Hallie Ephron

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About Hallie Ephron
New York Times best selling author Hallie Ephron loves suspense, and her suburban-based thrillers draw you in and keep you turning the pages. She grew up in a Hollywood family of writers inn a household filled with books. Her parents wrote screenplays for classic movies like THE DESK SET. Hallie was the last of their four daughters (Nora, Delia, Hallie, Amy) to start writing or, as she calls it, succumb to her genes.
An Edgar Award finalist and a four-time finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, her newest suspense novel, NIGHT NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT (Wm. Morrow, 4/15), is inspired by Hallie's experiences growing up in a Hollywood family and by an infamous Hollywood murder. A STARRED review in Publisher's Weekly calls it a "captivating thriller." InStyle magazine ("enthralling") and Good Housekeeping (as "addictive" as Gone Girl) pick it as a top page turner for April. Bookreporter: "An extremely impressive work. The plotting and character development read as if they could have been transplanted from an unpublished Raymond Chandler novel."
Ms. Ephron's THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN has become a book group favorite. Set in the Bronx in the with a view of the Empire State Building, Publishers Weekly called it "a touching novel of suspense. ... Ephron's portrait of the intimate details of the inescapable consequences of age and alcoholism is as gripping as any traditional mystery."
Her debut standalone NEVER TELL A LIE was turned into the movie "And Baby Will Fall" for the Lifetime Movie Network. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called the novel "stunning," a "deliciously creepy tale of obsession." USA Today called it "Hitchcockian" and "unputdownable." It was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and won the David Award for Best Mystery Novel of 2010.
In COME AND FIND ME (William Morrow) Ms. Ephron tells the story of a recluse who works and lives online must brave the "real world" when her sister goes missing. Booklist called it "A suspenseful tale of high-tech skulduggery that even low-tech readers will appreciate." It was also honored with a Mary Higgins Clark nomination.
Ms. Ephron She also co-authored five series novels featuring neuropsychologist Peter Zak under the shared pseudonym G. H. Ephron.
She is also a popular writing teacher. Her WRITING AND SELLING YOUR MYSTERY NOVEL: HOW TO KNOCK 'EM DEAD WITH STYLE received both Edgar and Anthony award nominations. She gives writing workshops at conferences across the country and is an award-winning book reviewer for the Boston Globe.
Hallie loves connecting with readers. She can be reached through her web site hallieephron.com.
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Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Everyone this week has been talking about the many jobs that come along with the title "author;" researching, editing, promotion - even teaching others (which is always also about teaching ourselves as well.) Sometimes, one of the jobs that comes along with being an author is "relearning the habit of but in chair, hands on keyboard."
As some of you may remember, my Word for the Year is DEEP WORK, because I'm devoting myself16 hours ago Read more -
Blog postDEBORAH CROMBIE: I have news!! I finally got to type the two most satisfying words in the English language, at least for me: THE END
A KILLING OF INNOCENTS, Kincaid/James #19, is finally, finally finished!! Trumpets, please!
That's the good news. The bad news is that the finished manuscript is 550 pages long, about 126,00 words, so yes, I confess that I'm Red A from Hallie's Behind the Scenes at the Sausage Factory post on Monday. That is a doorstop of a book.Yesterday Read more -
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LUCY BURDETTE: My brain is so full right now—Key West food critic mystery #13 is due 9/1 and I’m trying hard to get the draft finished early. Plus, we are just back from a whirlwind family visit—first to California to see kids and grandkids, and then to Michigan to visit with my 95 year old uncle.
He is my father’s only brother and they loved each other dearly. My sister and brother and 3 cousins joined him for a yak-fest—lots of old stories were told, f2 days ago Read more -
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Blog postRHYS BOWEN: For once I am actually not writing. Earlier this month I sent off my latest stand-alone, ISLAND OF LOST BOYS, to my editor, did the copy edits on my next Georgie called PERIL IN PARIS, and the page proofs on ALL THAT IS HIDDEN, the next Molly book, written with daughter Clare.
