After moving to Nashville, Ellison decided to begin research on a passion, forensics and crime. She spent a great deal of time working with the Metro Nashville Police Department, and utilized these experiences to write her debut novel, ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS.

Ellison was mentored by one of her literary heroes, best-selling author Lee Child. He offered great praise for the author of ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS.

Said Child: "J.T. paints the feel, the context, the background, with deft, subtle, unforced strokes. She develops nuance, character and plot effortlessly. She's got talent and self-confidence, a truly winning combination." She lists Child, John Sanford, John Connolly and Michael Connelly among her favorite authors.

Her short stories have been widely published, including "Prodigal Me", featured in the anthology KILLER YEAR: Stories to Die For, edited by Lee Child, from St. Martin's Minotaur (January, 2008.)

She is the Friday columnist at Murderati.com and is a founding member of Killer Year, an organization promoting the best debut novelists of 2007.

She lives in Nashville with her husband and a poorly trained cat.

Q.      How long have you been writing fiction?

A.      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 professor and gave it up. There was a thirteen year gap in my creativity, and I’m grateful to have the muse back.

Q.      What inspired you to begin writing?

A.      I was on a John Sandford jag, reading the entire PREY series in order. I was so impressed with what he did I decided to try myself. A character popped into my head, a female version of Lucas Davenport, and the stories took off from there.

Q.      What types of books do you most like to read?

A.      I’m definitely a crime fiction junkie, though I’ve been dabbling in some literary fiction and fantasy lately.

Q.      Who published your first short story? 

A.      The esteemed Bryon Quertermous kindly included me in the Spring 2006 “Females of Noir” issue of Demolition Magazine. Bless him!

Q.      How did that first acceptance impact your writing career? 

A.      Actually, that first publication was a seminal moment. It was the beginning of a cascade of events. I met Duane Swierczynski at Murder in the Magic City two years ago. I asked him where the boys hung out – I was already ensconced in Sisters in Crime and wanted to get the perspective of the other side of the fence. Duane suggested a couple of places, Rara-Avis, Hard Case Crime, AND said a friend of his had a magazine and was looking for submissions for an all-female issue. So really, I owe Mr. Swierczynski a big nod here, too.

Murderati had just launched when I wrote the story, X, and submitted it to Bryon. He accepted it. Within a month, my agent sold my books and the roller coaster began. I honestly believe Demolition gave me a credibility I didn’t have before, and it made all the difference.

Q.      For those of us interested in reading your very first published story, where can we find it?

A.      Not only was X my first published story, it was only my second short ever, so be kind if you do read it! The link is http://www.demolitionmag.com/ellisonx.htm  

Q.      How many hours per day do you devote to writing?

A.      I’m blessed to be a full-time writer. I do my most creative work between noon and four each day, Monday through Friday. If I’m writing a first draft, I shoot for a minimum 1,000 words a day, usually hit 2,000. If I have a 6,000 word day, I will probably not work the next, so it all averages out. If I’m doing revisions, I don’t have set goals, I just work as much as I can to get the book done. It’s my favorite part of the process – the story is done and you’re weaving the details in to make it transition from a manuscript to a book. Love that feeling.

Q.      Do you have any marketing tips you’d like to share with aspiring writers?

A.      Just don’t try too hard. There’s a thin line between success and desperation. Mass emailing strangers, dominating webthreads, constantly talking and saying only me, me, me just plain turns people off. Do your homework. Join Publisher’s Marketplace and learn the business. You’ll have a much better chance for success if you know what you’re up against.

Q.      Do you have a writing schedule?

A.      I do. This is my job, and just like anyone who goes to an office, I have a work day. I get up in the morning, handle the “business” side of things (email, blogs, and newspapers), grab a Starbucks and settle in. I do the bulk of the writing between noon and four, then I re-read what I’ve written, edit, do more business. I easily work twelve hours a day, with breaks, of course. I’m looking for a new phone that I can turn the ringer off for those four hours so I can be completely undisturbed.  I’m a bit of a magpie, I can let myself get distracted, so that’s my biggest challenge.

(Writer’s Note: I just opened my Christmas presents. Lo and behold, there was a new phone with a ringer off function. Yay!)

