Gentle Readers:

It's time, at last! CROSSED is available for download! The SWEET DREAMS box set will be available for $9.99 for a limited time, starting May 1, 2015. 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. It is a full-length prequel novel to the Taylor Jackson series.

In 2014, the boxed set curated by Brenda Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes Research raised almost $100,000. This year, we're going to smash that record. SWEET DREAMS features thirteen brand-new thrillers by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors:

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

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. And that's not all! Brenda has two more book sets, SWEET SEDUCTION and SWEET TALK for you lovers of romance, hot and sweet. Plus, as you'll see below, she also has a wonderful cookbook. This is a win-win month!

On a more serious note, if you want to understand why I chose to participate in this venture, please take a moment and read the foreword to SWEET DREAMS, written by the wonderful Lee Child here. There's nothing better than benefitting the eradication of a terrible disease whilst enjoying a great few days of reading, and I'm so proud to be a part of that fight.

Now, switching gears, WHAT LIES BEHIND, the fourth Samantha Owens thriller, releases May 26. As I've mentioned before, pre-orders are absolutely vital to the book's success, so please consider ordering your copy early from your favorite retailer. I highly recommend ordering from the stores I'll be signing at (see below), so you can get a signed copy pre-ordered! We've already had a couple of stellar reviews — PW says WHAT LIES BEHIND is "Captivating... The cliffhanger conclusion will leave fans eagerly anticipating the next installment." And Romantic Times gave it a 4½ stars Top Pick! I'm so happy it's being well received, and can't wait to see it out in the world.

We have an amazing month planned on Facebook, with cool giveaways and games, so be sure you're following the page (http://facebook.com/jtellison14) so you don't miss a thing.

Events

My tour for WHAT LIES BEHIND is set. I'll be at FoxTale Books in Woodstock, Georgia, with a bunch of awesome mystery authors (5.23), having a launch party at Parnassus (5.26 — with Ariel Lawhon interviewing me), visiting my buddies at Reading Rock in Dickson (5.28), stopping off at my local Books-A-Million (5.29) and heading to Decatur, Alabama for a library event (6.2). Check out my Events page for details — I hope to see you on the road! A little incentive — I'll give you twenty percent off your book if you come see me in person!

Get Thee to a Bookstore

If you can believe it, I have had some time to read despite all the craziness surrounding the book releases. When my time is so very fragmented, I read while I eat breakfast, while I eat lunch, and right before bed. Truly, knowing I can snatch 30 minutes with a great book keeps me sane. Here's what I read this month:

SMALL VICTORIES ‐ Anne Lamott
A DESPERATE FORTUNE ‐ Susannah Kersley
BIG LITTLE LIES ‐ Liane Moriarty
EVERY OCCASION COOKBOOK ‐ Brenda Novak
DRAGONFLY IN AMBER (yes, again.) ‐ Diana Gabaldon
On deck: Robert Glinski — THE FRIENDSHIP OF CRIMINALS

If you’re on Goodreads, friend me, and follow along. I’m always interested in what you’re reading, too!

May Contest

The May contest is live now: enter to win a Kindle Paperwhite, plus a keychain, pen and a $10 online book store gift card to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million OR iBooks (winner’s choice).

Enter here to win.

May Recipe — Baked Tilapia with Mango Salsa (A Very Special Guest Recipe from LOVE THAT! Brenda Novak's Every Occasion Cookbook)
(Click here for printable PDF)*

In addition to her amazing box set compilations, Brenda has also put together a wonderful, healthy, fresh cookbook. It's a beautiful book, full of incredibly easy and delicious meals. I've taken two of the recipes and combined them into a meal for one of my favorite dishes — flaky white fish with mango salsa. I suggest serving this with jasmine rice. And grab your copy of Brenda's cookbook here!

Baked Tilapia

Ingredients:

• 4 (4-oz.) filets of fresh tilapia
• 3 carrots, thinly sliced
• 3 red potatoes: peeled, cut into strips, and par-boiled
• 4 fresh sprigs of rosemary
• 4 fresh springs of thyme
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 lime, juice and zest

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• On a large, square sheet of tin foil, put one bundle of fresh herbs: one sprig of rosemary, one spring of thyme, and one quarter of the green onions.
• Grate zest from lemon and lime, and squeeze juice from both.
• Add 1 filet of tilapia and one quarter of the vegetables (potatoes need to be par-boiled, or they will be crisp).
• Salt and pepper, to taste.
• Fold the foil around the fish, vegetables and herbs, creating a package.
• Bake for 14 to 16 minutes.
• Open packets and plate, covering with mango salsa. Goes great with jasmine rice.

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

• 6 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper (any color)
• 1/2 small can (4-oz.) chopped green chilies
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 mango, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste

• Add all ingredients to salsa blender and blend (or blend in batches, if your salsa blender isn't big enough).
• Add to tilapia, and devour!

Chef's note — I've never heard of a salsa blender, so I'd probably do mine by hand or in a Cuisinart. But now I know what I want for Christmas!

I'll see you again at the end of the month to celebrate the release of WHAT LIES BEHIND! In the meantime, enjoy the warmer weather, eat well, be merry, and keep reading!

xoxo,

*You can see all of my previous recipes and download them here.