Here's the new web commercial for Murder at Hatteras. It's a little corny but a lot of fun to make. Email the link to your friends. They'll get a kick out of it, especially if they like to be scared!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Books Are in the Stores!
I have received word that Murder at Hatteras is now on North Carolina bookstore shelves. Angela, my contact at John F. Blair Publishing (the novel's distributor), sent me a photo of Buxton Village Books. The store owner, Gee Gee Rosell, has already ordered a second carton after almost selling out the first day!
Here's a link to Amazon: Click Here
Here's a link to Barnes and Noble: Click Here
Here's a link to Amazon: Click Here
Here's a link to Barnes and Noble: Click Here
Monday, February 15, 2010
Murder at Hatteras
Exciting news! Murder at Hatteras, my next novel in the Outer Banks mystery series, will be published in mid May of 2010. The highly respected North Carolina publisher, John F. Blair Publishing, has offered to be the novel's American and foreign distributor. This is big. This means the book will be available in many stores, especially in the southeast U.S. and perhaps even overseas. More news to come!
CLICK HERE to order The First Shall Be Last from BarnesandNoble.com.
CLICK HERE to order The First Shall Be Last from Amazon.com
Amazon link to Murder at Whalehead
Amazon link to The Healing Place
BN link to Murder at Whalehead
BN link to The Healing Place
Talk to you later,
Joe
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
THE FIRST SHALL BE LAST--now available!
My latest novel, The First Shall Be Last, is now available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.Two young lovers separated by war cling to hope and sanity by exchanging passionate letters. As Howard heads for his first battle on the Pacific island of Peleliu, Helen fulfills her call to duty by working at a local factory. They soon discover they have more to worry about then the elite Japanese forces deeply entrenched on the island. One of Howard's platoon members, Judd Stone, seeks revenge against a black stretcher bearer by the name of Josiah Jackson. Howard fears Stone may go to any length to get what he wants, even murder.
Sixty years later Reverend Byron Butler enters the hospital room of an old Marine who wants to confess a dark secret. But Butler can't discover the whole truth until he investigates other leads--Helen and Howard's war letters, Josiah Jackson's son, and a mysterious footlocker.
CLICK HERE to order The First Shall Be Last from BarnesandNoble.com.
CLICK HERE to order The First Shall Be Last from Amazon.com
Talk to you later,
Joe
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Becoming My Own Distributor
This summer I've taken on the task of becoming my own distributor. For the first year (June 07 to May 08) Outer Banks Press distributed Murder at Whalehead to the bookstores on the Outer Banks. A couple of bookstore owners wondered why I didn't distribute the book myself and thereby cut out the middle man. I hesitated to do that because I thought there would be a lot of work involved. In May I discovered that my distributor was considering the possibility of going out of business. At that point I decided I better take over the distribution.
It has definitely made my summer busier (sorry for lack of blog posts) but rewarding. Two or three times a week I am signing books, packing up boxes, and sending them out to various bookstores. Sometimes the orders come fast and furious. The following Outer Banks stores are now carrying the novel:
THE WHALEHEAD CLUB GIFT SHOP
ISLAND BOOKSTORE COROLLA
ISLAND BOOKSTORE DUCK
ISLAND BOOKSTORE KITTY HAWK
BEACH BAG MUSIC AND BOOKS
COROLLA BOOKS, GIFTS, AND CARDS
DUCK'S COTTAGE BOOKSTORE
THE BLACK PELICAN GIFT SHOP
MANTEO BOOKSELLERS
BUXTON BOOKS
We're coming up on 2000 copies sold. Now if only some big film studio would offer me a deal on the movie rights! I'd love that.
Talking about movies, I recently posted an Outer Banks Ghost Story on YouTube. Check it out by clicking on the link above. Also check out my YouTube channel by clicking this link: http://www.youtube.com/user/whalehead
My next novel, The First Shall Be Last, will be available soon (Sept 15). Make sure you order a copy at Amazon.com or BN.com.
Talk to you later,
Joe
Amazon link to Murder at Whalehead
Amazon link to The Healing Place
BN link to Murder at Whalehead
BN link to The Healing Place
Sunday, June 22, 2008
An Outer Banks Ghost Story
We just returned home from a wonderful trip to the Outer Banks, but the journey wasn't without its unusual occurences. Perhaps an omen was the brushfire we had to pass through along State Route 158 when we entered Currituck County. It blurred the landscape in a ghostly haze for miles and left an unsettling feeling in the pit of our stomachs.
However, by the time we arrived in Corolla, NC, we were excited. Our vacation house in the resort community of Corolla Light was one of the neatest homes we ever rented. It had four large bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a large hot tub on the upper deck covered by a pagoda-style shelter.
As we rejoiced in the excitement of staying in such a nice home for the next week, the doorbell rang. I went down to answer, but no one was there. I thought that was odd. Throughout the week this happened again and again--a ringing doorbell with no one there.
The next unusual thing we noticed was what looked like a gravestone or "memory" stone (pictured above) placed at the bottom of the steps leading up to the upper deck. The words on the stone stated:
No farewell words were spoken,
No time to say goodbye,
You were gone before we knew it,
And only God knows why.
Just reading it left a melancholy aching within.
One night while the family played Uno, I took a glass of wine to the upper deck to enjoy the hot tub. While simmering in the bubbling warmth, I heard steps mounting the deck stairs. I turned and gazed in the direction of the footfalls. From the darkness a pale figure appeared--a young girl, six or seven years old with long, blonde hair. She walked toward me across the deck and stood at the steps leading to hot tub.
"Honey, are you from across the street," I asked.
She looked through me as if I wasn't there and said, "Daddy, will you take me to the beach?"
"What?" was all I could think to say.
"Please, Daddy, please. Take me to the beach. I won't go out too far."
A chill iced through me. I turned to reach for my towel. Footsteps pounded away and down the steps. Her voiced trailed off: "If you won't take me, I'm going myself."
I blinked my eyes and all was quiet. Was it my imagination?
Talk to you later,
Joe C. Ellis
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Outer Banks Book Signings
Summer will be here before you know it. Doesn't a week on the Outer Banks sound great?
I'll be appearing at four bookstores on the Outer Banks to sign copies of Murder at Whalehead and The Healing Place.
Here's the schedule so far:
Wednesday, June 18 from 2:00 to 4:00 at Manteo Booksellers
Thursday, June 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Corolla's Island Bookstore
Thursday, June 19 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Duck's Island Bookstore
Friday, June 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Kitty Hawk's Island Bookstore
It'll be a busy week, but I'm looking forward to it.
Here's a link to Island Bookstore's promotion of the event:
I love the line "hot new seller"!
If you're vacationing on the Outer Banks that week, stop in at one of the signings!
Talk to you later,
Joe C. Ellis
CLICK HERE to view video trailer for Murder at Whalehead
Link to front cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)
Link to back cover: CLICK HERE (Click on cover to enlarge)
Link to first eleven chapters:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
