AfterStrike Released!

On April 1, 2023   /   contest, free books, giveaway   /   Leave a comment

The fabulous reviews for this book just keep coming, and I’m excited for it to be out in the world.

The Story Behind the Story

AfterStrike is based on true events and real people. The specifics of the fraud crimes were so bizarre and fascinating, I knew I had to write about them.
Then after reading articles about two separate lightning-strike survivors, I met (and danced with) a man who’d lost both arms in a high-voltage shock incident. I felt like the universe wanted me to tell their stories.
So I bounced the ideas off each other until this wild thriller plot emerged.

As always, if you like the story, please leave a review/rating online (Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, etc.). Your support helps keep me writing!

Readers and Authors Rave:

“A sizzling must read thriller. I absolutely loved this story!” — Midwest Book Review

“A fantastic read! Un-put-down-able!” — Terry Shames, award-winning crime-fiction author

“A gripping thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last page. An L.J. Sellers masterpiece. Do not miss this one!” — Gary Ponzo, thriller author

“L.J. Sellers peels back layer after layer of a young woman’s troubled past in this relentlessly suspenseful tale of bad people, bad decisions, and very bad luck. Add an adorable dog to the mix, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. A lightning strike of a book!” — Ann Voss Peterson, author of Pushed Too Far

“After Strike starts at a dead run and doesn’t let up. The satisfying twists and unexpected turns come at a breakneck pace, all crafted with laser precision by a master storyteller. The result is a book that’s hard to put down, and that leaves you breathless and eager to continue, assuming you even can. L.J. Sellers is at peak form in this breathtaking thriller. I declare it an absolute must-read.” — Bill Cameron, award-winning crime-fiction author

“The best thriller L.J. Sellers has written, and she’s at the top of my must-read list.” — Teresa Burrell, bestselling author of legal thrillers

There are some books you read and enjoy but do not remember and then there are some books you inhale, devour and BREATHE. Afterstrike is one of these books.”— Di, Goodreads Reviewer

“I was intrigued from the first page of this smart new thriller.”— Elizabeth Sims, bestselling mystery author

I hope you’ll check it out. Thanks for your support!

L.J.

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Launch-Day Contest (& giveaway)

On May 19, 2016   /   Amazon, book deals, crime fiction, free books, Kindle, new releases, thrillers   /   Leave a comment

The Gender Experiment releases Tuesday, May 24!gender exp

I’m excited about this book and eager to get it into the hands of readers. Sometimes I think of it just as “The Experiment” because it’s different from anything I’ve written. Yet, Agent Bailey, the high-functioning sociopath from Point of Control, is back. And The Gender Experiment is a fast-paced, crime-fiction thriller with multiple points of view, so the focus, structure, and writing will be very familiar to readers.

I hope you’ll give it a try. Beta readers say it’s the best novel I’ve written, and bestselling author J Carson Black says it’s the best book she’s read this year. She calls it “riveting and original” and says she fell in love with the characters.

I could really use your help promoting the book, so I’m hosting a launch-day contest. Anyone who posts a review or social media link to the book will be entered to win a Kindle Paperwhite. I’m also giving away three Amazon gift certificates and a signed print copy. Here’s the universal link: http://amzn.to/1Np9uLC

To enter, after you’ve posted, just contact me at [email protected]. You can send a screenshot, but I’ll probably go on the honor system. If your email shows up at my other address, that’s okay too. Or if you copy/tag/@ me on the tweet or post, I’ll see it and enter your name.

If you’re willing to read the story and post a review on launch day or soon after (if you like it!), contact me and I’ll send you an ebook. [email protected]

I’m trying to make the launch support easy, so here are a few posts you can copy and paste on Tuesday.

“Riveting and original” is how readers describe THE GENDER EXPERIMENT, a new thriller by L.J. Sellers. Get one now! http://amzn.to/1Np9uLC

Check out THE GENDER EXPERIMENT, a new thriller by @LJSellers. “Riveting and original.” Get one now! http://amzn.to/1Np9uLC #thriller

A young morgue intern goes after a ruthless military researcher. THE GENDER EXPERIMENT is “riveting and original.” http://amzn.to/1Np9uLC

The author of the bestselling Jackson series releases THE GENDER EXPERIMENT. “Riveting and original.” Check it out! http://amzn.to/1Np9uLC

Thanks for all your support! I love what I do, and I write for my readers, but I couldn’t do this without you.