Clare should have been here now, staying with me in California while we work on the next Molly book, but alas she is stuck at home with Covid. After being so careful all this time her hu3 days ago Read more -
Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: The House Guest is arriving in February! And she’s almost ready to read. I’m calling it Gaslight meets Thelma and Louise. What do you think about that? (I hope you are saying "oooh!")
But what I’m writing… is copy edits. It’s one of my favorite parts of the writing process, No, truly it is. Copy editing.
I had not looked at my book for a month, while the copy editor had it, so looking at it again, after four whole weeks, ma4 days ago Read more -
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HALLIE EPHRON: Recently got a message from Michael Neff, founder and chief architect of the excellent Algonkian Writer Conferences asking if I’d be interested in putting together an intensive, advanced workshop that would be a sort of “finishing school” for suspense and mystery novels.
I was hooked. This would so different from the kind of one to three hour workshops I often give. I’d get a chance to look at entire manuscripts rather than a single aspect, and work wit5 days ago Read more -
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Blog postFirst, Happy Father's Day to all who celebrate. Yay, Dads!!!
Second, congratulations to Bibliophile (Diana) the winner of Mimi Lee Cracks the Code the book giveaway by Jennifer J Chow. Email your address to me at: jennmck at yahoo dot com and I'll forward it to Jennifer. Congrats!!!
And now, today's adventure begins with a postcard. Way back when I was a part-time librarian, working for the city of Phoenix, single, and broke ass poor, I used to make myself peanut but6 days ago Read more -
Blog postThe Dude Abides
Happy Caturday! I have no idea how I ended up here. None. I'm not even a cat person. Yes, I have three but they were an accident!
You see, I grew up in a house of birders so cats were no bueno. Until I went to college and my roommate, Evan, came home with a tiny orange tabby named Chubby, I'd never even been close to a cat. Well, Evan took off to Martha's Vineyard to be a waiter and Chubby somehow became mine. The beginning of a pattern, I fear.
Shortly af1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJenn McKinlay: One of my very favorite reads last year was an advance copy of DEATH BY BUBBLE TEA. A glorious new mystery series set in Los Angeles. Before I slip with a spoiler, here's Jennifer J. Chow to tell us more about her latest fabulous mystery!
Order Today!
Jennifer J. Chow: The inspiration for my new series, L.A. Night Market Mysteries, is clearly night markets. These fun nighttime festivals happen around the world—I’ve been to several, located in Asia, Canada, and t1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJenn McKinlay: One of my very favorite Agatha Award winning authors is here today to talk about her latest and share her insights from her TV writing days. Welcome Ellen Byron!
Ellen: A few weeks ago, I happened upon a Friends rerun from the show’s first season. I sat down on the couch to watch the episode, and I noticed something strange—at least strange by sitcom standards. There was an entire scene where Courtney Cox didn’t have a single line. They serviced her character with a couple o1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: When reviewers talk about Sarah Stewart Taylor's Maggie D'arcy series, they use words like, "lyrical," "tender," "atmospheric," and "intricately plotted." And there have been a lot of reviewers - the first in the series, THE MOUNTAINS WILD, appeared on almost every Best Of list in 2020. They're calling the third in the series, THE DROWNING SEA, "rich and gothic," "gorgeous" and "heartfelt."
1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJENN McKINLAY: Some of my best reads over the past year have been non-fiction. I--the person who NEVER reads non-ficiton--found a crop of awesome books to read/listen to this year that were NOT research books for my own writing, so I thought I'd share.
The one thing I have noticed with my non-fiction reading is that I tend to do it in chunks - a chapter here and a chapter there, so I can mull it over. It takes me forever to finish a non-fiction book. Unlike fiction books, which1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJENN McKINLAY: After Deb's post about birthdays last week, we realized we didn't know when all of ours are. Weirdly, in the five and half years I've been with the group, it hadn't come up. Lucy has since added them to the calendar.
