Member Q&A: JT Ellison
Author: Jody Wallace
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: May 2008

JT is one of our newest (though not newly) published authors.  You can find out more at www.jtellison.com.

Q. We’re so glad to have you as a member of MCRW.  Are you a native of Nashville or somewhere else? If somewhere else, where, and how did you end up here?

A. I'm a native of Somewhere Else. It's a fertile land.

Actually, my husband is a Nashville native, and he dragged me down here kicking and screaming from Washington, D.C., where I attended high school, college and grad school. I'd never been to Nashville, and I fell in love immediately. Such an amazing town, so diverse. So beautiful. It was a natural jumping off point for me to set my novels in my adoptive hometown.

I grew up in Colorado (Somewhere Else), so this is very different from what I knew. I mean, come on… canceling school if it might snow? I still find that heartily amusing.

Q. What made you decide to try your hand at writing romance novels (or at joining RWA/MCRW)? 

A. I actually write psychological thrillers, but there's an ongoing love story between my two protagonists, homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson and FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin. Taylor's never been in love like this, and Baldwin is thrilled to meet his intellectual and moral equal. Their relationship has been a wonderful exploration for me.

I 'm a big fan of collaborative marketing and advertising, and I joined MCRW to meet you, my fellow writers! I think writers are a hoot, and love the openness and community I've found in the mystery world. I know Romance has an ever bigger base of wonderful writers, so I figured it was high time to check it out!

Q. Tell us about your "WIP" or work-in-progress?  What in specific do you write?

A. I'm working on book four in the Taylor Jackson series right now, called EDGE OF BLACK. This is my darkest book yet, and will test Taylor and Baldwin's relationship. I find the redemptive power of love to be something easy to herald and even easier to pervert, and this book is allowing me to examine the darker side of love, the forbidden side of love. I find the psychological impetus for serial murder fascinating, and the idea that it's done out of an overabundance of love gives me a lot to work with.

Q: How do you balance your writing with your other responsibilities? (Yes, as always, I'm looking for tips...)

A. I'm blessed to write full time, so my struggle is with keeping the house, getting the laundry done and the meals prepared while writing. It's hard to drag myself away sometimes. My darling husband is very, very understanding. I try to set boundaries – no phone calls with friends after he gets home, turn the laptop off by 9 every night – I am rarely a success at the latter, but when my man is home, I'm his.

Q. What do you do when you're not writing?  Do you have a "day" job, hobbies, obsessions?

A. I'm a wine collector, and I love golf. I like to read, and travel as much as humanly possible.

Q. Do you have children, pets, plants, a spouse, dust bunnies, a thimble collection or anything like that?

A. I have an adorable cat named Jade who is the light of my life. She's an excellent sounding board. My other pet is my laptop, and it gets as much attention as the cat.

Q. What are some of your favorite books, romance and other?

A. I'm a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon, and reread her series constantly. J.K. Rowling, Lauren Willig, Tasha Alexander, Lee Child, John Connolly, Karin Slaughter, Tess Gerritsen . . . I could go on and on. I like all genres and look for an engaging story and wicked good writing. My favorite all-time book is LOLITA, by Vladimir Nabokov. I like Ayn Rand's ANTHEM, too, and of course the classics - Jane Austen and the Brontes. 

Q. If you could go on a dream vacation anywhere in the world on someone else's perfectly legitimate dime, where would you go, who would you take, and what would you do? 

A. My travel companion would definitely be my husband, and I think a year long trip through Europe would be a nice place to start. Use Tuscany as base camp, and travel around France, Switzerland, Croatia, Romania, Great Britain, Turkey, Greece… oh, I'm getting the fever already!

Q: Tell us a secret!

A. I am hopelessly and utterly addicted to People magazine. It is my greatest shame. But lately I'm getting depressed reading it because the starlets are getting younger and younger and I have no idea who many of them are.

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