What's new with J.T. Ellison

July 2014

Gentle Readers:

Pre-order Paperback! eBooks: also available at: Walmart | Target | East Side Story Mysteries and More | Parnassus Reading Rock

Pre-Order Today!

I hope your summer has been amazing thus far! I’m writing to you from inside Hurricane Arthur, our first big storm of the season. We’re just getting some nice wind and waves, perfect writing weather. The Australian pine off the deck is whipping around, and the fish spout gutters are gushing, but the storm will be moving north soon, getting stronger and making July 4th interesting for the OBX. Sorry, guys!

I’m still hard at work on WHAT LIES BEHIND, starting into the frenzy of deadline. My editor has the first 150 pages and I’m cooking now, so I’m hoping to make it on time. (I moved my deadline up, which might have been a dumb thing to do, so we’ll see if I regret it and have to extend to the original deadline or not. Put it this way, if my deadline was in the original spot, I’d be crowing about what great shape I’m in. So...)

The only reason I’m worried is that RWA is in a few weeks, so I’m going to lose quite a bit of writing time. Catherine and I are doing a workshop on co-writing, and of course, there’s the literacy signing (see deets below), so if you’re in San Antonio (or want to make a road trip) come by and see us!

Also, WHEN SHADOWS FALL comes out in paperback next month (August 26). I’d love it if you pre-ordered from your favorite bookstore. And, if you’re a book blogger who is interested in reading WHEN SHADOWS FALL for review, please contact media@jtellison.com with your website, credentials and recent reviews to request your digital epub copy.

Tours

If you’re in San Antonio or thereabouts, I will be attending RWA this year, and signing at the “Literacy for Life” event July 23. The RWA 2014 Literacy Autographing will be held on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 from 5:30 ‐ 7:30 p.m. at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter Hotel in the 3rd floor ballroom. This event is open to the public.

Get Thee to a Bookstore

It’s halfway through the year, and looking at my challenge, I’ve read 28 out of 60 books, which in truth is a little short, because I’ve read several books for blurbs and one for critique, so I’m really at 32 or 33. Not bad, right on schedule. I haven’t had a vacation yet this year, so I’m looking forward to plowing through a ton of books next month. But for now, this month’s additions were all stellar:

Catherine Coulter — POWER PLAY
Jeff Abbott — INSIDE MAN
Megan Abbott — THE FEVER
Meg Gardiner — PHANTOM INSTINCT
Diana Gabaldon — AN ECHO IN THE BONE
Joelle Charbonneau — GRADUATION DAY
Lauren Oliver — PANIC
E. Lockhart — WE WERE LIARS

I’ve made a commitment to track all my reading this year, so if you’re on Goodreads, friend me, and follow along. I’m always interested in what you’re reading, too!

July Contest

The July contest is live now, enter to win a signed paperback copy of Kim Law’s HOT BUTTERED YUM plus a $10 gift card (winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble).
Enter here to win.

July Recipe — Bread and Butter Pickles

I rarely share recipes that I haven’t already tested, but I’ve been wanting to make pickles and haven’t had a chance to spend the appropriate amount of time on them. So I’m stealing a recipe from a friend of mine, Anna Benjamin, who graciously shares her finest on Facebook. I’ve benefitted from her luscious recipes before (bourbon vanilla extract, anyone?) and I can trust whatever she’s put together will be delicious and easy. So, here’s Anna’s adapted Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe. Which I will be making soon!

Makes 2 quarts
Ingredients

• 2 lbs Kirby cucumbers
• 2 medium white onions, sliced
• ¼ cup kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• ½ tablespoon celery seed
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

Directions

• Slice the unpeeled cucumbers ¼ inch thick.
• Combine the cucumbers, sliced onions, and salt in a large bowl. Cover with 2" of ice cubes and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, adding more ice as it melts.
• Drain the vegetables in a colander and rinse with cold water.
• In a large pot, combine the sugar, vinegar, and spices. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat but DO NOT boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cucumbers and onions.
• Heat until the mixture returns to a gentle simmer, then immediately remove from heat.
• Cool, then transfer to covered containers and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. (I put them in sterilized glass mason jars while still warm and keep them for as long as they last.)

*This recipe was originally from Tyler Florence’s “Family Meal”.

That’s it from me, chickens. See you in August, when we’ll be talking more about the mass-market paperback release of WHEN SHADOWS FALL! The kitten minions send their love (and elk-flavored kitten breath kisses). Keep reading!

xoxo,