Sarah Butland

Damaris @ Good Choice Reading

Jenileese Winslett

Emails should be arriving shortly to ask for your snail mails. Many thanks to the always reliable Rafflecopter for doing the heavy lifting.

And now that we have winners... I will be disappearing for a bit. I have a close deadline, and need all my focus to get the second Dr. Samantha Owens book, EDGE OF BLACK, into tip top shape.

Be well, play nice, and I'll see you soon!

XO,

JT

For more information about A DEEPER DARKNESS, click here.

A DEEPER DARKNESS

Coming April 17, 2012 
(pre-order yours today!)

"Shocking suspense, compelling characters and fascinating forensic details.  
When it comes to fast-paced thrillers, J.T. Ellison always has her game on."
~Lisa Gardner, #1 NYT bestselling author of CATCH ME

Into the Flood Again

 
As a medical examiner, Samantha Owens knows her job is to make a certain sense of death with crisp methodology and precision instruments. But the day the Tennessee floods took her husband and children, the light vanished from Sam's life. She's pulled into a suffocating grief no amount of workaholic ardor can penetrate—until she receives a peculiar call from Washington, D.C.

On the other end of line is an old boyfriend’s mother, asking Sam to do a second autopsy on her son. Eddie Donovan is officially the victim of a vicious carjacking, but under Sam’s sharp eye the forensics tell a darker story. The ex-Ranger was murdered, though not for his car.

Forced to confront the burning memories and feelings about yet another loved one killed brutally, Sam loses herself in the mystery contained within Donovan’s old notes. Leading her to the untouchable Xander Whitfield, a soldier off-grid since his return from Afghanistan, and then to a series of brutal crimes stretching from that harsh mountainous war zone to this nation’s capital, the tale told between the lines makes it clear that nobody’s hands are clean, and that making sense of murder sometimes means putting yourself in the crosshairs of death.

"A DEEPER DARKNESS has everything I love in a thriller: stunning twists and shocks, fascinating forensics, and heroines I deeply cared about. JT Ellison is one of the best writers in the game."
~Tess Gerritsen, NYT bestselling author of THE SILENT GIRL

"A DEEPER DARKNESS is not only a compelling thriller but a multilayered meditation on grief and loss. Dr. Samantha Owens is a forensic investigator with heart and soul and this is the start of a most promising new series for rising star JT Ellison."
~Jeff Abbott, NYT bestselling Author of ADRENALINE

"Intense and riveting, A DEEPER DARKNESS is JT Ellison at her finest. Dr. Samantha Owens is one of the most memorable and engaging characters in thriller fiction today. I want more Sam! JT Ellison is a master storyteller, and ultimately A DEEPER DARKNESS is an extraordinary story of life and hope. Superb!"
~Carla Neggers, NYT bestselling author of Saint's Gate

"A Deeper Darkness hits all the right notes: terrific characters, great setting, fast pace and fascinating storyline. Dark and compelling, rich with authentic detail, I couldn’t put it down. Look out Kay Scarpetta, there’s a new medical examiner on the block."
~Erica Spindler, NYT bestselling author of WATCH ME DIE

"A Deeper Darkness is everything a great thriller should be: clever, complex, and captivating. J.T. Ellison’s gripping new series is a winner!"
~Allison Brennan, NYT bestselling author of SILENCED

The Year in Review - 2011: The Year of Depth

A haughty title, truly, if you think about it. Depth is such an amorphous term. How do you measure such a thing? Especially when you make a commitment to live without goals? I will admit to not looking at the list of goals I set last year until this week, but I don't know if I can honestly say I didn't set goals. Instead, I looked for a better balance of my time. And 2011 will go down in my personal history books as the year I did find a certain kind of balance. I started doing yoga the same week I began reading Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. Funny thing about that book - I checked it out of the library years ago, 2006, I think, a mere three years into my writing career. And I returned it back within a week - it didn't speak to me. It seemed silly, doing all those random exercises. I didn't understand how writers, artists, could fail to show up for work every day.