I jokingly warned everyone that I'm an Aries and it got me to wondering what everyone else's sign in and do you think it accurately reflects your personality. I found this chart from UC Davis and I like it because it does the good&nb1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJulia Spencer-Fleming: It's always a good Sunday when we have a delicious recipe from Honorary Red Celia Wakefield! Today, in honor for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and several June birthdays, she shows us how to make the scrumptious and surprisingly easy English tea-time classic, the Victoria Sponge Sandwich. We have pictures of the process throughout, and at the end, two videos to walk you live through making your own jammy treat.
Good morning JRW’s1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: As I mentioned a couple days ago, this past Monday, the Maine Millennial (formerly known as the Smithie) signed the papers on her first house, purchased entirely on her own. Hurrah! We’ve spent a lot of this week driving her stuff to her new place, an hour away, and in the process, she’s realizing the original driving force behind wedding gifts - when a couple starts a household after living in their parents’ homes, they’re missing a lot of day-to-day necessities.
<2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Our guest today, Amy Pershing, knows about the thrill of the unexpected "get." When our own Deb Crombie read Amy's first Cape Cod Foodie Mystery, A SIDE OF MURDER, she sent an email out of the blue, saying, “LOVED it!! I literally walked around trying to clean my house with the book in my hand! I couldn’t put it down!” Now, that's a nice way to kick off your career as a published author (and consider that a recommendation, dear readers, because if Debs l2 weeks ago Read more
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Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Here at JRW, we are all about celebrating the creativity that blossoms and continues as we grow older. We had a wonderful conversation about "third act creativity" with Amanda Le Rougetel this spring, and I'm delighted to welcome Sharon Dean, with her new mystery CALDERWOOD COVE, today. Sharon and I have a lot in common, including an Air Force husband, living in an old New England house (she's since mercifully escaped to beautiful Ashland, OR) and, most2 weeks ago Read more
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Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'm getting started on my Spring cleaning, and some of you may be saying, "Isn't this a little late for for that, Julia?" Others of you with low and snarky minds may be saying, "What, Spring cleaning 2019?" But friends, I honestly have a good reason to drag my feather duster this year - the Maine Millennial is moving out. Into her very own, title-and-mortgage house!
As some of you may recall, she moved back in with me in Dece2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postBUY NOW!
Jenn McKinlay: I'm very excited to have the second e-novella in the Museum of Literature series out today ($2.99). These have been such fun stories to write because I can do whatever I want with them.
Here's the thing about writing long running series like the Cupcake Bakery, Library Lovers, and London Hat Shop mysteries, every now and then I get a bit of series fatigue. Sometimes I feel as if I've just turned in a cupcake mystery and then another one is coming2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I recently visited my Dad in central New York, meeting up with my sister, who came from DC. We ran errands, did paperwork, bought new flowers for Mom’s grave and, of course, went to Dad’s nursing home. He’s… fading, which is not a tragedy, considering he’s been more than ready to go for several years. The situation led to the following conversation:
Barb: After Dad dies, we’ll never come back to Liverpool again.
Julia: Well. A couple times a year to2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postDEBORAH CROMBIE: People seem to fall into two camps about the celebration of birthdays. There are those who--at least after whatever marker they've designated as the tipping point--bemoan the fact that they're a year older. Birthdays depress them, and the less fuss made, the better. (My hubby falls on this side of the divide.)
And then there are those like my dad, whose motto was "It's a whole lot better than the alternative!" He lived to be ninety-six, and was all about pres2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postDEBORAH CROMBIE: Last week our Lucy Burdette talked about her current obsession with cooking icon Julia Child. In the comments on that post, our JRW author friend Triss Stein commented that she'd lived in the same Cambridge neighborhood as Julia and that she had some stories to tell.
We were intrigued and asked Triss to come on the blog and share those stories with us!
Almost Julia Child
by Triss Stein
Julia Child’s first television broadca3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postDEBORAH CROMBIE: What an inspiring week we're having! I've been looking forward to Nancy Cole Silverman's THE NAVIGATOR'S DAUGHTER, which debuts next Tuesday, June 7th.
It's just the sort of book to get stuck into for a good summer read, and I love her answer to the perennial, "Where do you get your ideas?" I've heard some authors get a little impatient with this question but it is always one of my favorite things to talk about, and I'm equally fascinated by other authors' an3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postDEBORAH CROMBIE: Several of us in the last couple of weeks have said how much we enjoyed Connie Berry's new Kate Hamilton mystery, THE SHADOW OF MEMORY.
