Hello, friends! What a week it’s been. Halloween was uneventful but terribly small this year, which meant Nov 1 was spent digging through the candy bowl, picking out my favorites, until I finally had to package the remainder up and have Randy take it from the house. There’s a reason I don’t keep peanut M&Ms around…

I did a lot of joint writing sessions, which is a lovely break from the solitude I usually work in. Tuesday I did a Scapple demonstration for my friend Victoria, and it helped me shake loose the entire backstory of the book I’m working on. Then Laura came for a mini-writing retreat and oh, my goodness, did we write. I’m finally getting a handle on ROL.

A Thousand Doors comes out TOMORROW… see below for some new information!

And in the most wonderful news category, my parents adopted a kitten this week. She is 5 months old, a gray tabby who has some Bengal in her, and a bundle of purr. Her name is Jazelle… how adorable is that??? Of course now the whole family has kitten lust. The group texts have been a hoot.

And with those furry stars in our eyes, let’s take a look at the latest and greatest links!

Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

I loved this story about how 'Harry Potter' translators made magic in every language. “In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the diary projection of Tom Riddle writes his full name in the air, and rearranges the letters TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE to become I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. But that anagram only works in English. And so, in German, Voldemort’s alter-ego is named Tom Vorlost Riddle; in France, he’s Tom Elvis Jedusor (with Jedusor in French means “twist of fate); and in Danish, he’s Romeo G. Detlev Jr (the G stands for ‘gåde’ the Danish word for Riddle).”

Pumpkin library bookshelves. This is so cool! Can you imagine the time and effort it took to put this together?

What Happens When Your Crime Library Goes Up In Smoke? I cried when Jeff Abbott lost his house and library in a fire. I cried again reading this it. it is a must-read, and has some truly life-changing tips that we should all follow with our homes. Also, Jeff has turned his considerable skill to the domestic suspense genre and his new book, THE THREE BETHS, is the epitome of what a suspense novel is supposed to be. You’re going to love this!

3 Muralists Making Their Marks on the Walls of Nashville. It’s becoming a “thing” in Nashville to have your photo taken with the angel wings, or the Nashville sign, or multiple other little paints throughout the city. What I love is the murals that are taking over certain areas. It’s always so much fun to turn a corner and see something new.

"Harry Potter" Homecoming Assembly. This is fantastically creative and fun!

Diana Gabaldon on Making the Top 10 on The Great American Read and Season 4 of Outlander It’s no secret I voted for Outlander in The Great American Read. And with it placing #2 behind TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Diana is now America’s best-loved living author, which is pretty much what we all want to be remember for when we sit down to the page.

100 Websites That Shaped the Internet as We Know It. I Can Haz Cheezburgers, anyone?

And closer to home:

As I mentioned, A THOUSAND DOORS comes out tomorrow!!! Be sure you’re signed up for the newsletter for a special treat…and order your copy now!

THE SIXTH DAY, the fifth book in the Brit in the FBI series, is coming out in trade paperback and Goodreads has 100 copies up for grabs! Giveaway is US only. The trade paperback will be available everywhere November 13!

Book two in the Taylor Jackson series, 14, is a Kindle Monthly Deal! Get it for only $2.99.

Synopsis:

Ten victims, each with pale skin and long dark hair. All have been slashed across the throat, the same red lipstick smeared across their lips.In the mid-1980s the Snow White Killer terrorized the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. Then suddenly the murders stopped. A letter from the killer to the police stated that his work was done.

Now four more bodies are found, marked with his fatal signature. The residents of Nashville fear a madman has returned, decades later, to finish his sick fairy tale. Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson believes the killings are the work of a copycat killer who's even more terrifying. For this monster is meticulously honing his craft as he mimics famous serial murders...proving that the past is not to be forgotten.

That's all for now! It’s going to be a busy week, so I prescribe for you what I’m prescribing for myself: take a walk in the crunchy fall leaves, say at lease one nice thing to a stranger, read a book, and I’ll see you soon!

peace and hugs,
J.T.