August 2025
Vol. 275
Hello friends,
It’s a lovely day at Casa Ellison, because you know what happened Friday… that’s right, LAST SEEN is out in the world! We launched from the stacks of Parnassus right into the stratosphere. After an amazing run in First Reads, the gorgeous hardcover is here, ready and waiting for your love. (Also, the audiobook and the trade paper are out, if those are your druthers.)
This is my 33rd book, and you’d think the shine would wear off, but it does not. I get just as giddy as I did for my debut. It is magnificently fun to be able to share my stories with you.
When I was a little girl, I never could have imagined this life. This story is born out of my childhood, the deep peace and terror of growing up in isolation in the woods. The terrors came from all fronts; obviously, nature was primary. When you could turn a corner and bump into an apex predator in the form of a bear, or a mountain lion, or a coyote, or a rattlesnake (so many rattlesnakes) it’s impossible not to be on alert at all times. But there were other predators in the woods. Predators we knew about, and those we did not. Looking back now, it’s shocking to me that so much criminality happened under everyone’s noses.
I’ve already gotten a lot of questions about this book’s core story, and I thought I’d share with you the why behind this book—and to be honest, all of my stories. LAST SEEN was predicated on a question: Does isolate create madness, or does evil seek out isolation to enact dastardly deeds? Honestly, I think criminals just want to get away with it, and being in the middle of nowhere helps with that. And, sadly, evil seems to find like-minded individuals. Our news cycle is playing that out right now.
So why do I write these kinds of stories? Outside of bringing justice to a world where it’s rare, and making sure there is hope in the end?
The fear factor is undoubtedly a part of it, but it’s also looking at the dynamic personalities that seek extremes and why they go to the lengths they do, either to fit in or to keep themselves separate from society. Psychological thrillers allow us to dig into these very themes. They engage our limbic systems and allow for that biological scare factor that keeps us on our toes. And in many ways, they enable us to be bad when we always need to be good. Plus, I’ve always been interested in the why behind people. Why do they do the things they do? What made them who they are? What’s happening behind the closed doors in our neighborhoods? What is their biggest secret? Their deepest shame? Why in the world would you flaunt the laws that bind us together as a society? I am not a rulebreaker; people who cheat and lie and commit crimes are incomprehensible to me. Writing and reading this genre is how I try to make sense of their urges. I do think it’s true that no matter what we concoct and put on the page, real life is always stranger. Weirder. Scarier.
I explore all of that, and more, in LAST SEEN. Plus, Halley Leia James is one of my favorite characters ever. She’s named for Halley’s Comet and our favorite galactic princess, a little love note to my father, who loves astronomy and the stars, and took me to see Star Wars when I was eight, which changed the world for me. Man, this book really is about my childhood…
I think you’re going to love and root for Halley, be touched by Catriona and Quentin, and be terrified by the Monster—hitting all those limbic needs all in one!
OK Now I REALLY Need This Book
Tour has started, and it’s been an absolute whirlwind of a week. In addition to all the TV and radio and podcast (links to come later on the blog), I was at Parnassus Books on August 1 in conversation with Ariel Lawhon for release day, which was amazing! We had a sold out event and I loved meeting so many new to me readers and old friends alike!
And I’ll be at Poisoned Pen Thursday August 7 in conversation with Megan Miranda and Barbara Peters. Very grateful for these two amazing indies who support me in so many ways! Also, we have a new kid on the block here in the Nashville area. My friend Sarah Brown from Bound Booksellers has signed copies, too. And I am now appearing at Bouchercon, as well. I have panels on Thursday and Friday. Hope to see you there!
Also, the 22 Steps series is drawing to a close! Coming up, I’ll be discussing the audiobook and, of course, publication day. That should wrap things up…but. Perhaps I’ll talk about the tour, and do the media roundup, and the non-fiction proposal… I really thought things were over, but I’m realizing there’s more to the publication of a book than even I thought!
So, my theory about introverts and extroverts and the inner mind wasn’t quite the correlation = causation I’d hoped for. I was wondering if extroverts have less of a mind’s eye than introverts, but the numbers were about the same. Alas, that’s my career in neuroscience cut short.
This month, I’d love to know how you feel about my standalones having sequels.
A bit of a slow reading month, as you could expect, considering, but here’s what I’m diving into…
Megan Miranda - YOU BELONG HERE
Slow Burn campus suspense at its finest. Megan writes with such authenticity, and her prose carries me away!
Stacy Willingham - FORGET ME NOT
There is nothing Stacy writes that I don’t love. Full stop. This book is no different. Gripping from Page 1!
James L’Etoile - FACE OF GREED
If you haven’t gotten into these books yet, you are missing out. Written with a gritty, raw authenticity, they are simply superb mysteries.
Kerry Lonsdale - FALLING FOR YOU AGAIN
I love stories about fate, and Kerry delivers every time. She also does a fantastic job with character development and finding unique and wonderful occupations for her people. (That’s harder to do than you think. This one is full of heart and an absolute wonder.
Valerie Bauerlein - THE DEVIL AT HIS ELBOW
As much as I study crime and criminals, you’d think I could never be surprised, but this tale of Alex Murdaugh and his family’s decades of malfeasance has me utterly riveted. The audiobook is incredibly well done.
My better half had a birthday last week, so to celebrate, I made him a cake— a real cake, not gluten free. It was only fitting to try this Guinness chocolate cake recipe by Nigella Lawson. I followed it to a tee, except for the addition of a pinch of kosher salt, because chocolate needs salt. It was a huge hit. Highly recommended. Just remember to use room temp eggs, and let the chocolate cool a bit before adding them together, or you’ll get fluffy chocolate scrambled eggs…
You can find all of my recipes here, and if you want some wine to go with the meals, The Wine Vixen (coming soon to Substack) has you covered.
Season Ten has dropped, and all episodes are now live. This season was one of our most interesting, diverse, and thought-provoking yet. You can watch the preview of all the episodes here, and listen to them in their entirety on our podcast here.
Time for this month’s chance at winning a gift card!
Last month's giveaway winner: Congratulations to avasmom1117! Check your email...
Simply click the button below to be automatically entered in this month's drawing.
That’s it from me. I would love to hear your thoughts about LAST SEEN, and hope the book is to your liking! And I hope to see you out on the road. Have a wonderful last month of summer!
xo,
Are you still here?
Here’s a kitten for your troubles!
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