Happy Sunday! Yes, you’re seeing that right. The Friday blog wasn’t ready in time, so I pulled it, and thought I’d send it in the regular Sunday spot. Do you prefer Sunday mornings for these missives? Friday will always be my business day, it just works better, but I’ve discovered that if I’m to post a blog in a timely manner on Friday, I have to start thinking about it Wednesday and write it Thursday and guess what? That sort of defeats the purpose of business Fridays…

I’ve had crazy dreams this week, all of which were lucid. Crazy enough I’ve been considering sending one or two into This Jungian Life. I don’t know that I enjoy the dreams where, amid the action, I’m saying to myself, oh, you must remember this, it’s a great story; this is a new series concept; oh wow, this could be a super cool movie...

I am a visual person—a visual learner, thinker, writer. My characters’ conversations play out as small movie reels in my head. It’s not too much of a leap to understand that translates to my subconscious, too. It’s an architecture thing—the way the stories build, word by word, is clear as the noon sun to me. 

You’d think my brain would be overflowing with ideas when it comes to design. But when I try to envision a look, a placement, a color scheme, there’s nothing—black space. I am an architect, not a designer. A builder, not a guilder. They are two very different disciplines. Complementary, by necessity, but different. 

This inability to design traverses my entire landscape. I am a not-so-great photographer.  Drawing anything more complicated than a box, an arrow, or a piece of holly is simply beyond me. Friends kindly lend their expertise when it comes to styling bookshelves and furniture placement.

So when we get to designing artwork on books, you can imagine how challenging that is for me. I have a hard time conceptualizing what a cover should look like, so I rely on a cadre of highly talented artists to guide me. I need them to crawl inside my brain and tease out what I’m trying to explain, which can be challenging for everyone. I know what works the moment I see it, but explaining how to get there is not my forte. What I do know is what I don’t like. Which, I suppose, is a talent of sorts, too. 

Regardless, all this to say, Rachel and I have spent a couple of days this week with our fantastic artist working on the cover for MASTER OF SHADOWS. It is gorgeous. I can’t wait to share.

Also, it’s been a decent writing week. I’m now deep into the third act on this Taylor book, though I hit a wall Thursday and ended up having to have a conversation about the plot with my friend Jayne Ann Krentz (her new book, LIGHTNING IN A MIRROR, released this week, you should grab it!) Some fun action is happening, and while I don’t quite see the end, in the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping I’ll be unfolding my lucky Harvard T-shirt for the last day stretch. Wish me luck!

Onward!

Links 🔗

(Yes, you read that right, too.) Here are some stories I dug this week:

Inside a Dying Japanese Town Obsessed With Aliens 

Colleen Hoover Did It Her Way

Finding Joy Through Art at the End of the World in ‘Station Eleven’

Our Kinder, Gentler, Nobody-Moves-Out Divorce

Reads 📚

I’m deep into WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD now and finished an incredible book coming out in late summer called COMPLICIT. And a TBR shoutout: I also have THE PERFECT FAMILY by Robyn Harding in the queue. 

What are you reading this weekend?