s dead body. “If the husband did it, there’s no way he would leave the child alone like that. No one would. You’re going to alienate mothers all across the country.” I was struck by that statement, obviously. That’s not the goal behind these stories.
So I sent my reader the links to the real case. In the book, I’d actually toned down some of the “real” parts because they were so dreadful. My reader came back with a new eye – she understood now. She was horrified by the real case, understood what I was doing. She realized that I never set out to shock or offend with this story. I only wanted to give the real victim, Michelle Young, some closure. Her story affected me in ways I couldn’t imagine. I’ve found that reality can sometimes throw me for a loop.
We mystery writers are a strange lot. We write about murder and mayhem all day. We walk a fine line between victims and victimizing. I try very, very hard to make sure the violence in my books is never gratuitous. I always strive to make sure that my victims have a reason, a place, a purpose. They aren’t just dead bodies stacking up like cordwood to move the story along. That’s just not why I wanted to write crime fiction. I wanted to find ways to give some justice to those who didn’t have anyone to fight for them, to right the wrongs, and penalize the guilty. In my books, the bad guys get caught, and they are punished. Justice is served. The white hats win. That’s why I got into crime fiction.
But it doesn’t stop me from wishing I could do something for the Michelle Young’s of the world.
Twisted as I am, my imagination usually guides my stories. I dream up horrific endings by villainous creations (who end up giving me nightmares,) and terrorize my adopted hometown of Nashville with crazed killers. But up to now, every story I’ve written has been pure, straight out of my head, fiction.
I made an exception for JUDAS KISS. The fictional murder of my victim, Corinne Wolff, was based on a real case.
In 2006, I saw an article from a North Carolina newspaper about a young pregnant mother named Michelle Young who was found murdered by her sister. Her death was unspeakably violent, and her child had been alone in the house for days with her mother’s corpse. The media reported a number of salient details, including the bloody footprints the child had left through the house. I watched the case, hoping there would be a resolution. Unfortunately, Michelle Young’s murder still isn’t solved. Her husband is the prime suspect.
Her story became the opening of JUDAS KISS.
The crime stories that seem to capture our interest as a society are the ones that take place where we feel the safest, which is inside our own homes. That’s where the majority of homicides take place. And we all know how much the media loves a good suburban murder, especially in my fictional Nashville. In the novel, there’s a sense of the fantastic surrounding this case, an “it could have happened to me” mentality couple with the media frenzy – satellite trucks parks on quiet streets, reporters camped on the lawns, every moment chronicled. It doesn’t happen that way in the Section 8 housing. The drug and vendetta killings don’t make the news very much. So in a sense, I’m capitalizing on what does capture our attention.
But JUDAS KISS wasn’t the easiest book to write. Any time an author is faced with a child at a crime scene, a tightrope appears from your laptop, and gets thinner every moment you spend looking at it. It’s a difficult balancing act. Bad things do happen to children. Bad things do happen to animals. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of reading about either. Reality can stay out of my fiction, thank you very much.
So when I wrote the opening of JUDAS KISS, I didn’t give it much thought, simply because I wasn’t killing Corinne Wolff’s child. I was in safe territory. But one of my independent readers was very unhappy with the opening. She was terribly upset with me for leaving Hayden Wolff alone with her mother’s dead body. “If the husband did it, there’s no way he would leave the child alone like that. No one would. You’re going to alienate mothers all across the country.” I was struck by that statement, obviously. That’s not the goal behind these stories.
So I sent my reader the links to the real case. In the book, I’d actually toned down some of the “real” parts because they were so dreadful. My reader came back with a new eye – she understood now. She was horrified by the real case, understood what I was doing. She realized that I never set out to shock or offend with this story. I only wanted to give the real victim, Michelle Young, some closure. Her story affected me in ways I couldn’t imagine. I’ve found that reality can sometimes throw me for a loop.