Boy, have I learned my lesson. In 2010, I experienced a crippling bout of writer's block, and 2011, well, let's just say, I lost faith. Faith in myself, my art, my muse. And that was an awful place to be. So when I tried The Artist's Way again, it spoke to me. Screamed, really. And smacked me over the head with a pole. Ten weeks later, nearly finished, I have recovered. I am me again. I have that swagger back, the ability to create that I used to take for granted. Thank the Gods for that, at least. 

Depth. Yes, I think I understand that term more than ever before. We are all onions, and live on the surface of our lives, not wanting to experience pain, or suffering. But without suffering there is no joy. Without pain there is no comfort. Without depth, there is no life. We must peel back the layers in order to live honestly. Socrates was right: We must live an examined life if we truly want to walk in this world.

The Nitty Gritty (AKA Nerdology)

I did a lot this year. More than last, which is, as always, the ultimate and only true goal. I worked on four books and three short stories, and dipped my toes into the great wide world of series television. I finished two complete novels, started a third, and edited and released two more. I placed three short stories and released a novella of connected shorts with my friends Alex Kava and Erica Spindler called SLICES OF NIGHT. I judged a contest, attended three conferences and toured two books. And the highlight of the year came in July, when THE COLD ROOM won the ITW Thriller Award for best paperback original of 2010. And of course, we finally got to announce the option for the Taylor books. 

Plus I started a new series, a spin-off of my Taylor series featuring the medical examiner, Dr. Samantha Owens. In order to make Sam's world sing, I did morgue duty, participating in four autopsies, an event I spent most of this year reliving. I wrote my first standalone. I lost my editor, the indomitable Adam Wilson, but gained another wonderful editor, Miranda Indrigo. My dear agent continues to help me forge ahead in the brave new world of publishing. I took a hiatus from my group blog, Murderati, and found a way to get my Facebook fan page into shape. And most important, I took my regular Facebook friend page back to only people I know in real life. The last three items were all meant to help me find my focus, to destress, to make life simpler. Which plays well into my theme for 2012. 

And I wrote. 

2011 Word Total: 886,580
Fiction Total: 252,300
Non-Fiction Total: 157,140
Email: 320,000
Fiction percentage:  40%

I wrote on average 2,429 words per day, 680 of which were fiction. 

My fiction total increased by 54,000 words. That's half a book. I am most proud of that figure. Unfortunately, my emails doubled, from an average of 7 a day to 14. Which blows my fiction to non-fiction ratios out of the water. But... the increase was directly correlated to two fiction projects, so... Fiction to non-fiction was 40% to 60% without emails figured in, but only 28% with email. Damn and damn again. 

On a more personal note, it was a good year. Randy and I got to travel the world again, spending time with friends and family in Italy, Taos, Colorado, Florida, New York, Cincy, Santa Fe, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. I am surrounded by amazing people, writers and friends who inspire me daily. My husband rocks. I have a guru. My body bends in ways I couldn't have ever expected. I knocked four strokes off my handicap. I have happiness streaming in the doors and windows. We are content and healthy and understand how blessed we are. 

The one bad thing is Jade's fight with pancreatic cancer. As we watch her shrink, our once husky 17 pound cat now down to a lean 9 pounds, our hearts break. I know it's too much to ask that we don't lose her, but I ask anyway, daily, praying for a miracle.  

The Year Ahead - 2012: The Year of Simplicity

Peeling away the things that don't matter both professionally and personally. Controlling only what I am in direct control of. Getting back to the simple pleasures of my life: writing, reading, loving, exercise, meditation, cooking. Following through on plans, eliminating stress, enjoying silence, my work, and my life. Being a good friend, a good spouse, a good daughter, a good sister. 

Is it bad that I've made a resolution to curtail my use of exclamation points? That I want to declutter my life is understandable, and I think that somewhere in there, I want to cure overabundance in all forms. I am cutting way back on my travel, conference attendance and touring in order to write more - I want three whole books under my belt this year. I plan to read what I want to read, and not to buy new books, instead finally delving into the books I already own, even if I have to go through my library alphabetically for accountability. I've even added a widget here on the blog of what I'm currently reading to help keep me on track. I want to study Buddhism, and get deeper into my yoga training. I will be releasing all of my short stories individually in the spring, releasing two Sam Owens books: A DEEPER DARKNESS on April 17, and EDGE OF BLACK on November 23, and will be in New York in July for Thrillerfest. 

