Sunday Smatterings
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Happy Sunday, friends! So how did you do on last week’s homework? Any dreams found or realized? I hope so! I took my own advice and did some thinking about the changes I’ve made recently to my routine. One of the biggest is adding in more water. I drink a LOT of tea, which is water-based, natch, but I haven’t been drinking enough actual water. And as I was making this change, the hysterical and talented Sally Hepworth did a long series on her Instagram stories about her experiment with drinking three liters of water a day. I don’t know that I need to go quite that far, but adding in several glasses throughout the day is a must.
I also downloaded a new app I came across called Fabulous. It takes a loving, scientific, and holistic based approach to productivity and new habits. I took it as a good sign that the very first habit it started for me was—you guessed it—drinking a glass of water as soon as I wake up in the morning.
I also challenged myself to write 2,000 fiction words a day this week. I was hoping to add 10k to the story I was working on. I'm at 7,300 so far before today’s writing session, so that's not bad.
Why am I working on this? Because the tour for HER DARK LIES is starting soon, and there are a LOT of events lined up. Which is a great thing. But an hour here and an hour there will definitely start taking its toll, so it’s a good time to start buttressing myself for the weeks ahead. I’ve also added an extra 15 minutes of exercise to my routine as well, which isn’t such a bad thing, I’m getting through more podcasts I’ve been saving!
With that, onward!
THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:
10 New Mystery Books You Might've Missed in 2020. Adding a few of these to my ever-growing TBR…though I started EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS and I have feelings….
The 40 Best-Selling Books of 2020, According to The New York Times Best Seller List. Have you read any of these?
J.T. Ellison Is a Bright Star on the Rise in the Suspense Genre. Such a nice highlight of my work - I’m quite humbled to think I have a home run streak! I feel like so long as I’m batting 300, I’m doing it right.
Ursula K. Le Guin Is Getting the Greatest of Tributes: A Stamp. Very, very cool!
43 Books By Women of Color to Read in 2021. Great list!
The 15-Minute Rule. Some good advice here, which plays into my new water habit perfectly.
Warner Brothers sent me a really cool box in the mail to celebrate their movie The Little Things and I shared this video of what all was in there. The movie is supposed to be along the lines of Silence of the Lambs and Seven so it’s totally up our alleys. I can’t wait to see it!
Beautiful Bookshelf Decor Ideas For 2021. So many great ideas!
After a conversation w/ a friend about how the distractions of the world affect our work, I reshared an old favorite for anyone else needing a booster shot: How Social Media Kills the Creative Spirit (aka mom says get offline and go write.)
Another oldie but goodie: Getting the Most Out Of Your Creativity and Social Media.
Ex Libris: A History of Bookplates. The more you know.
That’s it from me. I was asked to provide some kitten pictures — if you check out my Instagram feed, every Saturday there’s a new candid from one of the minions. And if you don’t have Instagram, just scroll down to the bottom of my Bio page. Don’t forget tomorrow is bunny rabbits! See you next Sunday!
Peace and hugs,
J.T.
