Hello and happy Sunday, everyone! I was just staring out my front door and there are some yellowing leaves on the redbud. I know it's only the beginning of August, and it's currently 90 degrees out, but I sense Autumn is about to make herself known. 

It's been a stellar week here -- we finished the first draft of THE LAST SECOND. This new Brit in the FBI novel is a doozy, and I know you're going to love it. We've been cooking up all sorts of surprises, and Nicholas and Mike are in serious trouble in this one. They are sort of trouble magnets, aren't they? Makes for a lot of fun dreaming up plots, that's for sure. 

This is the 21st time I've typed ### wearing my finishing armor, AKA my battered Harvard T-shirt. I am going to have to attack it with needle and thread before book 22 ends, as it's getting a wee bit worn around the edges. Why this particular shirt? I was wearing it the first time I ever finished a novel, at my parents house, over Christmas break, many moons ago. Ever since, I don it when I think the end is in sight. It keeps my spirits bolstered, keeps me pushing toward the end. It's a weird trick, I know, but like a baseball player who won't shave their beard or change their socks when they're winning, I've learned the importance of respecting a streak.

I spent some time watching the awesome blood moon eclipse, too. Sadly, I had to watch online, but it was glorious. More on that to come, as it might feature in the new book....

Since I have to get back to revising, let's get on to the links!

Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories & Endeavor Content Developing Karin Slaughter’s Novel ‘Pieces Of Her’ For TV; Lesli Linka Glatter To Direct. Brilliant news! Karin's books are always brilliant and inventive. She never flinches, and I respect that about her so much. Seeing this come to life on the screen will be incredible.

How to Make This the Summer of Missing Out. I fully endorse JOMO! I regularly take social media sabbaticals, this takes it a step further. It's time to be more present, peeps.

5 Super Relatable Ways Authors Are Just Like You. You might know one or two of these folks. 😉

9 Things People Accidentally Do That Make Their Mondays Unproductive. Easy fixes that will absolutely boost your productivity! This isn't just for Mondays -- it's for every day.

Shakespeare as told through 'Game of Thrones' GIFs is unsurprisingly hilarious. This is incredible! I swear, the creativity out there never ceases to amaze me.

A taste of the nation’s most popular restaurants. I have three of these under my belt—how about you?

Cartoonist Colleen Doran on Productivity, Procrastination, and Setting Boundaries for Focus. If you don’t have the Freedom app, you don’t know what you’re missing. And by that I mean -- what could you be creating? 

Want Enormous Success? Immediately Stop Doing What Everyone Else Is Doing. When they zig, you zag. This is especially good advice for new writers. Don't write to the market. Don't write what's popular. Write what you're passionate about, what you can't stop thinking about. Make a new trend. 

And closer to home:

Deal alert! ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, the first book in my Taylor Jackson series, is on sale for $1.99! 

Some secrets should stay buried.

When a local girl falls prey to a sadistic serial killer, Nashville Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her lover, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, find themselves in a joint investigation pursuing a vicious murderer. The Southern Strangler is slaughtering his way through the Southeast, leaving a gruesome memento at each crime scene -- the prior victim's severed hand.

Ambitious TV reporter Whitney Connolly is certain the Southern Strangler is her ticket out of Nashville; she's got a scoop that could break the case. She has no idea how close this story really is -- or what it will cost her.

As the killer spirals out of control, everyone involved must face a horrible truth -- that the purest evil is born of private lies.

The reviews are coming in...

I can't believe TEAR ME APART is almost here!!!!!! I'm so honored to be getting some awesome trade reviews. We've finalized the tour, as well, you can take a gander here. I hope I get to visit with some of you out on the road!

That's all for now! Send someone you haven't talked to in a while a letter, dance around your living room, buy yourself a good luck T-shirt, and I'll see you next week!

peace and hugs,
J.T.