Write, and read, and yoga and cook. Those are the four things I want to do in 2012. That's it. All my goals in a single sentence, distilled down to four words.

Simple. That is my new mantra. Oh, and Oṃ śānti śānti śānti. Everything peace, peace, peace.

May your 2012 be blessed, filled with love and happiness and all good things. May you find joy, and create art, and love hard, and hurt. May you read fantastic books, and share meals with friends. May you take walks and stare at the trees. May all your opinions be shared with compassion and love. May you hold hands with someone you adore, and hug someone you haven't seen in a long time. May you put aside petty differences in favor of forgiveness, and remember that everyone has their own fears and angers. May you smile at strangers, and accept their smiles in return. May you love, and be loved.

As my guru teaches, Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu: May all beings everywhere be happy and free. Namaste, and Happy New Year.

________________________________

The Deets: 

One killer: A psychopath who flies under the radar, moving from city to city, preying on the lost, the forgotten.

Three investigators: Detective Stacy Killian from the New Orleans P.D. Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson, and FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell have witnessed some of the worst, and brought down some of the best. Will this one slip through their grasps?

From three of today's most acclaimed thriller writers, SLICES OF NIGHT offers readers a sneak peek into the lives of three very different investigators, in three very different settings, as they hunt for a killer who's able to disappear into the night.

On Sale Now!

Kindle

Nook

And as an added bonus, I've dropped the price of my short story collection, SWEET LITTLE LIES, to .99 as well. Limited time offer on both books - so get them while they're hot!

Sweet Little Lies for Nook

Sweet Little Lies for Kindle

Even if you don't have an ereader, you can still get SLICES OF NIGHT - just download the free software from Kindle or Nook to your computer or phone!

Merry Everything! Thank you for reading!

Free copy of SLICES OF NIGHT: Ericia Crosby, Amy Clark and Pat Freely

And our Nook winners: Barbara Cotter, Anne Shah Hoque and Carol Bowen

Congratulations, everyone! And many thanks for entering the contest. SLICES OF NIGHT goes on sale December 24th!

For more info about SLICES OF NIGHT, click here.

available everywhere ebooks are sold December 24, 2011

Bestselling thriller authors Erica Spindler, Alex Kava and J.T. Ellison bring you face to face with their own unique brands of evil.

One killer: A psychopath who flies under the radar, moving from city to city, preying on the lost, the forgotten.

Three investigators: Detective Stacy Killian from the New Orleans P.D. Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson, and FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell have witnessed some of the worst, and brought down some of the best. Will this one slip through their grasps, as he has slipped through the grasps of so many, for so long?

From three of today's most acclaimed thriller writers, SLICES OF NIGHT offers readers a sneak peek into the lives of three very different investigators, in three very different settings, as they hunt for a killer who's able to disappear into the night.

For more information on the authors and SLICES OF NIGHT, click here.

 Part I

Erica Spindler - The Missing and The Gone 

In the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, a homeless young woman is found stabbed to death. The simple ambush killing proves to be anything but, and NOPD Detective Stacy Killian finds herself in a life-and-death race against the clock. 

Part II

J.T. Ellison - Blood Sugar Baby

An "Occupy Nashville" protester is found dead on the sidewalk, but this isn't an ordinary victim, and Taylor Jackson must contain the story and identify the killer before he strikes again.

Part III

Alex Kava - Cold Metal Night

BUY YOURS December 24!

I've been sitting on this for so long, and thought I'd never get to share with you. But now I can, and it's big, big, big happy making news.

My Taylor Jackson series has been optioned for television by Fishbowl Worldwide Media. 

And as it happens, I've just participated in my second My Book, The Movie blog - so hop on over and check out who I'd like to see casted! Hey, a girl can dream, right?

