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 The plotting and character development read as if they could have been transplanted from an unpublished Raymond Chandler novel."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 postRHYS BOWEN: We have a plethora of fabulous guests this week! Today's guest, Mary Keliikoa, is writing about the importance of location in her novels--a subject dear to my heart as location is the driving force behind so many of my own books. Mary reinforces how important it is to know a place well to bring it to life for the reader. I so completely agree!
MARY KELIIKOA: They say to write what you know, and when deciding where to place my novels, I’ve taken that to hea7 hours ago Read more -
Blog postRHYS BOWEN: Who could not love a post with such an irresistible title? I'm thrilled to welcome Lindsey to Jungle Reds today and to celebrate the pub week of her brilliant new book, RESERVATIONS FOR SIX.
LINDSEY J. PALMER: A half-written manuscript, a jellyfish, and me
It took 800 miles of distance and a jellyfish sting to realize it was time to give up on the novel I'd been toiling over for the past year. Things had been going poorly for a while, as much as IYesterday Read more -
Blog postRHYS BOWEN: Have you noticed that reviewers love to point out that you have coincidences in your books, as if this is some kind of failing? There is a coincidence, or maybe two coincidences in the book I am just finishing: ISLAND OF LOST BOYS. I expect reviewers to point this out. I don’t care. The coincidence had to happen to reward the characters for what they have been through. I couldn’t leave them with a bleak, depressing end to their story.
And real life is full of coincide2 days ago Read more -
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Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Let’s do an experiment. Let’s see how you like the first sentence of this synopsis. Raise your hand if you are swooning with delight, and cannot wait to read it.
What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke remains a mystery, but the women who descended from Eleanor Dare have long known that the truth lies in what she left behind: a message carved onto a large stone and the contents of her treasured commonplace book.
I knew it! I see eve3 days ago Read more -
Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Do you watch Ozark? I love it. I truly love it. And I loved the ending, too, but of course will not discuss it. (Although someday, we should.)
And whenever it was on, the name “Claire Booth” would always spring to my mind. The first time, I was perplexed. I mean, I love Claire, and I love her books, and I also love her main character, a sheriff named Hank. (Which I gotta admit took a bit of getting used to.)
But why would her name come4 days ago Read more -
Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: A thought-provoking post today. A tough one. But the brilliant Aimie K. Runyan knew she had a terrific story. A shocking story. A heart–breaking story. A story that would be based on impossible facts.
How was she going to tell it–and make it ..real? And readable? And important?
As you'll see, it’s a challenge that would have been far too daunting for some. But after reading THE SCHOOL FOR GERMAN BRIDES, the amazing Pam Jenoff said: “Thi5 days ago Read more -
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Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Am I seeing a theme emerge? I am always so intrigued when our topics seem to–coincidentally–verge in the same direction. I know we rarely talk about how the JRW sausage is made, but you should know that when we schedule guest authors, we have NO idea what they’ll write about. That’s part of the fun!
So this week turned out to be a little…dark. GOOD dark, we like dark, but it’s so odd. First, Hannah Mary McKinnon and her bad guy main character6 days ago Read more -
Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: One little question: A haunted doll? I know some of you Reds and Readers are late night/early morning readers, and we love that, and I certainly don’t want to introduce any unseemly thoughts into your impending dreams. In fact, you miiiight want to look at the photos, um, in the light of day.
If you are still with me, to you, I’ll just say: Aren’t dolls adorable?
I was not big on dolls growing up—in fact, proof positive, here’s a hilarious pho1 week ago Read more -
Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Well hey, couple of things today! First, breaking news! HER PERFECT LIFE is on sale today, for $1.99! And you can snap it right up for Kindle, Nook, Kobo or Apple. it’s s 80 percent off! (Isn’t that right?) Reds and readers, I really hope you will click and get a copy for yourself or a pal.. Every book makes a difference, and it really matters. Here’s a link. Tell your pals. End of sales pitch.
Also today, Happy Happy Birthday to one of my dearest1 week ago Read more -
Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Have you played Tradle? I know we’ve talked about Wordle, and Tradle is like that, only with geography. Here's the link.
Reds and readers, this is an exercise in humility for me. It is TRAGIC. And yet, I KEEP doing it. And I keep discovering how clueless I am about geography.
It works this way: the game displays a block graph, with carrying sizes of squares, depicting the major exports of the country. For instance: In huge letters: AUTO1 week ago Read more -
Blog postHALLIE EPHRON: Among the best gifts of motherhood, ones that no one has to pay for or wrap up, are memories. One of my favorites is the time my 4-month-old firstborn could not… would not go to sleep. Collicky, she’d had us hopping up and down most of the night.
The final straw came when I’d barely put her down when she was screaming again. Her diaper needed changing (yet again). A new mom, exhausted and angry, I was at my lowest ebb.
I got her cleaned up and literally1 week ago Read more -
Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: We always talk about how a good story begins: with one huge out-of-whack inciting incident that pulls the rug out from under the main character and forces them to do something to regain equilibrium.
Dervla McTiernan has lived that.
When she was shopping her first book, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. A serious, deadly, horrible brain tumor.
Let’s have her tell it:
DERVLA MCTIERNAN: “I got the news from m1 week ago Read more -
Blog postHALLIE EPHRON: The recent months have been filled with new experiences for me… the double whammy of coming out of covid and learning to live alone. Some have been more pleasurable than others.
