Happy Sunday, friends! When I opened my computer this morning, my screensaver had rotated to a road cutting through shadowed mountains. I immediately began singing “We’re on a road, to nowhere...” which I’ve now decreed the theme song of 2020. But it’s also the most perfect place to start a day of creative writing.

I had a major realization during an interview the other day — I can work without a net on a series title, but a standalone must have a plan, a structure, an outline. I’ve been writing like mad all week, racking up daily word counts that normally don’t show themselves until the end of a book, but this time are coming at the beginning — and it’s because I’ve been thinking through the plot points and characters since August. I have a partial outline of 48 scenes that I know I need to touch upon, and despite all of that, new people are showing themselves and new scenes are evolving. But it’s all organic to the storytelling, instead of me sitting down and winging it. I don’t want to say I’m a convert, but I’m definitely seeing the value in the process.

Two things in particular helped me edify my 40 scenes planning: Victoria Schwab’s Story Corpse metaphor, and James Patterson’s MasterClass, in which he discusses how he outlines a book. Both are variations of the 40 scenes, both are worth checking into.

And with that, I’m off to write... always respect a streak, right? Lots of amazing stuff below, including a HUGE review for HER DARK LIES. Hint… 🌟

Onward!

BOOK NEWS:

HER DARK LIES got a starred review from Publishers Weekly! It completely blew me away. My jaw literally dropped when I saw it. Thank you, PW, for helping me end 2020 on the highest note possible!

Publishers Weekly also included HER DARK LIES in the Spring 2021 Adult Mystery and Thriller list! I'm incredibly grateful.

This giveaway is almost over: Goodreads is giving away 25 Advanced Reader Copies of HER DARK LIES.

The audiobook for GOOD GIRLS LIE is on sale for $5.99 at Chirp!

The first three books in my Taylor Jackson series are on sale, too.

THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

10 Captivating New Thriller and Mystery Books Coming Out in December. Are any of these on your TBR?

Women and Crime Writing: We’ve Always Been Detectives. “If social media has challenged us to talk about the secrets we thought we had learned to live with, our fiction has since reflected that as well. If the mansions of Big Little Lies and the tract homes of Little Fires Everywhere seem familiar it’s that the issues faced by their occupants haven’t changed.”

Betsy Wade, First Woman to Edit News at The Times, Dies at 91. How indebted are we to the wonderful Ms. Wade?

Oxford Dictionaries: 2020 has too many Words of the Year to name just one. That sounds about right.

9 Micro-Habits That Will Completely Change Your Life in a Year. Great tips.

Five Great Psychological Thrillers Set in Isolated Places. Setting can be everything, and this list is perfect!

Jason Reynolds Plays Santa Claus for D.C. Readers and Indies. This is so cool!

10 Untranslatable Words That Perfectly Describe How You're Feeling in 2020. Which one do you most relate to?

See What the World’s Reading Habits Look Like in 2020. I’m always fascinated by how our cultural mores shift alongside literature. Chicken and egg, though - which comes first?

Jane Austen's House Virtual Tour. Very cool.

That’s it from me. Create something this week, even if it’s just tying a bow on a gift for a friend, and I’ll see you next Sunday!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.