We mystery writers are a strange lot. We write about murder and mayhem all day. We walk a fine line between victims and victimizing. I try very, very hard to make sure the violence in my books is never gratuitous. I always strive to make sure that my victims have a reason, a place, a purpose. They aren’t just dead bodies stacking up like cordwood to move the story along. That’s just not why I wanted to write crime fiction. I wanted to find ways to give some justice to those who didn’t have anyone to fight for them, to right the wrongs, and penalize the guilty. In my books, the bad guys get caught, and they are punished. Justice is served. The white hats win. That’s why I got into crime fiction.
But it doesn’t stop me from wishing I could do something for the Michelle Young’s of the world.
January 12, 2009
JUDAS KISS Hits the Bestseller List!
Fantastic news!!!
Judas Kiss has hit the bestseller lists in Nashville, coming in at #3 on this week's Davis Kidd roundup. Davis Kidd released the information to The Tennessean on Sunday.
Many, many thanks to everyone who bought JUDAS KISS. I am humbled and honored to be your reading choice.
JT Ellison
Judas Kiss has hit the bestseller lists in Nashville, coming in at #3 on this week's Davis Kidd roundup. Davis Kidd released the information to The Tennessean on Sunday.
Many, many thanks to everyone who bought JUDAS KISS. I am humbled and honored to be your reading choice.
JT Ellison
BookBitch Loves JUDAS KISS!
Lt. Taylor Jackson returns from her much needed vacation to face what could be the toughest challenge of her career. When classy housewife Corrine Wolff is discovered bludgeoned to death in her home, the suspicion naturally falls upon her husband. Then Jackson and her team make some disturbing discoveries regarding the Wolff family and their extra-curricular activities and a whole new avenue of suspects opens up. Meanwhile, a run-in with a stranger leads Taylor to a startling discovery of her own, one that threatens her professional life. Plus, a crazy hit man is gunning for Baldwin, and has recently gone missing, and the Pretender still evades capture. It will take all of Taylor's strength to make it through this one and still keep her cool.
With each new installment to this series, JT Ellison continues to prove that she is one of the best and the brightest in the genre - she should be on everyone's must read lists. 01/09
--Becky Lejeune
With each new installment to this series, JT Ellison continues to prove that she is one of the best and the brightest in the genre - she should be on everyone's must read lists. 01/09
--Becky Lejeune
JUDAS KISS takes the Page 99 Test
by Marshal Zeringue
This weekend's feature at the Page 99 Test: Judas Kiss by J.T. Ellison.
Page 99 of Judas Kiss is an internal monologue from homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson as she drives to Forensic Medical for the autopsy of pregnant mother Corinne Wolff. It covers a lot of ground – her father who’s in jail, problems with her city, but most importantly, it shows a crack in Taylor’s code. This is the first time in the series that Taylor thinks about doing something that breaks the rules. Granted, it would be to save one of her team, Lincoln Ross, but it’s a seminal moment in the development of her character. This is a woman who arrested her own father, and she’s wondering what she can do to cover up Lincoln’s transgression. It’s subtle, just a fleeting thought, really, but isn’t that how the slippery slope begins for us all? I hope readers will see that this marks a shift in her core, and wonder what is going to happen. Judas Kiss is all about Taylor being pushed into gray areas, and this particular page sets that up nicely.
Learn more about the book and author at J.T. Ellison's website and MySpace page.
The Page 69 Test: All the Pretty Girls.
The Page 99 Test: 14.
The Page 69 Test: 14.
The Page 99 Test: Judas Kiss.
This weekend's feature at the Page 99 Test: Judas Kiss by J.T. Ellison.
Page 99 of Judas Kiss is an internal monologue from homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson as she drives to Forensic Medical for the autopsy of pregnant mother Corinne Wolff. It covers a lot of ground – her father who’s in jail, problems with her city, but most importantly, it shows a crack in Taylor’s code. This is the first time in the series that Taylor thinks about doing something that breaks the rules. Granted, it would be to save one of her team, Lincoln Ross, but it’s a seminal moment in the development of her character. This is a woman who arrested her own father, and she’s wondering what she can do to cover up Lincoln’s transgression. It’s subtle, just a fleeting thought, really, but isn’t that how the slippery slope begins for us all? I hope readers will see that this marks a shift in her core, and wonder what is going to happen. Judas Kiss is all about Taylor being pushed into gray areas, and this particular page sets that up nicely.