On the plus side, two weeks ago I went to the movies. In a movie theatre. First time since before, covid. First time EVER (cue drum roll) ALONE!
It was amazing in many ways.
First amazing part, there was actually a movie out there, in a movie theater, that I wanted1 week ago Read more -
Blog postThe winner of DEATH IN A BLACKOUT is Kathy Reel! Kathy, you can contact Jessica Ellicott with your information at Jessica at Jessica Ellicott dot com.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I first heard about the book that became CHILD ZERO in the late fall of '19. I was having cocktails at some cool Portland bar with Chris Holm and his wife, critic Katrina Niidas Holm (they know where all the cool bars are.) I asked Chris the question most writers don't want to hear,1 week ago Read more -
Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: As most of you know by now, I love historical fiction. I majored in history in college, focused on early colonial history for my grad degree, and even wrote my law school thesis on 17th century law codes in Massachusetts. History is a story - it's no wonder it's had such appeal my whole life.
And I used to wonder, what was it like to live through this time or that time? How did people live through political disruptions, economic crises, war and plague2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postBUY NOW!!! JENN McKINLAY: 50!!! How crazy is that? A reader commented when I made the announcement, that my publisher should give me a car. I like the way they think!
Aside from this being my 50th book, it's also the 14th book in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. How is this even possible? I remember the day the idea for the series came to me. It was spring of 2009. I was still working as a part-time librarian and my coworker was getting married. We spent our e2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postHALLIE EPHRON: There was a time, not all that long ago, when it seemed like every time I turned around, one of my passwords or my credit card was getting hacked. Huge pain in the butt getting that sorted.
These days, so many accounts are requiring two-factor authentication. For the longest time I resisted. I don’t always have a phone with me for verification and I don’t want to risk getting locked out. I wonder, what about people who don’t have access to computers or cell phones,2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postJenn: Okay, I am in full plotting mode, and I really wish I had an idea machine. Some big metal contraption with ominous looking buttons and levers, where I could just drop in miscellaneous junk like odd lengths of thread, a random thumbtack, child sized scissors that are too small but I can't manage to throw them out, business cards of people I don't remember meeting, you know...stuff. I'd like to drop it into the machine, hit a button or pull a lever, and have it whistle and hum,2 weeks ago Read more
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Blog postJulia Spencer-Fleming: I'm still recovering from the good time I had at Malice Domestic, where I brought back not just great memories and a cool "Guest of Honor" tea cup, but also *cue dramatic music* Covid.
I'm fine; vaxxed and double boosted, my symptoms are identical to a boring head cold. I'm going through Kleenex fast enough to deliver a bump to Kimberly-Clark share prices and I've got a post-nasal-drip sore throat, but I was out yesterday tearing down multif2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postDEBORAH CROMBIE: The last time I was up on our What We're Writing week, I said that by the time my next turn rolled around, A KILLING OF INNOCENTS would be finished!
Oh, oops, well, maybe not quite finished... but almost! Only a few days and two chapters to go, the climax and the resolution.
Resolution, now there's a nice word, and for a while I wondered if I would get there. I'd be the first to admit that I wandered and wobbled through the middle of this book, horribly f2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postLUCY BURDETTE: I’m grinding along in the muddled middle of Key West mystery #13. Before we made our trip from Key West to Connecticut, I screeched to a halt at a scene where Hayley has lunch with her tarot-card-reading pal, Lorenzo. What would he tell her that could help her solve the mystery or sort out some questions in her own life?
Believe it or not, it always helps me move the plot along if *I* have lunch with my real friend, Ron, the model for Lorenzo. So I did2 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postRHYS BOWEN: I have had to take a break from serious writing this week, dear readers, for a very good reason--or rather two very good reasons. Over the weekend I was at Malice Domestic convention, where I was guest of honor. (along with fellow Jungle Red Julia, who was GOH for the year before. (Both of us a year late as the pandemic put the convention on hiatus for 2 years. And now we willingly shared the spotlight!)
I hope Julia had as fabulous a time as I did. It was utter3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postHANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: A sneak peek at my new book below! But first, breaking news. First, I have been named Guest of Honor at next year’s Malice Domestic convention. SO AMAZING! (Julia and Rhys were this year’s and the year before, and can you imagine that powerhouse duo at the podium this year? So now, they will be able to tell me the secret handshake.) I am still floating.
Second: My new book THE HOUSE GUEST has a cover! YAY! And it will be revealed on Wednesday. So w3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postHALLIE EPHRON: A character I’m (still) working on for a new novel that I’ve barely begun is an elderly woman (Helen) who runs Spiritualist meetings for people who want to send messages to their dead loved ones, queued up in the astral plain waiting to send messages back. It’s easy for me to understand why people would be seduced by the notion that the dead aren’t gone gone.
I don’t want to make Helen a fraud or a fool. Or silly or clownish. She believes she’s helping people who are3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postJULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Once more, ladies and gentlemen, our own Celia Wakefield is here with an elegant, (relatively) easy dessert that will wow your guests and tastes like spring sunshine exploding in your mouth.
Good morning JRW’s and JRR all, it is such a pleasure to be back with you, and my grateful thanks to Julia et al for encouraging me to write more. As I am over my three score and ten, I am a little late to take up fiction or biography but memoir thr3 weeks ago Read more
Titles By Hallie Ephron
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.
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.
“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.
“[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 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.
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.
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
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.