J.T. Ellison | The Joys of the Mass Market Paperback
Long before I was a writer, I was a reader (Iโm sure this comes as a shock to
you
all). But I was a reader on a serious budget. Though I have always been a
library
hound, I also love, LOVE paperbacks. Using my meager funds, Iโd stand in the
book
aisle in the grocery store or drugstore (remember them?) and decide what I was
going
to buy that week. Though I read like a fiend, I could only afford to get one.
So I
used a time-honored decision making process: I bought the thickest ones I could
find.
I discovered so many incredible authors this way. Tami
Hoag, Nelson
DeMille,
John
Connolly, Stephen White, Erica Spindler, Alex
Kava, Mo
Hayder, Karen
Harper,
Catherine
Coulter, Lee
Child, Allison Brennan, Jeff Abbott, Harlan
Coben .
. . I could go on and on and on. It was a special, private joy for me, this
buying of
paperbacks. I adore books, and I simply couldnโt afford more than the mass
market at
the time. The library didnโt cut itโI wanted the tangible proof in my house. My
husband became alarmed at one point and said, โHoney, you gotta stop, we canโt
have
bookshelves in every room.โ Imagine my shock at this outrageous statement! โOf
course
we can,โ I replied with a huff. โAs a matter of fact, I was thinking . . .
since we
rarely use the dining room, why donโt we make it into a library?โ Cue horrified
silence from my better half.
Well, we didnโt do that, but I will say, proudly, that there are bookshelves in
four
rooms now. They are (mostly) contained, and there are more hardcovers than
paperbacks, but my book buying has not, and will never, abate. I still grab a
nice
thick paperback when I go to the store. And though I now recognize most of the
names,
Iโm always looking for a new-to-me author who has a wad of backlist titles, and
off
on the merry-go-round I go.
When I got my first deal, I was incredibly excited when they told me Iโd be
mass
market original. Imagine going from buying these books to having one of my own
on the
drugstore shelf! I had six books release in mass market before I was moved to
trade
paperback, and now Iโm in hardcover. One of the cool things about hardcover,
Iโve
discovered, is I also get to have a paperback. Hurrah!
In those early days, I never knew the difference between hardcover, mass
market,
trade, all that jargon. All I knew was I wanted a book I could afford, that had
a
cool cover and a great story, and if I liked the author, I went back for more
and
more, regardless of format.
Well, WHAT
LIES
BEHIND, my 4th Samantha Owens novel, is coming out in paperback
November
24. It does have a cool cover, and an awesome story. I hope many of you who
havenโt
read my Sam
Owens series will pick up the paperback and give her a shot. Sam is a
fabulous character to write: she is a lapsed medical examiner who teaches
forensic
pathology at Georgetown, a consultant with the FBI, and has overcome grave
difficulties in her life. Sheโs funny and smart and kind, and when faced with
evil,
will do anything in her power to eradicate it. If youโve read my Taylor
Jackson series, you will recognize the name. Samโs a changed woman now,
and I
hope youโll get to know her.
Giveaway
Tell me, who have you discovered through paperbacks? Leave a comment below
for a
chance to win a copy of first book in the Samantha
Owens series, A DEEPER DARKNESS. 3 winners; US shipping only.
J.T. Ellison is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning
author
of fourteen critically acclaimed thrillers and is the co-author of the
Nicholas
Drummond series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine
Coulter. With over a million books in print, Ellisonโs work has been published
in
twenty-five countries and thirteen languages. She is also the co-host of A Word
on
Words, Nashville's premier literary TV series, which airs on Nashville Public
Television.
She lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville.
Critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author J. T. Ellison
delivers
another riveting novel featuring the incomparable Dr. Samantha Owens
Waking to sirens in the night is hardly unusual for Samantha Owens. No longer a
medical examiner, she doesn't lose sleep over them, but a routine police
investigation in her neighborhood has her curious. When her homicide detective
friend, Darren Fletcher, invites her to look over the evidence, she jumps at
the
chance and immediately realizes the crime scene has been staged. What seems to
be a
clear case of murder/suicide-a crime of passion-is anything but. The discovery
of
toxic substances in hidden vials indicates that something much more sinister is
at
play.โฆ
As Fletch and Sam try to understand what and who they are dealing with, they
are
summoned to a meeting at the State Department. High- level officials are
interested
in what they know and seem to be keeping secrets of their own. It's up to Sam
and
Fletch to uncover what lies behind the deception as the threat of bioterrorism
is
exposed, and her boyfriend, Xander Whitfield, may be in the line of fire.