I am a big fan of this series so when Connie mentioned in a comment that she hadn't been able to go to the UK to research this book, I asked her to tell us how she managed all the descriptive and authentic details in her novel. (As much as I've moaned about not being able to go to England, you know this is a big issue f3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postDEBORAH CROMBIE: Fellow Anglophiles, are you ready for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee?
Since I won't be attending the celebrations in person, I'm hoping that some of this weekend's events will be available to stream on Britbox, as that's the only option I've seen suggested other than using a VPN.
But in any case, I can follow along on the Royal social media accounts (their accounts are terrific--there is even a Corgi emogi for Twitter and a sticker for Instagram!3 weeks ago Read more
Titles By Hallie Ephron
There Was An Old Woman by Hallie Ephron is a compelling novel of psychological suspense in which a young woman becomes entangled in a terrifying web of deception and madness involving an elderly neighbor.
When Evie Ferrante learns that her mother has been hospitalized, she finds her mother’s house in chaos. Sorting through her mother’s belongings, Evie discovers objects that don’t quite belong there, and begins to raise questions.
Evie renews a friendship with Mina, an elderly neighbor who might know more about her mother’s recent activities, but Mina is having her own set of problems: Her nephew Brian is trying to persuade her to move to a senior care community. As Evie investigates her mother’s actions, a darker story of deception and madness involving Mina emerges.
In There Was an Old Woman, award-winning mystery author Hallie Ephron delivers another work of domestic noir with truly unforgettable characters that will keep you riveted.
Discover the secrets to crafting an unforgettable mystery!
To piece together the puzzle of your mystery novel, you need patience, resilience, a solid understanding of the craft, and a clear blueprint for combining the plot, characters, setting, and more. And while patience and resilience must come from you, the essentials of craft and the plan to execute them are right at your fingertips with Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel. This completely revised and updated edition features solid strategies for drafting, revising, and selling an intriguing novel that grips your readers and refuses to let them go.
New York Times best-selling author Hallie Ephron shows you how to:
• Create a compelling sleuth and a worthy villain
• Construct a plot rich in twists, red herrings, and misdirection
• Bring the story to a satisfying conclusion
• Sharpen characters and optimize pace during revision
• Seek publication through both traditional and indie paths
Filled with helpful worksheets and exercises for every step of the process, Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded reveals the keys to writing a memorable story that will have fans of mystery, suspense, and crime clamoring for more.
From the New York Times bestselling author of There Was an Old Woman comes a novel about a professional organizer with a deadly problem she may not be able to clean up.
Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; she’s married to man who can’t drive past a yard sale without stopping. He’s filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds.
Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoples’ lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emily’s own marriage together these past few years. She’d love nothing better than to toss out all her husband’s crap. He says he’s a collector. Emily knows better—he’s a hoarder. The larger his “collection” becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married.
Luckily, Emily’s got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn’t know existed, and a young wife whose husband won’t allow her stuff into their house. Emily’s initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses.
But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says . . . now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage . . . and possibly her life.
This practical guide takes you through the ins and outs of writing and publishing your first book, including how to:
- Create authentic characters, engaging plotlines, and believable settings
- Edit for tone, structure, and pacing
- Find the right agent
- Market and sell your work to publishers
- Build a career as a novelist
“[A] richly atmospheric tale. You can imagine Hitchcock curling up with this one.”
—USA Today
Author Hallie Ephron’s fast paced and disturbingly creepy Never Tell a Lie is a page-turning thrill ride that maestro Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud to call his own. A descent into gripping suburban terror, this stunner by the Ellen Nehr Award-winning mystery reviewer for the Boston Globe has been called “a snaky, unsettling tale of psychological suspense” by the Seattle Times. Fans of Mary Higgins Clark, Harlan Coben, and classic gothic mystery will adore this supremely suspenseful and consistently surprising story of a yard sale gone terribly wrong.