She’d been inside Riverbend’s death row cells, with their blue doors and creamy concrete walls. She never wanted to return. The overwhelming sense of malevolence coupled with dread was too much to take. She’d sent more than one of the men housed in that unit to death row and hadn’t lost a moment’s sleep over them, but she didn’t want to experience their last moments firsthand.
Her dad, well, his prison environs were a damn sight cushier than a state penitentiary. The feds were kind to their white collar criminals.
The Interstate 24 split came, and she passed the exit, driving a few more miles to the Dickerson Road access ramp. Off the highway now, into the run down streets. This was a sad part of town. A crack whore strolled by, arms swinging wildly as she walked, a timid black man in his forties following some fifty feet behind. Had they made the deal already? They must have, the hooker had the bright, insistent glow in her eyes of a junkie who knows she’s about to get a fix.
Taylor shook her head. There seemed to be no legal measures that could stop the pervasive sex trades on the back streets of Nashville. For the pros, a night in jail meant either safety or withdrawal, neither an inducement to break free from the life. For the johns, it was just an embarrassment.
She turned on Gass and passed the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations offices on the right. The TBI taskforce would be furious if they knew Lincoln had broken the rules. Even though he had done something that was life preserving, they would still punish him. He’d be kicked off the taskforce at the very least. She wondered if she could keep the situation quiet, then forced the thought from her mind. She was a master at keeping each aspect separate, tackling one thorny issue at a time. It was the only way she could get through the day.
Learn more about the book and author at J.T. Ellison's website and MySpace page.
The Page 69 Test: All the Pretty Girls.
The Page 99 Test: 14.
The Page 69 Test: 14.
The Page 99 Test: Judas Kiss.
Writers Read
by Marshal Zeringue
J.T. Ellison is the author of the critically acclaimed Taylor Jackson series: All the Pretty Girls, 14, and Judas Kiss.
Last week I asked her what she was reading. Her reply:
The holidays have just ended, which means I’ve done my annual revamp of my writing system and set my goals for the year. Every Christmas, I take a week off from writing and focus on the art of the craft. First up is Stephen King’s glorious On Writing, one of the best writing books out there. By the end of the year, I’ve become so bogged down with deadlines and To Do lists that I stop reading for pleasure. King’s book helps me refocus, gives me permission to read what I want, to enjoy the art of reading for its own sake instead of simply for research. It’s invaluable advice, because I find that when I’m reading, I write cleaner and more voraciously.
I added a new book to the fray this year, another that’s going on my annual recharge
list, Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit. This is a must read for any creative person, be you writer, painter, dancer, musician…. I was so struck by her concepts, the approach she takes to harness her creativity – because honestly, as artists, we sometimes lose the forest for the trees when it comes to creating. Tharp’s insouciant attitude, honesty and work ethic barrel through the pages, making every chapter a foray into the parts of your psyche that you don’t often credit for honing your craft. She’s helped me reconnect with the joy of the creative process, not just the rush I feel from writing.
Julie Morgenstern’s Time Management from the Inside Out was a big hit with me this week, because I’m looking for efficiencies in my schedule that will allow me more creative time. I used the book to create a Time Map, one that schedules all my waking hours, and flips my writing day so I write in the morning, then deal with business in the afternoon. I’m excited to try this new method.
And finally, I rounded out the week with Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. Just excellent, funny and accessible to everyone.
J.T. Ellison is the author of the critically acclaimed Taylor Jackson series: All the Pretty Girls, 14, and Judas Kiss.
