Sunday Smatterings
/Hello, friends! Welcome to another Sunday. It’s a weekend of huge change around Casa Ellison. I’ve started the major renovation of my office. Five of the 6 bookshelves are in (we mis-measured and have to get a slightly smaller one, which will be installed next week.) I have a new rug, a new chair, and my new desk is being made. That won’t come until later in November, so I’m using Randy’s old drafting table as a desk in the meantime.
Change is hard for me. But once I decide I’m going to make a change, it’s full bore ahead. I’ve known I needed to do this in my office for several years, ever since I realized my “office” was pretty but unusable. I worked on the deck, the dining room, the kitchen, the living room. My “office” was scattered everywhere. When we did the redesign of the living room last year, I knew the office would have to be next. But I didn’t want to let go of my desk. Here’s a piece I did the last time I made a change to my office — moving from my very first desk to the set up I’m dismantling, desktop to laptop. Having a laptop does change things considerably. But I want to contain my creativity to the office again. To have a single place to go, so when I leave, I know that I’ve done my work and now it’s time to switch gears.
This will be my third desk during my career. I’m looking forward to it, and all the new things I’m going to create on it. I’ll post pics when it’s all finished.
Time for the latest and greatest links!
Here's what happened on the Internets this week:
The Snarling Girl. Incredible piece by Elisa Albert. Ambition is so fraught for many of us and this spoke to me deeply. I’ve shared it far and wide with writer friends this week. Some love it, some hate it. Some just curse me because it’s so long. 😆
5 Writing Tips: Barbara Kingsolver. Lessons from masters are always worth looking at.
How to Help People Affected by Hurricane Michael. It’s still bad down in Florida. With our current news cycles, it’s sometimes hard to imagine what these folks are going through.
A Unified Theory of Everything Wrong with the Internet. I have to admit, I have been considering a detox… it’s about time for a wee social media sabbatical. Besides, the Internet is such a distraction! When I’m drafting like this, I need to be totally focused.
Quick fashion tip: spend to your weakness. Superb advice from Anne Bogel. Also, if you’re not listening to Anne’s wonderful podcast, What Should I Read Next, you really should.
What Is Eustress? Yes, Stress Can Be A Good Thing. This is exactly my kind of stress -- it's a positive thing! I spoke at length about it in this month’s newsletter, too.
And closer to home:
Only one week to go until A THOUSAND DOORS is here! I absolutely can’t wait to get this book into your hands!
Looking at the graphic above… Which life would you choose???
The Bargains page keeps filling up! We added a few new deals this week but visit the page to make sure you’ve caught them all. I’ve been doing a fun sale on TTP titles through KOBO for Halloween. All prices are matched on Kindle, too…
THE END GAME, the third book in my Brit in the FBI series with Catherine Coulter, is on sale for $1.99 on Kobo!
DEAD ENDS: STORIES FROM THE GOTHIC SOUTH is on sale for $2.99 on Kobo!
My scary novella THE ENDARKENING is on sale for 99 cents at Kobo! Perfect reading for the week of Halloween.
STORIES OF THE NIGHT is on sale for $1.99 at Kobo! This is a wonderful collection of four shadowy tales.
I was totally blown away by the news that Kirkus included TEAR ME APART in their 9 Most Thrilling Page-Turners list! It was also one of Bookman Bookwoman's Best Reads for Fall 2018 on Nashville’s News Channel 5.
That's all for now! Organize your books, declutter a drawer or two, then have a nice, long, quiet afternoon, and I’ll see you next Sunday!
peace and hugs,
J.T.