Unsure who to trust, Sam and Fletch find themselves up against very powerful
people
at every stage in the investigation. No one is who they appear to be and with
every
minute that passes, the danger escalates. It's Sam's most complex case yet and
the
terrifying reality is beyond anything she could have imagined.
There are so many Authors that I've read, since most of them have been by paperback as of late. The few that come to mind are: Sandra Brown, Gerald Kubicki, Anne Girard, Cym Lowell, and Cristianne Serruya. I'm looking forward to reading your latest book as well. It sounds like a real page-turner!! I've already put it on my TBR list. I hope that you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!! (Peggy Roberson 10:10am November 23, 2015)
Oh good grief, I couldn't list them all but some are Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kay Hooper, Lee Child.. (G. Bisbjerg 1:22pm November 23, 2015)
This is going back 20-30 years.... Diana Palmer, Tami Hoag, Iris Johansen, Debbie Macomber, Joan Hoal, Catherine Coulter, Nora Roberts...the list is endless (Kimberley Coover 2:44pm November 23, 2015)
I have discovered the majority of authors through paperbacks. It's only the special few authors (you included) that I purchase the hard cover versions. Some of the authors I've found via paperback are J.D. Robb, Margaret Maron, Harlan Coben, Deborah Crombie, and all of the Harlequin authors for the past eon :) (Sheri Jesse 5:18pm November 23, 2015)
Mofino, Burrowes, Tami Hoag and many more. (Sharon Berger 5:20pm November 23, 2015)
I think my favorite so far, who I discovered through paperback, Is J.A. Jance and her J.P Beaumont series, but then there's Susan Wittig Albert and her China Bayles series, and Stuart Woods and his Stone Barrington....I MUST stop....so many! So nice meeting you! (Kathleen Bylsma 6:04pm November 23, 2015)
Two writers I've read for a long time, and discovered in paperback are Iris Johansen and John Sanford. They are still automatic buys for me when one of their new books come out. (Trude Vandine 6:28pm November 23, 2015)
I have discovered Sandra Brown ,James Patterson ,Nora Roberts , Danielle Steel and all the great authors that are on Fresh Fiction . Too many to mention . Thanks for this giveaway and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving . (Joan Thrasher 7:06pm November 23, 2015)
I have discovered so many authors. I love Sandra Brown & Danielle Steel too. I love discovering new authors. (Lourie Staib 10:27pm November 23, 2015)
John Grisham was the first author I discovered through paperbacks. I take more risks with paperbacks. Books that I might not like. (Pam Howell 9:50am November 24, 2015)
I loved Where All The Dead Lie (Barbara Semeraro 1:30pm November 24, 2015)
Stephen King (Jean Benedict 3:22pm November 24, 2015)
only be reading for a few years. Robyn Carr Virgin river books (Emily Stemp 9:15pm November 24, 2015)
I've discovered the works of YA authors C.C. Hunter, Cate Teirnan and Julie Anne Peters through paperback, as well as Jade Lee, yourself, and Nora Roberts. (Thanks to my Mother for that last one, she has almost every one of her books) (Asher Dane 10:37am November 25, 2015)
You, Sharon Sala, Cheryl Woods and many more! (Shirley Cochran 4:35pm November 25, 2015)
I mostly read paperbacks (they are so much easier to hold while reading in bed) - here's a few authors I'v read more recently for the first time: Hope Ramsay, Rhys Bowen, Nancy Thayer - long time favorites are Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, Elizabeth Lowell (Diane Sallans 11:54am November 26, 2015)
Paperbacks have taken me to so many interesting places and, through the background given in them, I've learned about many things that I had never thought about before. It amazing how much the authors include that extends my knowledge of the world. (Anna Speed 2:49pm November 26, 2015)
Can't wait to get this book and find out what is happening with Sam now. Thanks for the great books to read. (Christy Sipes 6:15pm November 26, 2015)
So many authors I can't even begin to list them all. I love mysteries so Gemma Halliday, Addison Kline, Mary Ann Edwards. I would love to read yours have not had a chance. (Denise Austin 7:00pm November 26, 2015)
I am a maniac reader. I usually have 3 to 5 books going at the same time. One on the porch, one upstairs, one in the bathroom and so on. I get confused about the authors names but I can tell them after the first few pages. Like meeting an old friend. Thank all of you for keeping my life interesting and versatile. (Dagmar Finch 10:25pm November 26, 2015)
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