Blog Posts for JT Ellison

A Halloween Ghost Story

JT Ellison — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:38:10 -0700

I love New Orleans. When I was in grad school, my husband and I decided to start a political consulting firm. We signed a candidate in Mobile, and went down over a weekend to meet him. We quickly realized he wasn't the candidate for us -- he kept suggesting ways to get around the FEC filing laws, talked about how he was going to split apart his political donations for home improvements -- you get ...

How Social Networking Kills the Creative Spirit

JT Ellison — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:32:02 -0700

You want to hear some hard truth? Do you promise not to get mad at me? Promise? Okay then. Here it is. Your social networking habit? It might be hurting you. Yes, I know it’s fun. Meeting new people, reconnecting with old friends, discussing the price of tea in china with strangers, staffing up your mafia, finding out your Princess personality, etcetera, etcetera. But every minute you spend on ...

Hero Worship

JT Ellison — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:29:18 -0700

I've mentioned this story before, and I'm sure it won't be the last time I talk about it, but I had another one of those "MOMENTS" this week, and thought we could talk about what it means to have a hero. My reemergence into the world of fiction was something of an accident, one that began with picking up a Labrador retriever and blowing out my back. The subsequent year of ...

What the F**k is Ladylike?

JT Ellison — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:27:38 -0700

The indefatigable Sarah Weinman did a Dark Passages column for the LA Times a couple of weeks ago about female characters with dark histories. She cited some great examples of authors who use their female protagonists to tread into the traditionally male territory of overwhelming violence: Karin Slaughter, Mo Hayder, Gillian Flynn. There is a common denominator in all of these fabulous authors' ...

World Building

JT Ellison — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:44:59 -0700

I was at the bank the other day, which is always a trip, because our bank branch is staffed with characters. There’s the comedian chick, the brooding manager, the upbeat and chipper trainee, and the artist. The artist and I get on well, because he’s a writer. He’s done songs, he’s done poems. But lately, he’s been working on a movie script. You don’t expect to get enlightened at the ...

Genesis

JT Ellison — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:15:27 -0700

A few months ago, my friend Tim Hallinan asked me to participate in a series he was doing on creativity. I loved the concept, and though a bit terrorized to be included in the company of Emmy and Oscar winners, I gamely tried my hand. The basic question he asked us to contemplate: What Is Creativity? I'd love to hear what YOU think.Defining creativity to me is akin to the government’s views on ...

Formatting A Manuscript

JT Ellison — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:48:14 -0700

Last week, I mentioned that I'd formatted a new document so I could start writing THE PRETENDER, and Sandy chimed in with a question: What program do you use to write with? I thought it might be fun to hear how everyone does their prep work, including the program you use and how you format your manuscripts.Let me say, for the record, that there is no one right way to do this, though there are ...

Five Simple Ways To Be An Effective Promoter

JT Ellison — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:17:07 -0800

Promotion. It's a dirty word to many of us - a necessary evil, but an evil, nonetheless.I was in South Carolina this past weekend at the incredibly awesome South Carolina Literary Festival, and found myself engaging in several different types of promotion, all of which are vital skills that every author attending these events need to master. Promotion is, at its heart, relationship management. In ...

25 Writers

JT Ellison — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:46:09 -0800

There have been a million and one memes floating around lately. I usually don't participate, for a variety of reasons. This one, though, is too cool not to participate in. I got it through Facebook, but it comes up on DorothyL sometimes, and other listserves. Who are you influenced by? What writers have had such an impact on you that when asked to list them, you'll think of them immediately? To ...

The Absconding Pen, and Other Tour Stories

JT Ellison — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:01:25 -0800

Well, hi! Happy Friday the 13! Long time no blog, I know. I've missed y'all, so forgive me if this is more chatty than educational today.I've been facing an interesting challenge, a book due March 1, and promotion to do for my January book. JUDAS KISS got moved up in the publication schedule, which is why I've been put in this position of having to cut back on some of my non-writing work in order ...