Hello, chickens. 

I come to you with a heavy heart today. The terror attacks this week in Beirut, Paris, and Kenya have hit all of us hard. I think it strikes thriller authors especially, because our job is to assimilate information then create these same scenarios in a fictional construct. The advantage we have is the heroes always win. The villains are always taken down and defeated.

Right now, the villains have the upper hand. But that will change. We’ve been kicked, hard, in the thigh, and it’s left a deep bruise that will never fully heal. But it is only a bruise. We are strong. We are one people, and we will not be cowed by terror.

If you are interested in a long and fascinating read with a deep analysis of ISIS, I highly recommend this piece from the Atlantic. And I thought I’d share a couple of my research resources with you, too. Stratfor and Levantine Group are both serious sources for up-to-the minute analysis, with historical background.

We will not be defeated. We are strong. We are one. And we must, we must, continue living our lives free of fear. Be careful. Be aware. But don't let them win. Liberté, égalité, fraternité should be our rallying cry as well.

And as such, let’s return to our regular smatterings.  

____

Here's the latest around the Internets:

East-of-the-Mississippi peeps (i.e. ME): have you wondered why our Southern Californians friends say "the 5," the 101," "the 405?" This article has finally cleared that up for the rest of us.

Potterheads, listen up: Bustle has listed 10 Things You'll Only Notice When You Re-Read Harry Potter, and they are ridiculously spot on.

How many of these literary addresses do you know?

Possible gift alert: If you have a YA reader in your life, check out the Parnassus Next program from my hometown bookstore, Parnassus Books. AUTOGRAPHED 1st edition hardcovers sent right to your door for only the price of the book plus $6 for shipping. That's a pretty great value - AND you don't have to stand in line!

I loved this: NaNoWriMo Is Here . . . and So Is Diana Gabaldon.

Guilty: The Preppy 10 Commandments.

Meanwhile, in my neck of the woods . . . 

In Two Tales Press land, I've still got a bundle of ghost stories on sale for $0.99 (perfect for those of you who want a side of edginess to go with your syrupy-sweet holidays). 

If you were waiting to read WHAT LIES BEHIND in paperback, you're in luck: that's coming out next Tuesday, November 24! (pre-order links are here) If you're looking to brush up on Sam and Xander and Fletch in the meantime, my publisher MIRA has the previous book, WHEN SHADOWS FALL, on sale for $1.99 in ebook. Don't know how long this is going to last, so get 'em while they're hot!

Guys: believe it or not, it's time to start stocking up for Thanksgiving. Need some wine suggestions? We've got a whole category of wines under $20 on The Wine Vixen.

And here on the Tao, I wrote a post about The Writer and ROI: Return on Investment. If you want a peek into my world or if you're thinking about taking the reins as a professional author, check out my thoughts.

That's all I've got this week. Don't forget to take five minutes for yourself, and love one another!

Xoxo,

JT