I'm beside myself with excitement, and will keep y'all updated with details as I'm allowed! Thanks, as always, for your faith in Taylor and her team.

So... who do YOU think should play Taylor and Baldwin???

My brother had this shirt when I was little, and it used to crack me up. Not only because of the cheery smiling stick figure below the words, so incongruous with my logical, quiet, determined brother, but because I got the joke. I was ten, I got the joke, and that made me cool in my mind. Plus, since I was a precocious little know-it-all, I could take the opportunity to explain to my not as verbally gifted local yokel friends what it meant.

Yeah, I was kind of an ass when I was little. No one likes a know it all.

I thought of the shirt the other day. I had turned off all distractions and was doing a Thursday Mo-Mo – write as much as you can in a nine hour period. Everything started to click. Not just click, it began to roar.

And I was reminding myself, in sheer vernacular, of the following:

I are a professional writer.

I’ve discovered an interesting pattern in my writing life.

I finish two books in a relatively short period of time, between six and eight months, then my mind shuts off. Sitting down to the computer each day is a struggle. Focusing on story a near impossibility. This state of mind exists for about three months, during which I only get 25K-30K done on a book that should be finished after three months, then suddenly, just as I'm about to bottom out, feeling like a fraud, a joke, a poseur, something magical happens. It is usually precluded by a massive meltdown in which I mope around for a few days, start smoking again, and decide I will never, ever have a career, much less write another decent book.

Then my husband and one or more of my fabulous friends takes me in hand, allow me to wallow, then remind me that regardless of good or bad writing days, I would never, ever, trade this job for another, and suddenly, everything clicks, and I can start writing again. The cigs are thrown away, I stop moping, I look forward to getting up in the morning because I have a STORY prancing through my mind.

Sometimes you need to be reminded from whence you came.

I tell you this story because today we enter November, which means National Novel Writing Month – or NaNoWriMo. It is a 30-day, 50,000 word sprint that aims to help you develop the habit of sitting down at the computer every day and mindfully writing a novel.

Just FYI – a NOVEL is usually 75,000 plus, (mine are usually 90-100K) while a NOVELLA is 20-45,000 words. Just so you don’t think you’ve written a novel at 50K.

To meet the NaNoWriMo goals of 50K in 30 days, you must write an average of 1666 words a day. To some, that seems an insurmountable number, which is why the whole goal of NaNo is for you to write without censure, turning off your inner editor, not worrying about plot or structure or voice or character, just writing. Getting words down on the page. Free as the wind.

Just so you know….1666 - That’s pretty standard output for a professional writer. With the exception of the times we’re pouting and moping, of course, we do that every day, and then some, five to seven days a week, 365 days a year. With deadlines looming, books releasing, and the necessary issue of worrying about plot and structure and voice and character, satisfying contractual obligations… etc… etc….

I love NaNo. I think it’s a great exercise. The first 60K of 14, the second Taylor Jackson book, was a NaNo winner in 2006. I use November every year as a fun challenge to myself to see how much I can write in a month. It’s always the start of the cycle - two books in quick succession.

As you sit down to your computers today, remind yourself of this one thing. Should you succeed, should you finish the 50K, and go on to write another 30-50K on this story, then edit and edit and revise and revise then submit to agents, get an agent, who sells the book, you will be asked to do it again.

When you work hard to fulfill your dreams, they have a tendency to become reality. And reality for a professional writer isn’t just a month of intensity. It isn’t just 1600 words a day. It is months of intensity. Thousands of words a day, sometimes. It is deadlines and jubilation and triumph and setbacks and heartbreak and bad breaks and sheer unadulterated bliss coupled with some luck – always luck. But none of that happens with seriously hard work.

So if you want to do this for real, stick that in the back of your mind as you fly through the month of November. Do that, and you too can say I are a professional writer.

And best of luck to you all!

(My friend Tracy Lucas put together a listing of all the word counters, and inside her post is stashed a most glorious tool - the yearly word counter. Check it out. I will be using it from here on out.)