Ralph Ellis Author

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dawn Gepfer about how I wrote my novel “The Accident Report.” You can hear the interview on the Sisters in Crime “Off the Shelf” podcast at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ahAK0b50Og
Learn more at ralphellisauthor.com

This is a family story. I met Rob, Beth, and Amy Crow last month at a writing conference in Nashville and learned that their husband and father, Pete Crow, had written an autobiographical novel titled "Staying Alive in Bear Country." But the retired Ferrum College professor didn’t attend the conference. He died two months after signing the publishing contract. The book still needed polishing, so the family pitched in to make sure his dream didn’t fade away. To find out how they succeeded, check out my blog post at https://tinyurl.com/ywt8sv52.

I had a great time talking about my novel “The Accident Report” with the Sassy Sisters book club in my old stomping grounds of Peachtree City. Thanks to Sharon Marchisello (far right), who I met through The Atlanta Writers Club and the Atlanta chapter of Sisters in Crime, for the invite. I enjoy visiting book clubs so send me a DM or email [email protected] if you’re interested.

“The Accident Report” was released one year ago today. Thanks to everybody who read and purchased my first novel, which is about a rookie newspaper reporter trying to figure out his life and profession in 1974.
To enhance your reading experience, I’ve created a Spotify playlist of songs I listened to in the early and mid-1970s. Trigger warning: Most of this music would now be placed in the much-maligned genre of Classic Rock. If you don’t like these songs, you can go your own way because you’re no good, you’re no good, you’re no good. But if you feel like we do, you can keep on smilin’. I’ll stop now.
To hear the songs, go to: https://tinyurl.com/bdfaxncb
To read my musings on the music, read my blog post on ralphellisauthor.com: https://tinyurl.com/svf5x5jm
You can purchase “The Accident Report” at several Atlanta-area book stores. You can also check it out in paperback or eBook from the library systems in DeKalb County, Fayette County, and other places. And you can always buy it on Amazon and other online vendors.

Thanks to Jeff Minick for this review of “The Accident Report” in The Smoky Mountain News. He calls it “a perfect novel for springtime, for reading on the porch or deck, a story that will please readers looking for a well-told quest tale that will keep them engaged, bring some chuckles, and ends with justice done.” There’s no paywall so read at will.
https://tinyurl.com/7dbeyhsx

I had fun meeting readers and writers over the weekend. Thanks to Mary Boyle for buying "The Accident Report" and Quinelle Bethelmie for hosting me at her store, Books and Brews in Tucker, on Friday. At Carrollton BookFest on Saturday, I got to know author and volunteer Ken Boekhaus (who writes under Ken L. Burke), plus a bunch of other Atlanta area authors including Emily Carpenter, Gaby Anderson, Robert Gwaltney and Colleen Oakley. Thank you, festival organizers Stephanie Baldi and Elyse Wheeler.

Friends, I will be doing two book events this weekend.
• Friday, March 27, I’ll talk to readers from 6-8 p.m. at Books and Brews, a cozy, independent bookstore and bar at 4316 Lawrenceville Highway, Suite 110, in Tucker, GA.
• Saturday, March 28, I’ll be part of the Conversations with the Author series at Carrollton BookFest. My event starts at 2:45 p.m. at 281 Alabama St. in Carrollton, GA, but there are other events throughout the day Friday and Saturday. To register and find out about other authors appearing, go to www.carrolltonbookfest.com.
ralphellisauthor.com

Friends, there’s a way you can read “The Accident Report” for FREE in eBook form. All you have to do is ask your local library system to order it. The library system can then obtain it through apps like OverDrive (the creator of Libby) and Hoopla. Kudos to the DeKalb and Fayette library systems, which have already added the eBook (as well as the physical book) to their offerings.

I was lucky to sit on a panel at the Dahlonega Literary Festival with three accomplished mystery authors, (from left) Terri Parlato, Debra Goldstein and Valerie (V.M.) Burns. I learned a lot talking with them before and after the session. Moderator Trisha Slay, also an author, expertly kept the conversation rolling. I will next be talking about "The Accident Report" on March 27 at Books and Brews in Tucker and March 28 at the Carrollton BookFest.

I grew up in the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina but I’ve never had an opportunity to visit nearby Sevierville, Tennessee, until this weekend. I’ll be talking about “The Accident Report” on Saturday at Appalachian WordFest at the event center at The Ridge. It’s a free festival, so if you’re in the area, stop by. https://appalachianwordfest.com ralphellisauthor.com