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Book Giveaway: Passions of Dead

On October 31, 2010   /   free books, giveaway, writing process   /   10 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , ,

The fourth book in my Detective Jackson series was the most challenging to write so far. I used parallel structures to tell overlapping stories. In the main story, Jackson investigates the deaths of a slain family. The parallel plot starts six weeks before the murders and tells the family’s story, with each victim narrating a POV section, leading up to the murders. Thus the name, Passions of the Dead.

The family’s story takes readers right through the final murder scene— Read more →

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Why I Love E-Books

On October 29, 2010   /   e-book, e-books, free books   /   3 Comments
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I’ve recently joined the e-book revolution both as a novelist and a reader. As a novelist, e-books are allowing me to make a living. As a reader, I’m trying new authors because Kindle lets me download a sample before I buy. The easy access, low prices, and lack of space constraints make downloading e-books a daily temptation. It will be easy to accumulate far more books that I can ever read. But when you can buy a great book for less than $2, who cares? Read more →

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Name That Character

On December 16, 2008   /   bad guys, character names, contest, Dorothy L, free books, giveaway, mysteries, Mystery Scene magazine, mystery/suspense novels, protagonists   /   22 Comments

I’m at that point in my new story where I need to settle on some character names. I’m writing a series, so the recurring character names are decided (like them or not). For others, I often grab a moniker for the moment and keep going if the writing is flowing, then go back and search/replace when the perfect name comes to me. Sometimes, the first name that comes to me is the right name. I love it when that happens.

I have also changed the name of main characters after writing the entire novel. I hate when I have to do that. After thinking about a character as “Sierra” for six months, it’s hard to let go of that identity. And now it’s hard to remember her new name when I’m discussing the novel, which is embarrassing. But I changed it because I had too many female characters whose names ended with “a” (the schwa sound).

What I need now are bad guy names, and I feel stumped. So I’m having a contest.(My brother asked me to name one of the antagonists after him, so one down, two to go.) One of the bad guys runs a strip club and various other sleazy deals, and the other is the ultimate con man/misogynist, who puts on one face for the public while engaging in the worst sort of behavior behind the scenes. That’s all I can say without giving away the mystery.

I’ll give away two copies of THE SEX CLUB — one to each of the top two submissions. You can post your submissions in the comments section, which could be fun for others and/or e-mail them to me, using the link on the right.

True character-naming story: When I was writing THE SEX CLUB and needed a name for the psycho bomber lady, I picked Ruth because it’s short, strong, and Biblical. I picked Greiner because it’s the name of a street near my house. Three years later, I was horrified to learn there was a woman named Ruth Greiner who is an avid mystery reader, leads a mystery book club, and is on the same popular mystery list serv that I am. She got wind of the name through a review of THE SEX CLUB in Mystery Scene magazine and e-mailed me to express her displeasure. (So don’t submit one of your relative’s names, unless he/she never reads anything but Mad magazine.)

Even if you don’t enter the contest, share your “I wish I could take it back” character-naming story!

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Giving It Away (aka Free Books!)

On November 10, 2008   /   Barry Eisler, Christa Faust, free books, giveaway, Harlan Coben, Jan Burke, JD Rhoades, John Grisham, Ken Bruen, Laura Lippman, Lee Child, Marcus Sakey, thrillers, Timothy Hallinan   /   4 Comments

Every week I give away a free copy of The Sex Club on my website. I gave away 75 copies of The Sex Club at Bouchercon, and I’ve sent hundreds of copies to bookstores, book clubs, and readers who asked for it.

Meanwhile, I have a collection of new/nearly new paperbacks that have nowhere to go. Our local Book Exchange went out of business, so I’ve decided to give them away. To win one of these titles, simply e-mail me and ask for it. (Click the contact link on the right of this page.) I’ll randomly pick winners at the end of the week. Don’t forget to enter The Sex Club giveaway. (And you might consider ordering a few copies as the perfect stocking stuffer for your siblings and co-workers.)

My next step is to podcast The Sex Club and give it away in audio form. If I only had the time! I’m also thinking of offering a free download of one of my unpublished stories. My only hesitation is that I’m a better writer now than I was then. So does it make sense to offer an earlier story as a first exposure to my writing? Has anyone tried this strategy? I want to know what you think.

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