FINALIST FOR THE 2018 MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
An addictive novel of psychological suspense from the award-winning author of Night Night, Sleep Tight, about three generations of women haunted by a little girl’s disappearance, and the porcelain doll that may hold the key to the truth . . .
Seven-year-old Lissie Woodham and her four-year-old sister Janey were playing with their porcelain dolls in the front yard when an adorable puppy scampered by. Eager to pet the pretty dog, Lissie chased after the pup as it ran down the street. When she returned to the yard, Janey’s precious doll was gone . . . and so was Janey.
Forty years after Janey went missing, Lis—now a mother with a college-age daughter of her own—still blames herself for what happened. Every year on the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, their mother, Miss Sorrel, places a classified ad in the local paper with a picture of the toy Janey had with her that day—a one-of-a-kind porcelain doll—offering a generous cash reward for its return. For years, there’s been no response. But this year, the doll came home.
It is the first clue in a decades-old mystery that is about to turn into something far more sinister—endangering Lis and the lives of her mother and daughter as well. Someone knows the truth about what happened all those years ago, and is desperate to keep it hidden.
“It takes a lot of chutzpah for a book reviewer to write books of her own….But Hallie Ephron…can hold her head high: She does it, and very well, too.”
—Seattle Times
A recluse who works and lives online must brave the “real world” when her sister goes missing in Come and Find Me—a gripping and ingenious novel of mystery and psychological suspense from Hallie Ephron, author of Never Tell a Lie. Writing about her sensational debut, USA Today noted, “You can imagine Hitchcock curling up with this one.” Aficionados of Rear Window, Vertigo, and North by Northwest—as well as the many fans of Harlan Coben and Mary Higgins Clark—will get a similar charge from Come and Find Me.
Finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award
From the award-winning author of There Was an Old Woman comes a riveting tale of domestic noir, infused with old Hollywood folklore and glamour, set in a town rife with egotism and backstabbing and where fame and infamy are often interchangeable.
Los Angeles 1986: When Deirdre Unger arrived in Beverly Hills to help her bitter, disappointed father sell his dilapidated house, she discovers his lifeless body floating face down in the swimming pool. At first, Deirdre assumes her father’s death was a tragic accident. But the longer she stays in town, the more she suspects that it is merely the third act in a story that has long been in the making.
The sudden re-surfacing of Deirdre’s childhood best friend Joelen Nichol—daughter of the legendary star Elenor “Bunny” Nichol—seems like more than a coincidence. Back in 1958, Joelen confessed to killing her movie star mother’s boyfriend. Deirdre happened to be at the Nichols house the night of the murder—which was also the night she suffered a personal tragedy of her own. Could all of these events be connected?
Her search to find answers forces Deirdre to confront a truth she has long refused to believe: beneath the slick veneer of Beverly Hills lie secrets that someone will kill to keep buried.
Duane Foley thought shooting movie star Bunny Nichol's glamorous Hollywood party was going to be just another job. All the A-listers will be there, of course: Rock Hudson and Doris Day, not to mention Bunny herself and her current Argentine playboy, Tito Acevedo. And Duane's being paid up front, not working on spec like he usually does. (He's still smarting over having gotten that shot of Jack Kennedy and Marilyn all lovey-dovey over dinner, only to have a pair of goons tackle him in the parking lot and smash his camera.)
Bunny's party is about what Duane expects—too many beautiful people, too much alcohol, Bunny's 15-year-old daughter looking too grown up—but what he doesn't expect is the shot he gets at the end of the night: a dead body. Nor does he expect to be left with an unsettling question: Is getting the shot his lucky break, or is he being played?
A brilliant companion to the canon of great literature, it's perfect for anyone who wants a novel way to energize each day. Ephron's work is a secular twist on the traditional devotional and provides concise plot summaries, sketches of standout characters, quotations you should know, and more about hundreds of books by tried-and-true authors as well as new literary voices.
Whether it's coffee with Austen, a quick lunch with Faulkner, or an end-of-the-day jolt with Chabon, this book proves a good book is a great source of daily inspiration.