Authors Interviewing Characters: J.T. Ellison

LAST SEEN

From New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes a twisted psychological thriller about the bonds of family and the disconnect between memory and the truth.

Come here. Come closer.

Halley James knows her marriage is over. But she’s not prepared for the rest of her life to fall apart too.

No one can hear you. No one can help you.

She just lost her job at the forensics lab. Her dad needs emergency surgery. But the biggest blow comes back home in Marchburg, Virginia, where she discovers her mother didn’t actually die in a car crash. Her mom was murdered―and her father lied about it all these years.

I have nothing to hide from you. Are you hiding something from me?

Since she was six years old, it’s been Halley and her dad. Now, she doesn’t know what to believe. Desperate for the truth, Halley chases down a lead in Brockville, Tennessee. But all there is not as it seems. Brockville’s utopian charm hides a chilling darkness. And Halley’s search for answers threatens to expose an unspeakable reality.

J.T.Ellison interviews Halley James from Last Seen

How would you describe your family or your childhood?

I grew up with a single parent, my dad, Quentin James. He’s an astronomy and physics teacher at the Goode School in Marchburg, Virginia. He was my best friend and confidante, and after my mother and sister died in a car accident when I was six, he did everything he could to make our lives good. He named me after Halley’s comet! And then I found out he lied to me my whole life about the accident. My mother didn’t die in an accident—she was murdered, and my sister is the one who killed her. I’m furious with him. I don’t understand why he didn’t tell me the truth. 

What is your greatest talent?

Ironically, attention to detail. I’m a forensic scientist, and I’m good at seeing things others miss. That’s why this all hit so hard, I think.

Significant other?

It’s complicated. My husband and I are separated and considering divorce. His name is Theodore Donovan, and he’s an ATF agent. I love him, but we don’t want the same things from our marriage. 

Biggest challenge in relationships?

I didn’t think I had any until the truth came out about my mother. Now, everything and everyone is colored a different hue, and I don’t know who to believe…nor who to trust.

Where do you live?

Right now, I live in McLean, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. I grew up in Marchburg, Virginia.

Do you have any enemies?

As it turns out… I do. My sister. Who I thought was dead. She murdered my mother and went missing fifteen years ago. Now I think she’s out to get me, too. People around me are dying; everyone I talk to about my past is being killed. It’s…not great.

How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?

I love DC. It’s fast-paced, electric, full of brilliant people. I’ve really come into my own in this town. But this morning I was fired from my job, so I’m glad to have an excuse to leave. To go home to Marchburg and help my father recover from an accident. I love Marchburg. It’s a small mountain town. 

Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?

I don’t have kids, though I want them badly. We have a dog, a blue-eyed Husky named Charlie. Theo has custody. I miss my dog.

What do you do for a living?

I run a private forensics lab in DC. At least, I did until this morning.

Greatest disappointment?

Realizing my father has been lying to me my whole life, hiding the truth about the “accident” that’s given me migraines and a white streak in my dark hair. 

Greatest source of joy?

When things are going well…my husband.

What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?

I like music, especially 90s alternative and punk rock. We go to a lot of concerts. Some seriously awesome bands come through D.C.

What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?

Taking things—and people—at face value. Right now, the three most important people in my life—my husband, my father, and my boss—have betrayed me in various ways.

What keeps you awake at night?

Two things: Trying to remember my very murky childhood, and trying to figure out where my sister might be. Is she alive? Is she dead? If she is alive, is she coming for me, now that she knows I’ve discovered her secret? And what of my meories are real? I can’t tell whether I’m dreaming or remembering these days. 

What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?

Reassembling my memories of the day my mother died. Once I figure that out, I’ll be able to move on with my life. 

Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you?

Accurate memories. That will solve a lot of problems for all of us.

Why don’t you have it? What is in the way?

I had a head injury when I was six, in the so-called accident that killed my mother and sister. Some memories just won’t come back—and without them, I can’t solve this case. 

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J.T. Ellison is the Nashville-based New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 psychological thrillers, and the Emmy® award-winning co-host of A Word on Words on Nashville PBS. She created the Taylor Jackson and Dr. Samantha Owens series, co-wrote the Brit in the FBI series with Catherine Coulter, and has penned multiple standalone hits like A Very Bad Thing, It’s One of Us, and Lie to Me. With millions of books sold across 30 countries, her work has earned the ITW Thriller Award, Indie Next picks, Amazon Editor’s Pick, Book of the Month, among other honors. Last Seen is her most recent thriller.

Follow her @thrillerchick and read about the process of writing Last Seen at The Creative Edge Substack. (https://jtellison.substack.com)

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Category: On Writing