Last week I asked her what she was reading. Her reply:
The holidays have just ended, which means I’ve done my annual revamp of my writing system and set my goals for the year. Every Christmas, I take a week off from writing and focus on the art of the craft. First up is Stephen King’s glorious On Writing, one of the best writing books out there. By the end of the year, I’ve become so bogged down with deadlines and To Do lists that I stop reading for pleasure. King’s book helps me refocus, gives me permission to read what I want, to enjoy the art of reading for its own sake instead of simply for research. It’s invaluable advice, because I find that when I’m reading, I write cleaner and more voraciously.I added a new book to the fray this year, another that’s going on my annual recharge
list, Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit. This is a must read for any creative person, be you writer, painter, dancer, musician…. I was so struck by her concepts, the approach she takes to harness her creativity – because honestly, as artists, we sometimes lose the forest for the trees when it comes to creating. Tharp’s insouciant attitude, honesty and work ethic barrel through the pages, making every chapter a foray into the parts of your psyche that you don’t often credit for honing your craft. She’s helped me reconnect with the joy of the creative process, not just the rush I feel from writing.
Julie Morgenstern’s Time Management from the Inside Out was a big hit with me this week, because I’m looking for efficiencies in my schedule that will allow me more creative time. I used the book to create a Time Map, one that schedules all my waking hours, and flips my writing day so I write in the morning, then deal with business in the afternoon. I’m excited to try this new method.
And finally, I rounded out the week with Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. Just excellent, funny and accessible to everyone.
January 05, 2009
An Interview With Lit Magic
Last week, Lacey G. and I were doing some good old fashioned brainstorming. We were trying to distill what makes the Evening with an Author series unique. We came up with the below list:
1) It features local Nashville authors
2) It provides a behind-the-scene / non-scripted look at authors and their books
3) It's about promoting "smart conversation" between the attendees and authors
4) It's about building community / forging connections between book lovers in the greater Nashville area
We then took it one step farther by asking how LitMagic fit into the mix. It was clear that LitMagic was the perfect venue to do Q&As with upcoming authors. We see Q&As as teasers of sorts because they let you get into the mind of an author. As such, we sent the below questions to J.T. Ellison, author of Judas Kiss, J.T. who replied by email. J.T. will be the featured author on Thursday, January 22nd (6-7pm at Martha's at the Planation; see Swift Book Promotions for more details). I cannot wait to hear more from her in person. Look forward to seeing you there.
--Ginna F.
_________________________________
Explain your path to becoming a writer. Why/how did you select mystery/thriller genre?
I started writing full-time in 2004. I’ve written all my life, the requisite awful poetry and shorts, even got my degree in creative writing. But I was wholly discouraged by a college professor and gave it up. There was a thirteen year gap in my creativity, and I’m grateful to have the muse back.
The Taylor Jackson series began when I was recovering from back surgery, and had a long slog through rehab. I was reading a lot during that time, anything I could get my hands on. I came across John Sandford’s PREY series at the library, and got hooked. The unique setting – Minneapolis/St. Paul –
his main character – half cop, half rock star Lucas Davenport – sparked an idea. What about a female Lucas Davenport, set in another unique location, Nashville? If he can do it, so can I. Ahh, hubris. But his influence is definitely the reason I took the leap back into writing. Taylor Jackson was born on I-40, as I was driving downtown to rehab. She popped into my head fully formed and started talking in that low, smoky drawl. I was hooked.
Explain how Judas Kiss fits in with your other books?
Up to now, all my titles have been serial killer thrillers, with the killer as a point of view character. Which also which means the books are “how-done-its,” instead of mysteries, which are “who-done-its.” JUDAS KISS is actually a departure for me, because it has more mystery elements that the previous books. The story revolves around a single murder of a young pregnant mother in Hillwood. But it’s all the same characters, and it’s still a thrill ride.
Did you know you were writing a series when you started?
Yes. I knew Taylor was a franchise character from the beginning. She fascinates me. I strive not to reveal too much about her in each book, letting her grow over the course of the series rather than over the course of the book. I also set the books seasonally instead of yearly, so that inhibits her growth even more. I wanted to be sure that she remains iconic.
When you sit down to work on a new book, do you have the ending already figured out like John Irving? Or, do you have a general idea of plot and its drivers and then see where it goes?
I’m a pantser, which means I write by the seat of my pants. I don’t want to know all the details of a story, because if I’m surprised, the reader is surprised too. I have a general idea of what’s happening. I always know who the villain is, and their motivation. Every story grows from there.
