Hello, gentle readers! Have you had a nice holiday? Eat lots of yummy things? I hope you have, and that you got to make some memories with the people you love, to celebrate traditions and make new ones. We had a low-key celebration here, followed by a shift at my lovely indie, Parnassus Books, on Small Business Saturday.

Do me a favor and show some love to your local indie, would you? There's nothing like walking into a bookstore, browsing a shelf and finding something new to devour. Lots of work goes into putting that book into your hands, and indie booksellers inject a big dose of love into the mix that you don't get from the click of a mouse.

That's my two cents, anyway.
 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

My friend Ariel Lawhon is one of the wisest people (and one of the most brilliant writers) I know. Her blog post this week is a must-read for anyone, regardless of age or profession. Simply wonderful advice.

Do you know where wine's from? We at The Wine Vixen didn't guess correctly... and we hadn't heard of the varietals that call the region home. See, chickens—learning lasts a lifetime!

Utterly captivating: "How Jack Reacher Was Built."

Quirk Books imagined a few Twitter rants from literary characters, and they are kind of spot on.

Y'all. Now's the time to sign up for Fresh Fiction's Limited-Edition Christmas box! They're chockfull of goodies every month, fellow bookworm. But there might be a special surprise from yours truly in the Christmas box... just sayin'.

The Oxford English Dictionary named its 2016 Word of the Year. Have you heard of it?

And closer to home:

Have you been pinching your pennies waiting for the FIELD OF GRAVES paperback? Your patience is about to be rewarded: it's finally coming out this Tuesday! Go here to snag your FIELD OF GRAVES paperback.

I had the best time with the ladies of XOXO After Dark, chatting about why we can't put down thrillers, road trip snacks, NO ONE KNOWS, and more. It doesn't get much more fun than this. Tune into our conversation while you run, while you laundry, while you're online shopping... whenever!

One of my favorite things to do is to peek behind the curtain, to see how other writers make the magic. In the spirit of the giving season, I've put all my tools on display, the things that make my business chug along. Whether you're a writer, a stay-at-home-mom, or a student looking for some productivity hacks, I've got you covered. My writing software, my research workflow, my favorite notebooks, pens, and pencils—I went full-nerd here. 🤓

That's it from me! Enjoy the post-Turkey lull, welcome December with open arms, buy a copy of FIELD OF GRAVES paperback for you and a friend, and we'll talk again soon!

xo,
J.T.