Virtual Sitdown with J.T. Ellison (PopSyndicate)

/

02/17/2009
by Angela Wilson

Taylor Jackson is back in print - and this time the Nashville lieutenant is dodging in-house politics while matching wits with a highly-skilled killer. This latest case takes fans on a wild ride - one that they continue to rave about on their blogs and book buying sites. Today, the talented creator of the Jackson series, J.T. Ellison, drops by to chat about the latest in the series with Book Addict Editor Angela Wilson.

Tell us about your latest Taylor Jackson novel, Judas Kiss.

Judas Kiss is a bit of a departure for me, it’s not a serial killer novel like the first two Taylor Jackson books. The plot centers on a single murder - a young, pregnant suburban mother named Corinne Wolff, bludgeoned to death in her home in an upper middle class Nashville neighborhood. The crime stories that seem to capture our interest as a society are the ones that take place where we feel the safest, and the majority of homicides take place in our homes. 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. 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. 

And in another departure, 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 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.

The leading cause of death for pregnant women is homicide. It breaks my heart, and I wanted to share that with my readers.

You have received critical acclaim for the Jackson novels and were named Best Mystery/Thriller Writer of 2008 by Nashville Scene. Tell us, is this a tough standard to live up to?

Certainly. The honor of being singled out as the best of anything is overwhelming. As an author, my foremost goal is to improve my craft, to make each book better, stronger and sleeker than the last. I’m constantly evolving as a writer, learning more about the craft, working to find efficiencies in my writing. Hopefully this constant worrying will allow me to keep getting better. And maybe I’ll be a best of again someday.

You worked in D.C. at the White House and Department of Commerce before you moved into marketing and financial analysis in the private sector. What did you take from your experiences in D.C. that works into your novels? Does it help with scenarios? Character development?

Working in D.C., especially in politics, is a Ph.D. course in human nature. I haven’t written a political thriller yet, but I certainly have one buzzing around in my head. To be honest, I left Washington and politics because I was much too idealistic. Fiction allows me to live in the world I wish existed, rather than the rancorous realities of Washington’s elite. But for the writing, my adopted hometown of Nashville has been much more influential. I moved here over ten years ago and have been seduced by the dichotomies – class wars, serious crime, the beauty of the city and the strong southern style that permeates every molecule of air here. It’s a great town, one I’m proud to write about.

How did a woman who worked D.C. and marketing end up researching forensics and crime?

I’ve asked myself that question before. I attribute it to the early days dating my husband, and our quiet date nights at home, studying for our graduate school classes, with our favorite shows Profiler and Millennium playing in the background. They sparked an interest in law enforcement that I didn’t know existed, and it grew from there. If I were ten years younger, I would have gone to the FBI to work, without a doubt. The cultural phenomenon that is forensics would have reached me sooner, and I would have been drawn in before my career path was set in a different direction.

What fascinates you about forensics and crime?

I love to figure out what motivates people to do things. I studied psychology, actually thought about a path in psychiatry for a brief moment (the whole med school cadaver thing was too much for my delicate constitution to handle.) Then I got caught up in the thrill of politics and veered away from that path. Finding it again through writing has been one of my greatest joys. I like to listen to people, to see what’s behind the words, the façade. Everyone has a secret, a shame, a motivation for their public persona. The same goes for a criminal. How do they decide that taking the easy way out is their purpose in life? What catalyst drives their break from good to evil? Where in their psyche does it say that cheating and stealing and murdering is good, and right? When do they proceed to choose that path? Choices… for me it’s all about the choices people make.

In your research with law enforcement agencies, what was a key point you discovered that you never realized - and probably never would have if you weren’t sitting with the officers, listening to their war stories?

image That it takes a very specific personality type to make it as a cop, especially a homicide detective. The horror and depravity that they see every day . . .  anything I write pales against the realities they live with day to day. There is endless capacity for evil in people. It’s such an honor to write their stories, and I strive to make the non-law enforcement world understand the people who keep them safe.

Is there one case that ever creeped you out so much, you couldn’t even think of writing about something similar?