How did you decide to make Nashville a main "character" in your book? Why not your hometown of DC? What fun facts have you learned about Nashville as a result of your research? Why should every Nashvillian read your series and in particular Judas Kiss?
Everyone writes books set in D.C., or L.A., or New York. I wanted to do something different. So that was my first thought. But I’ve fallen in love with Nashville, its dichotomies, the culture and the class structure. We have real, big city problems, yet the rest of the world only sees us as Music City, honkytonks and southern food. We are so much more than that, and I wanted to show the rest of the world the Nashville I see.
The books are as realistic a portrayal of Nashville as I can make them. Readers will recognize the settings; the crime scenes may be someplace they drive past every day. I think it’s fun to have a series set in your backyard. I know it’s fun for me to write them, to skulk around town looking for the ideal crime scene. Nashville is chock full of nooks and crannies that are the perfect settings for murder.
What is the best/most influential book you have ever read and why did it inspire you?
I’m a big Ayn Rand fan, and a big Plato fan. I think my favorite must be Rand’s slim volume ANTHEM, which is a parable for Plato’s Allegory of the Cave – humanity is shackled in a dark room and only shown interpretations of what reality is. One man (Socrates) breaks out of the Cave and sees reality for the first time: the blue of the sky, a real chair, a real piece of grass, and returns to tell humanity that they are being lied to. Of course, they can’t handle that truth and murder him. ANTHEM takes this timeless story and creates love out of hate, beauty out of ugliness, and freedom out of horrendous captivity. It’s beautifully written and inspiring.
What piece of advice helped you out the most as a writer?
I have a sign on the door to my office that reads: There are no rules except those you create, page by page. Stuart Woods said that to me in an email, and it freed me as a writer. I’d been so constrained by the “proper” usage of words and sentence construction that my writing was stilted. Once I quit following the rules, things improved dramatically. And John Connolly, author of the Charlie Parker series, some of my all-time favorite books, once told me that all good books find a home. That kept me in the game to get published.
1) It features local Nashville authors
2) It provides a behind-the-scene / non-scripted look at authors and their books
3) It's about promoting "smart conversation" between the attendees and authors
4) It's about building community / forging connections between book lovers in the greater Nashville area
We then took it one step farther by asking how LitMagic fit into the mix. It was clear that LitMagic was the perfect venue to do Q&As with upcoming authors. We see Q&As as teasers of sorts because they let you get into the mind of an author. As such, we sent the below questions to J.T. Ellison, author of Judas Kiss, J.T. who replied by email. J.T. will be the featured author on Thursday, January 22nd (6-7pm at Martha's at the Planation; see Swift Book Promotions for more details). I cannot wait to hear more from her in person. Look forward to seeing you there.
--Ginna F.
Explain your path to becoming a writer. Why/how did you select mystery/thriller genre?
I started writing full-time in 2004. I’ve written all my life, the requisite awful poetry and shorts, even got my degree in creative writing. But I was wholly discouraged by a college professor and gave it up. There was a thirteen year gap in my creativity, and I’m grateful to have the muse back.
The Taylor Jackson series began when I was recovering from back surgery, and had a long slog through rehab. I was reading a lot during that time, anything I could get my hands on. I came across John Sandford’s PREY series at the library, and got hooked. The unique setting – Minneapolis/St. Paul –
his main character – half cop, half rock star Lucas Davenport – sparked an idea. What about a female Lucas Davenport, set in another unique location, Nashville? If he can do it, so can I. Ahh, hubris. But his influence is definitely the reason I took the leap back into writing. Taylor Jackson was born on I-40, as I was driving downtown to rehab. She popped into my head fully formed and started talking in that low, smoky drawl. I was hooked.
Explain how Judas Kiss fits in with your other books?
Up to now, all my titles have been serial killer thrillers, with the killer as a point of view character. Which also which means the books are “how-done-its,” instead of mysteries, which are “who-done-its.” JUDAS KISS is actually a departure for me, because it has more mystery elements that the previous books. The story revolves around a single murder of a young pregnant mother in Hillwood. But it’s all the same characters, and it’s still a thrill ride.
