Happy Sunday, friends!

What a beautiful week it’s been here in Nashville. After a blustery wind Tuesday blew away all the fallen leaves, it’s been exceedingly pleasant, sunny, low 60s—perfect driveway date weather. That things were returned to normal enough that we were able to resume said driveway dates is wonderful. Between moving and the election and the last of the renovations, there hasn’t been much downtime to soak up some vitamin D. That also means a return to a more regular writing schedule. Since I’m so early in the book, I’m not worrying about the word count but instead how much time I spend with it. Two hours nets me at least one scene a day, which sets me up well for when things start shaping into a bigger picture. 

I did lose a huge amount of time to a Facebook situation. I had to verify my page in order to keep control of it. They needed me to prove it was actually me running the page. While I admire the efforts to root out fake accounts, I’ve been blue-check verified for years, so it should have been a simple thing to show some ID and move on. It wasn’t. It took four days, multiple denials, and a load of frustrated emails. It reminded me yet again the only social channel we authors actually “own” are our websites and our newsletter lists. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram—we are beholden to the organizations that run the sites to allow us to continue posting there. If something goes south, at least I know I have the blog and the newsletter. 

I think it would behoove every author to invest significant energy in cultivating a newsletter list. I would love to hear some of your favorites—I’ll start compiling them for recommending, just like I do with books I love. Leave them in the comments and I’ll check them out. I’ll go first: Laura Benedict, Allison Brennan, Gregg Olsen, Mary Laura Philpott, Catherine Coulter are great examples, as are Patti Callahan Henry and Ariel Lawhon. 

Speaking of Patti and Ariel, November’s missive went out with some insights on both evocative thematic lines and villains talk. If you didn’t get it but are signed up, send me a note, and I’ll get it out to you.

SO many logistics go into being a modern author. I hate losing writing time to these kinds of business shenanigans. But writing is a business, and these are the things we need to do to stay connected with you, our favorite reader!

Onward!

THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

Every Captivating Thriller and Mystery You'll Want to Read in November. Have you read any of these yet?

Not Your Average Watering Hole. This made me so happy. I would love to put out a fountain with a camera.

Bookshelf: Bestselling authors create a virtual community of writers and readers. Friends And Fiction is the bomb!!! I’ll be chatting with them next week and I can’t wait.

International Thriller Writers is putting on a Thriller MBA and y'all need to be involved.

9 of the Best Gothic Novels for Every Mood. Great list. What’s your favorite gothic?

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS is currently free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers! Get your copy.

Tana French Talks Westerns, Folklore, and The Comfort of Crime Fiction. "There’s something strengthening about realizing that turmoil and fear and injustice have always existed, other people have struggled through them too; we’re not alone."

Print-at-Home Bookish Art For Updating Your Decor. Some great options!

These 17 Books Will Give You the Same Romantic Thriller Vibes as Rebecca. Sigh. There goes my TBR…

The Unlikely Detectives: Unlicensed, Unqualified, and Fully Invested. Do you have a favorite unlikely detective?

A Librarian Set Up a Drone Service to Drop Library Books So Kids Can Keep Reading. So inventive!

That’s it from me. Show some love to your favorite authors by signing up for their newsletter, indulge in a sweet treat, buy some extra hand sanitizer, and I’ll see you next Sunday!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.