J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes contemporary fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries. J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, one of whom is a ghost, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

A Very Bad Thing, November 1, 2024

Celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she’s lying dead in a pool of blood.

Columbia’s death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on—at first. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won’t stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out?

JT’s favorite snack is crunchy peanut butter and her favorite drink (which she rarely has) is Dalmore 15, neat.

Tracy Clark, author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series and the Det. Harriet Foster series, is a multi-nominated Anthony, International Thriller Writers, Shamus, Edgar®, Macavity, and Lefty Award finalist. She is the winner of the 2020 and 2022 G.P Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award, the 2022 Sara Paretsky Award, the 2024 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel and the 2024 Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original. She is a proud member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color and Rogue Women Writers and sits on the board of the Midwest Mystery Conference.

Echo, December 3, 2024

Chicago PD sends hard-nosed Detective Harriet “Harri” Foster to investigate. The victim is Brice Collier, a wealthy Belverton student, whose billionaire father, Sebastian, owns Hardwicke and ranks as a major school benefactor. Sebastian also has ties to the mansion’s notorious past, when thirty years ago, hazing led to a student’s death in the very same field.

Could the deaths be connected? With no suspects or leads, Harri and her partner, Detective Vera Li, will have to dig deep to find answers. No charges were ever filed in the first case, and this time, Harri’s determined the killer must pay. But still grieving her former partner’s death, Harri must also contend with a shadowy figure called the voice―and their dangerous game of cat and mouse could threaten everything.

Tracy’s drink and snack of choice while writing is V-8 juice (chilled with a splash of lemon) and strawberry Twizzlers.

Daniel Aleman is the award-winning author of Indivisible and Brighter Than the Sun.  Born and raised in Mexico City, his family moved to the United States when he was a teenager. Daniel now lives in Toronto, where he went to college and where he is on a never-ending search for the best tacos in the city.

I Might Be In Trouble, December 3, 2024

A few years ago, David Alvarez had it all: a six-figure book deal, a loving boyfriend, and an exciting writing career. Now, David is single, lonely, and desperately trying to come up with the next great idea for his third manuscript. When David connects with a sexy stranger on a dating app, he figures a wild night out in New York City may be just what he needs to find inspiration.

After one of the best nights of his life, David wakes up hungover but giddy—only to find prince charming dead next to him in bed. David calls the only person he can trust in a moment of crisis: his literary agent, Stacey. Together, they must untangle the events of the night, cover their tracks, and spin the entire misadventure into David’s career-defining novel—and figure out what to do with the body.

Daniel’s favorite cocktail is The Trouble Maker—see recipe below!

Pip Drysdale’s global upbringing (she grew up in Africa, Canada, and Australia and became an adult in New York and London) gives an international flair to her novels of psychological suspense. Her previous books—The Sunday Girl, The Strangers We Know, The Paris Affair, and The Next Girl—have all been international bestsellers, propelling Australia’s Stellar Magazine to crown her the next Liane Moriarty.

The Close Up, December 3, 2024

When Zoe Ann Weiss moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, her whole future is wide open. But then Zach, the bartender and aspiring actor she’s falling for, ghosts her and her debut novel fails. Now, three years later, Zach is famous and Zoe is…not. But when she goes to make a flower delivery and Zach is at the address, it’s like no time has passed at all. They start casually dating in secret, her first novel goes viral, and now everyone seems to know her name. Except the problem with everyone knowing your name is that everyone knows your name—including the mysterious stalker obsessed with Zach. A stalker who begins reenacting violent events from Zoe’s book, step by step, against her…

Her character Zoe would snack on brie and rice crackers, especially while she’s writing her book. And the drink is a mojito. If Pip’s drinking it’ll be virgin, if it’s for her character Zoe, there will be rum added!