Did you know you were writing a series when you started?
Yes. I knew Taylor was a franchise character from the beginning. She fascinates me. I strive not to reveal too much about her in each book, letting her grow over the course of the series rather than over the course of the book. I also set the books seasonally instead of yearly, so that inhibits her growth even more. I wanted to be sure that she remains iconic.
When you sit down to work on a new book, do you have the ending already figured out like John Irving? Or, do you have a general idea of plot and its drivers and then see where it goes?
I’m a pantser, which means I write by the seat of my pants. I don’t want to know all the details of a story, because if I’m surprised, the reader is surprised too. I have a general idea of what’s happening. I always know who the villain is, and their motivation. Every story grows from there.
How did you decide to make Nashville a main "character" in your book? Why not your hometown of DC? What fun facts have you learned about Nashville as a result of your research? Why should every Nashvillian read your series and in particular Judas Kiss?
Everyone writes books set in D.C., or L.A., or New York. I wanted to do something different. So that was my first thought. But I’ve fallen in love with Nashville, its dichotomies, the culture and the class structure. We have real, big city problems, yet the rest of the world only sees us as Music City, honkytonks and southern food. We are so much more than that, and I wanted to show the rest of the world the Nashville I see.
The books are as realistic a portrayal of Nashville as I can make them. Readers will recognize the settings; the crime scenes may be someplace they drive past every day. I think it’s fun to have a series set in your backyard. I know it’s fun for me to write them, to skulk around town looking for the ideal crime scene. Nashville is chock full of nooks and crannies that are the perfect settings for murder.
What is the best/most influential book you have ever read and why did it inspire you?
I’m a big Ayn Rand fan, and a big Plato fan. I think my favorite must be Rand’s slim volume ANTHEM, which is a parable for Plato’s Allegory of the Cave – humanity is shackled in a dark room and only shown interpretations of what reality is. One man (Socrates) breaks out of the Cave and sees reality for the first time: the blue of the sky, a real chair, a real piece of grass, and returns to tell humanity that they are being lied to. Of course, they can’t handle that truth and murder him. ANTHEM takes this timeless story and creates love out of hate, beauty out of ugliness, and freedom out of horrendous captivity. It’s beautifully written and inspiring.
What piece of advice helped you out the most as a writer?
I have a sign on the door to my office that reads: There are no rules except those you create, page by page. Stuart Woods said that to me in an email, and it freed me as a writer. I’d been so constrained by the “proper” usage of words and sentence construction that my writing was stilted. Once I quit following the rules, things improved dramatically. And John Connolly, author of the Charlie Parker series, some of my all-time favorite books, once told me that all good books find a home. That kept me in the game to get published.
January 01, 2009
An Interview with CJ Lyons of The Big Thrill
Judas Kiss is the third novel featuring Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson. How has Taylor as a character changed and grown with each book?
Taylor is who she is - pragmatic, moral, compassionate, strong - some would say to the point of being intractable. In Taylor's world there are black hats and white hats, good versus evil. Simple, right? But life is full of change. Every experience alters us a little bit, opens our eyes a bit. That's the way I see Taylor, altering incrementally book to book so she doesn't achieve a sense of peace and finality each time.
I like loose ends. I like to torture the poor woman, put her in situations to see just how she's going to react. And sometimes she surprises me. In addition to the crime at hand, Judas Kiss is an exploration into her past, and I think the revelations make her a richer, deeper character. I've forced her into a gray area, which is difficult for woman who has such a strong code.
How has Taylor's relationship with her FBI profiler significant other evolved over the course of the series?
This might sound a bit paradoxical considering what I just said, but her relationship with Baldwin has evolved tremendously. She's grown as a partner, has learned to trust, to let her heart speak before her head. Loving and being loved is a challenge for Taylor, one that she'd never quite mastered before him. Baldwin is her soul mate as well as her lover, and accepting this new personal life (the engagement, moving in together) ultimately makes her a better woman.