Sure. I fictionalized a local rapist in my first novel, before he was caught. Not bright. I actually almost did a true crime book on him, because he’s fascinating, but got too scared to do it. I didn’t want my name attached to his in perpetuity. No thanks. And my new book, Edge of Black, has a scene that I wrote on a Thursday that freaked me out so much that I couldn’t even open the manuscript until the following Monday. But I figure if I’m scaring myself, I’m scaring my reader, and that’s what it’s all about.

How did your move to Nashville impact your writing?

It was my personal catalyst. I can honestly say I don’t know if I would be a writer if I hadn’t. I’ve always loved to write, but had a professor in college discourage me, so I went the politics route. When we moved, my expertise was in presidential politics and aerospace marketing, neither of which is to be found in abundance in Nashville. So in a fit of desperation spawned by boredom so deep my brain was turning to mush, I took a job at a vet’s office. I thought it would be fun to work the front desk, greeting the people and their animals… well, the vet decided I should be a tech instead. After three days looking at the back ends of the fluffy creatures I so love, I decided it wasn’t for me. But just as I made the decision to quit, I clumsily picked up a large golden retriever and ruptured a disk in my back. It needed surgical repair, and I was down for the count recovering for a year. I read for pleasure, something I hadn’t done in many years. Crime fiction became my favorite, and I discovered John Sandford. The light bulb went on midway through the Prey series – I want to write a book. And the rest is history.

I see in your bio that you are owned by a poorly trained cat. I know my cats are extremely helpful with writing. They like to leave hairball gifts on my keyboard, or claw my legs until I let them have the nice, comfy office chair. How does your cat aid your writing time?

Hmmm… I’ve just realized that instead of Sandford, I should be crediting my cat with getting me writing. Jade was a rescue, a 5-week-old abandoned kitten with a cold. They were going to put her down; they can’t keep sick cats around. I took one look at her, fell in love, and said do what it takes to get her healthy. The vet who made her better? Yep, that’s the one I worked for.

Jade also knows how to sit quietly and listen when I need to read my work aloud, and she’s especially helpful when I have a particularly sticky scene that isn’t working. Talking it out helps me coalesce my thoughts, and she’s very patient. Though she does tend to fight with my laptop for lap space, and manages to sit on each page of my manuscripts.

What does your husband think of all the blood, guts and forensic research you do for your novels? Does he sleep with one eye open?

He tells everyone that if he dies suspiciously, I should be the first suspect. In all seriousness, he’s been brilliant. He puts up with a lot – me getting excited about my research, doing ride-alongs that take me into harm’s way. He doesn’t blink when I come home from the bookstore with armloads of research books. I’m working on a book now that involves Wicca and vampirism, so he’s been very patient while I explore these new worlds (ie: tell him spells over dinner.) He listens when I need to vent, reads my work, travels with me, and is an all-around fabulous guy. I honestly couldn’t do it without him. 

Who are you reading?

I’ve looked right and left – to my right is The Fugitive Poets: Modern Southern Poetry in Perspective, by William Pratt, an anthology and treatment of the fascinating southern group known as The Fugitives, and Cause of Death: A Writer’s Guide to Death, Murder and Forensic Medicine. To the left is Deadly Doses: A Writer’s Guide to Poisons, and The Masque of the Black Tulip, by Lauren Willig. I’m also reading (for the millionth time) Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. I find that her stories transport me and help me focus on my own work. They’re comfort reads. And I just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer. Brilliant book. My book club is reading The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, so I need to sandwich that in this week too. I do usually have four or five books going at once, all in different spots in the house. Oh, and I’ve been reading Anthem, by Ayn Rand, on my iPhone, testing out that technology.  It just doesn’t replace the feel, the tangible sense that paper gives, but it’s okay.

Where can we find you on the Web?

My website is www.JTEllison.com. On the Author’s Spot page, there are links to my blog, Murderati.com, my Facebook and MySpace pages, RedRoom and Publisher’s Marketplace. My News page has all the latest info, and of course you can Google me - that will give you infinite places to look.

Thanks so much for having me, Angela! This has been wonderful!

 

 

An Interview With Lit Magic

/

(Ginna Foster) 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.

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...