4.3.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Happy Sunday, chickens!

How were your weeks? Did you get April Fools'd that much?? 

It's been an interesting week in Nashville. Just wanted to do a PSA: I gave my fur babies some Advantage Multi (by Bayer) for fleas/ticks, and a few hours later noticed the kitties just seemed...off: dilated pupils, drooling, ataxia, lethargy, etc. I called their vet, then poison control, and we ended up at the emergency overnight vet. As it turns out, bad reactions to this product are common. SO common, in fact, that Bayer Veterinary has a quick-dial option on their answering machine to report this very problem. Thankfully, Jameson and Jordan are ok, but I'm livid. Why is this product still available!?!?? It's beyond me. So be vigilant, pet parents.

Anyway. PSA = over. Without further ado...

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

It's always such a pleasure to talk to ITW about my latest book, and James Ziskin was no different. Here's our interview, where we talk Nashville, switching narrative POV, and TV.

Fellow winos, here's something Amy and I will be sipping on this spring: Grüner Veltliner! They say it's like sipping spring in a glass (grüner, after all, is German for "green").

This I love: author Beverly Cleary is turning 100 years old, and she's just as sassy as ever.

What does it take to launch something new into the world—and get people to hear about it? You'd be surprised. Creatives, you should tune into this one.

JK Rowling published some of her rejection letters on Twitter, and it's a great reminder to budding creatives to never give up.

An intriguing editorial in The Washington Post: eBooks are not the answer to a literacy crisis.

This TED talk by Brené Brown  was a huge inspiration for me this week, and I hope it is for you, too! WATCH: "The Price of Invulnerability" 

Also inspiring: Why Your Critics Are The Ones Who Count

QUIZ: can you name the most commonly used words in English?

These are the top 10 bookstores in the world, and they're breathtaking.

What's really going on when someone seems "too sensitive"? The answer may surprise you.

 

And closer to home:

My A WORD ON WORDS interview with author Geraldine Brooks aired this week. In honor of her retelling of King David's story in her book The Secret Chord, we discussed how to live like a king (minus the murder). She's delightful!

And on the Tao, I did a roundup on all the things (well, at least all the things at that moment) that'll been said/written about NO ONE KNOWS. As crazy as it seems, there's more to come! Like the fact that two days ago, my lovely friend and brilliant author Ariel Lawhon and I got word that both of our books were selected as Book of the Month Club picks for April!!!! 

We are just a teensy bit excited.

Alright, y'all, that's it from me! Enjoy yourselves, stay out of trouble, and I'll talk to you soon.

Xoxo,
J.T.