Taylor's private life is forced into the public spotlight in Judas Kiss. How does Taylor deal with this?
Many women have something in their past that haunts them, something they'd like to do over. Taylor is no different. It's very, very difficult for her, because it's not only her personal life, it's her personal sexual life splashed across the headlines. The media seizes on her indiscretion and her most intimate details are exposed all over local and national television. If that's not bad enough, the situation is compounded by another leaked video that raises questions about her role in the death of her ex-partner and ex-lover. Her fall from grace is blood in the water for the cable news shows, and the local media feasts on her disgrace.
I believe the horror she feels will resonate with many women. But she's a tough cookie. She handles it the only way she knows how, by moving forward, finding out who's responsible and making sure they get punished. To use a terrible cliché, she doesn't waste time crying over the spilt milk.
Judas Kiss deals with sensitive topics such as pornography and the murder of a pregnant mother all in the traditionally "safe" setting of suburbia. How do you use this setting to jar your readers from their complacency?
The crime stories that seem to capture our interest as a society are the ones that take place where we feel the safest, which is inside our own homes. That's where the majority of homicides take place. And we all know how much the media loves a good suburban murder, especially in my fictional Nashville. There's a sense of the fantastic surrounding the case, an "it could have happened to me" mentality couple with the media frenzy - satellite trucks parks on quiet streets, reporters camped on the lawns, every moment chronicled.
This book was right from the heart. Twisted as I am, my imagination usually guides the stories. I made an exception for Judas Kiss. The murder of Corinne Wolf was based on a real case. In 2006, I saw an article from a North Carolina newspaper about a young pregnant mother named Michelle Young who was found murdered by her sister. Her death was violent, and her child had been alone in the house with her mother's corpse. The media reported a number of salient details, including the bloody footprints the child had left through the house. I watched the case, hoping there would be a resolution. Unfortunately, Michelle Young's murder still isn't solved. Her husband is the prime suspect. That became the opening of Judas Kiss, but the rest of the story is an utter fabrication.
Your books feature a lot of realistic details about police procedure and forensics. What's your most memorable adventure in research?
I have a fabulous team of experts who are incredibly patient with me. I devise scenarios then ask them if I have it right. I've done ride-alongs with Metro homicide and Metro patrol, have been to the Medical Examiner's office to identify a skull, delved into the mind of a serial killer with the head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.
The most memorable was the night I was out on midnight patrol, my first overnight run. We got called to a stabbing, and beat the first responders to the scene. It was in the projects, dark and dreary, and the cop I was with parked and told me to stay on his six, then took off into the gloom. I hightailed it out of the car and followed. The scene was a bad one; the man had been knifed in the stomach. His friends and family were crying. One was trying to help push the stomach contents back inside his body. The victim died on the scene. It didn't end there - we caught the suspect, found the murder weapon, had a chain of custody incident, then transported the man (a killer, sitting a foot behind me, openly telling us WHY he murdered his friend) to the station, where we saw him to booking.
I got home at six in the morning, overwhelmed. When I sat in my chair and looked down, I saw I had the man's blood on my cowboy boot. What I felt was beyond description, really, but the books took on a whole new meaning for me. Before, they were entertainment. Now, they're a bit darker, more serious. More a reflection of what the reality is on the streets of Nashville.
What's up next for Taylor?
Next fall, Taylor is going to have another run-in with a serial killer in Edge of Black. He's a completely twisted lothario, a necrophiliac who starves his victims to death in his basement. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to go on the road to promote that one...
Taylor is who she is - pragmatic, moral, compassionate, strong - some would say to the point of being intractable. In Taylor's world there are black hats and white hats, good versus evil. Simple, right? But life is full of change. Every experience alters us a little bit, opens our eyes a bit. That's the way I see Taylor, altering incrementally book to book so she doesn't achieve a sense of peace and finality each time.
I like loose ends. I like to torture the poor woman, put her in situations to see just how she's going to react. And sometimes she surprises me. In addition to the crime at hand, Judas Kiss is an exploration into her past, and I think the revelations make her a richer, deeper character. I've forced her into a gray area, which is difficult for woman who has such a strong code.
