J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels of psychological suspense, including the Lt. Taylor Jackson series, the Dr. Samantha Owens series, and numerous acclaimed standalones. She is the Emmy Award–winning cohost of A Word on Words, the literary television series on PBS. Over a twenty-year career, her work has earned widespread critical recognition, with titles optioned for television and published in thirty countries, and millions of copies in print worldwide. A dedicated voice in the writing community, she also publishes The Creative Edge, a newsletter and blog for writers navigating the craft and business of fiction. She lives with her husband and twin kittens—one of whom is a ghost—in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Ellison's new novel is You Know Why.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:

In my many years as a thriller author, there has been nothing quite as fun as Alice Feeney. I’ve read two of her books recently that absolutely bamboozled me. seeing other authors in my genre level up their craft and become deeper, stronger, more intense writers. One who I think is truly at the top of her game is The first was My Husband’s Wife, and the second was Rock, Paper, Scissors .

We’re talking first-class sleight of hand, which is an incredibly difficult move to pull off. It’s so much fun to set aside my own knowledge of the craft and get taken in by the story and the characters.

Feeney’s casts lie. They lie to one another; they lie to the reader. They are the most unreliable of unreliable narrators, and yet, you never feel cheated when the reveal happens. On the contrary, it’s usually a jaw-dropping how did I not see it moment, which is so much fun. The clues have all been laid out, a trail of breadcrumbs that, upon second reflection, are so incredibly obvious.

A master’s work, that.

The other book I read recently that truly moved me was The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Sybil Van Antwerp is her own kind of unrelatable narrator. Told in an epistolary style, we only hear what she wants us to, and the mystery of her life and the ultimate acts of self-forgiveness made me weep. Well worth a few days of your reading life––it’s a love letter to words, vocabulary, and the enduring power of personal connection.

Visit J.T. Ellison's website.

The Page 69 Test: Edge of Black.

The Page 69 Test: When Shadows Fall.

My Book, The Movie: When Shadows Fall.

My Book, The Movie: What Lies Behind.

The Page 69 Test: What Lies Behind.

The Page 69 Test: No One Knows.

My Book, The Movie: No One Knows.

The Page 69 Test: Lie to Me.

My Book, The Movie: Good Girls Lie.

The Page 69 Test: Good Girls Lie.

Writers Read: J. T. Ellison (January 2020).

Q&A with J.T. Ellison.

The Page 69 Test: A Very Bad Thing.

The Page 69 Test: Last Seen.

--Marshal Zeringue