Happy Sunday, friends! Welcome to the last Smatterings of 2020!

The holidays are in full swing, and almost all of publishing is taking off the two weeks between now and the holidays. And team JT is doing the same! You will see some pre-programmed sales and posts, including my best of 2020 list, but I’m putting up my away message and diving into the holidays (and a big stack of books.)

I’m rather excited about this little vacation from the day to day business. I’m still going to write, just so I don’t lose momentum on the manuscript, but I won’t be sitting down at my desk at 10 am and writing through until 5 or 6. It’s been a really great writing month, but now it’s time to do some editing, and of course, start analysis for my Annual Review. It’s going to be interesting to look at the goals I set at the beginning of the year, the mid-year shift I made to accommodate the pandemic, and what actually ended up happening.

This is a good time to start thinking about what I want to accomplish next year, too. As I’ve discussed many times here, what may have seemed vital last year is no longer important, which is something I think we’ve all experienced, and I can’t imagine we aren’t better for it. Solitude has a way of opening the senses, allowing enlightenment, bringing peace. I hope that 2020, despite it being the worst year many of us have ever experienced, has also brought a certain amount of sanctity to your life. Whether it’s learning to bake bread or providing for a front line warrior or donating to a shelter or finding new ways to interact with your loved ones or homeschooling or adopting a pandemic puppy or even creating life (y’all, the 2020 pandemic baby boom could be the stuff of legends) whatever you’ve done this year to find joy and happiness in the midst of our chaos is a good thing.

I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to the front line workers in hospitals and grocery stores and factories and schools and delivery services who have put themselves in harm’s way this year. You are selfless, and brave, and every time I put on my mask, it’s a salute to you.

And you, my friends. You are amazing. Keep taking care of yourself. “Put your mask on first” has never been more relevant. Find your self care. Take a moment to recognize you’ve been through a trauma — we all have — and it’s okay to want to do something for you, and you alone. Take some quiet time today and reflect on the year, and then let out a whoop of joy because there is hope, and you are loved.

May your holidays be safe, happy, uneventful, and I’ll see you in 2021.

Onward!

THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

Those Bogus Bookcases for Zoom Calls Aren’t Fooling Anybody. Ha! I have seen quite a few bookshelves and trust me, we are all putting our best foot forward. I mean, who thought we were going to have to merge our business lives with our private lives?

The Best Crime Novels of 2020. See any of your favorites here? I do!

15 Must-Read Books If You Loved These Fantastic TV Shows. Such interesting pairings!

'Unscheduled, Delightful Conversations': Book Biz Shares Memories of BookExpo. This brought back good memories. I hate that we’re losing BookExpo, which has a raft of wonderful memories for me.

The Southern Bookseller Review. An exciting new endeavor from SIBA — a full-blown review site!

43 Great Books For Everyone On Your Holiday List. How is your shopping coming along? I’m almost done…

15 Thriller Novels To Read If You Breezed Right Through HBO's "The Undoing." This list is for me!

Famed mystery writer G.K. Chesterton proudly, sincerely believed in Santa Claus. This is sweet. I still believe in Santa. Do you?

16 Books About Princess Diana That Pull Back the Curtain. Perfect for anyone watching The Crown. I know it’s a fictionalized version of what happened, but no one can deny Diana had a rough go of it.

20 Gorgeous Book Sleeves To Keep Your Books Safe. So many great options!

Oh, and by the way… The first three books in my Taylor Jackson series are on sale!

That’s it from me. Love one another, and I’ll see you next year! Merry EVERYTHING!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.