Q.      Well, you must have been a good girl during the year. J

Can you describe a typical day in the life of JT Ellison?

A.      Okay, how sad is this? The answer to the writing schedule is the same as my typical day. All I seem to do is read and write anymore. I try to lay off the computer in the evening, watch television or a movie with the husband, read a book. And of course, there are the days when I skip out on work, go have a decadent lunch with a friend, manage a trip to the gym, but they get fewer and fewer the closer I get to a deadline. I do try not to let the house go too much, disorder and deadlines don’t mix for me.   

Q.      Do you work on one story at a time, or multiple?

A.      Multiple. At one point this year I was actually working on four books at once. It’s the bane of the professional writer – finish a book, start a new one. Then edits come in on the first, and you’re finishing the second. Then you turn in the second, start the third, and the page proofs for the first come in, then the edits for the second, then you start another book… you get the idea. I subscribe to the Stephen King school of thought – if an idea is good enough, you don’t need to write it down, it will germinate. If it can’t stand up to all the other things on my schedule, it’s most likely not worth pursuing.  

What’s amusing is a year ago at this time I was whining that I couldn’t think ahead to the next book, the next story, that I HAD to work on one thing at a time. Necessity is the mother of all creativity, it seems.

Q.      What’s your personal favorite JT Ellison story?

A.      Oh, I LOVE “Where’d You Get That Red Dress.” It’s by far my favorite, and is a flash piece to boot.

Q.      What is it about that story that makes it your favorite?

A.      Sweet, sweet revenge. There is something exciting about creating a flash fiction that feels complex. This poor abused woman makes lemons out of lemonade (or should I said blood oranges?), then takes to the street. You don’t know if she planned it, if she will strike again. There’s ambiguity but the story has a beginning, middle and end, all in less that 1,000 words. Obviously I’m proud of that puppy.

I also really like “Prodigal Me”, which appears in the Killer Year anthology due out January 22, 2008. Another examination of a woman in somewhat dire straits, though this one isn’t nearly as sympathetic.

Q.      Can you tell us about your book?

A.      Of course! ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS is the first novel in the Taylor Jackson series, and introduces homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her lover, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin. The series takes place in Nashville, Tennessee. In this story, Taylor and Baldwin are teamed up to catch the Southern Strangler, a vicious serial killer who has a rather unique MO – he cuts off his victims hands, transports one to the next crime scene, and leaves it with a new victim. He’s a little sick in the head.

Q.      That is, indeed, a unique MO. Where did you get the idea for it, as well as the idea for the entire story?

A.      Initially, the killer cut off the hands and took them with him. While I was writing the first draft, my mom called. She’d had a terrible dream that he was leaving the hand of the previous victim at the new crime scenes. The thought gave me chills, and I knew that’s what was happening. So all the credit goes to my twisted mom.

Q.      I love your title for ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS. Is there a story behind the title?

A.      Thank you! There certainly is. It’s one of those instances of your subconscious mind controlling your direction. I let the titles appear organically, then find their meaning. All of the books have something to do with mythology and fairy tales; the titles rise out of the books thematic foundation. ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS was a combo platter: a Grimm Brothers tale called Jorinda and Jorindel, and the old nursery rhyme: “Mary Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row.” The image of the growing garden was especially important to the story.

The second book is based on Snow White. I think the Grimm Brothers may have warped my mind.

Wow, that’s probably more than you need to know.

Q.      Actually, it's perfect, and very interesting. It's also very cool the way your mom contributed to your story.

How does one go about ordering a signed copy of your book?

A.      Get in touch with me at jtellison at jtellison.com, and I’d be happy to work out the details for you. 

Thank you so much for the opportunity, BJ. I love MFOB and am thrilled to be a part of the magazine again.

Q.      Well, I'm thrilled that you agreed to the interview, and I'm grateful to you for contributing stories to MFOB. I'm especially grateful to you for taking a chance and submitting "The Tempest" back when MFOB was first born. It's the talented writers like you who made that first issue a big hit, and who keep the readers coming back for more.

Best of luck to you.

BJ Bourg / JT Ellison © 2007