How has Taylor's relationship with her FBI profiler significant other evolved over the course of the series?
This might sound a bit paradoxical considering what I just said, but her relationship with Baldwin has evolved tremendously. She's grown as a partner, has learned to trust, to let her heart speak before her head. Loving and being loved is a challenge for Taylor, one that she'd never quite mastered before him. Baldwin is her soul mate as well as her lover, and accepting this new personal life (the engagement, moving in together) ultimately makes her a better woman.
Taylor's private life is forced into the public spotlight in Judas Kiss. How does Taylor deal with this?
Many women have something in their past that haunts them, something they'd like to do over. Taylor is no different. It's very, very difficult for her, because it's not only her personal life, it's her personal sexual life splashed across the headlines. The media seizes on her indiscretion and her most intimate details are exposed all over local and national television. If that's not bad enough, the situation is compounded by another leaked video that raises questions about her role in the death of her ex-partner and ex-lover. Her fall from grace is blood in the water for the cable news shows, and the local media feasts on her disgrace.
I believe the horror she feels will resonate with many women. But she's a tough cookie. She handles it the only way she knows how, by moving forward, finding out who's responsible and making sure they get punished. To use a terrible cliché, she doesn't waste time crying over the spilt milk.
Judas Kiss deals with sensitive topics such as pornography and the murder of a pregnant mother all in the traditionally "safe" setting of suburbia. How do you use this setting to jar your readers from their complacency?
The crime stories that seem to capture our interest as a society are the ones that take place where we feel the safest, which is inside our own homes. That's where the majority of homicides take place. And we all know how much the media loves a good suburban murder, especially in my fictional Nashville. There's a sense of the fantastic surrounding the case, an "it could have happened to me" mentality couple with the media frenzy - satellite trucks parks on quiet streets, reporters camped on the lawns, every moment chronicled.
This book was right from the heart. Twisted as I am, my imagination usually guides the stories. I made an exception for Judas Kiss. The murder of Corinne Wolf was based on a real case. In 2006, I saw an article from a North Carolina newspaper about a young pregnant mother named Michelle Young who was found murdered by her sister. Her death was violent, and her child had been alone in the house with her mother's corpse. The media reported a number of salient details, including the bloody footprints the child had left through the house. I watched the case, hoping there would be a resolution. Unfortunately, Michelle Young's murder still isn't solved. Her husband is the prime suspect. That became the opening of Judas Kiss, but the rest of the story is an utter fabrication.
Your books feature a lot of realistic details about police procedure and forensics. What's your most memorable adventure in research?
I have a fabulous team of experts who are incredibly patient with me. I devise scenarios then ask them if I have it right. I've done ride-alongs with Metro homicide and Metro patrol, have been to the Medical Examiner's office to identify a skull, delved into the mind of a serial killer with the head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.
The most memorable was the night I was out on midnight patrol, my first overnight run. We got called to a stabbing, and beat the first responders to the scene. It was in the projects, dark and dreary, and the cop I was with parked and told me to stay on his six, then took off into the gloom. I hightailed it out of the car and followed. The scene was a bad one; the man had been knifed in the stomach. His friends and family were crying. One was trying to help push the stomach contents back inside his body. The victim died on the scene. It didn't end there - we caught the suspect, found the murder weapon, had a chain of custody incident, then transported the man (a killer, sitting a foot behind me, openly telling us WHY he murdered his friend) to the station, where we saw him to booking.
I got home at six in the morning, overwhelmed. When I sat in my chair and looked down, I saw I had the man's blood on my cowboy boot. What I felt was beyond description, really, but the books took on a whole new meaning for me. Before, they were entertainment. Now, they're a bit darker, more serious. More a reflection of what the reality is on the streets of Nashville.
What's up next for Taylor?
Next fall, Taylor is going to have another run-in with a serial killer in Edge of Black. He's a completely twisted lothario, a necrophiliac who starves his victims to death in his basement. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to go on the road to promote that one...
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