Sunday Smatterings
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Hello hello hello, and happy Sunday, friends. We’re about to enter my absolute favorite time of year. Crisp nights, cheery fires, lots of early evenings to read and chill.
Of course, it’s 2020, so as I write this, I’m on the edge of a tornado warning (Thanks Hurricane Laura). The trees are whipping and bending in the face of the shrieking winds and sideways rain. This year has been so weird, so unexpected, that I’ve given up trying to anticipate what might come next.
I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to podcasts while working on some physical projects. Cal Newport has become my all-time fave. You all know how much I love the combination of philosophy and productivity methods. I latched onto Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero many moons ago, and still use the practice. I do a modified version of Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal. And I am an evangelist for Cal Newport’s Deep Work.
This week’s podcast touched on something called deliberate practice theory. To sum it as simply as I can—it’s how you level up in your work.
Now this is something I’m always interested in. I equate “leveling up” to a sense of true creative satisfaction. It’s happened to me four times in my writing career: JUDAS KISS, A DEEPER DARKNESS, THE LOST KEY, and LIE TO ME. Upon completion of each of these four titles, I had a sense of satisfaction, knew that I could not have done better, that I’d given the story every ounce of my being. And each of these titles rewarded me with a leap forward in my career. Interesting, right? I should clarify, these are my own feelings about these books and my career, not anyone else’s. Publishers and writers sometimes have different metrics when measuring these things.
Obviously, I try to achieve this state every single time, every single book, but it doesn’t always fall into place how I want. I have never been able to understand what, exactly, was different about these particular books, until I heard the podcast where Cal discusses DPT.
I can look back in time at what I was doing and how I wrote each of these books, mostly because I keep copious notes—book journals—on my process for each book. But off the top of my head, what each of them has in common is a major change in theme. In JUDAS KISS, I put Taylor Jackson in a very gray situation, forcing her to acknowledge her morality wasn’t as black and white as she (I) thought. A DEEPER DARKNESS was the first spin-off book with Dr. Samantha Owens. THE LOST KEY was my first attempt at a historical. And in LIE TO ME, I broke every rule I’d been taught and wrote about writers and dead babies.
The equation is simple on its surface: Editorial Pivot = Level Up. So that’s what I’m thinking about this week as I start planning the next book.
And with that… onward! It’s time for a cover reveal and some book buying info.
HER DARK LIES HAS A GORGEOUS COVER!
My new novel HER DARK LIES comes out March 9, 2021 and this week I got to share the gorgeous cover first in my Facebook group, the Literati, and then on social media and the newsletter.
It’s been a heart and soul project for the past 14 months and counting and I can’t wait for you to read it.
Preorder your copy!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million Bookshop | Target | Indigo
Apple Books | Google Play | Kobo
About the book:
At the wedding of the year, a killer needs no invitation
Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends…and a host of dark secrets.
From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire’s otherwise blissful relationship—the strange mystery surrounding Jack’s first wife.
Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out—and the real terror begins…
Fast-paced and brilliantly unpredictable, J.T. Ellison’s breathtaking new novel invites you to a wedding none will forget—and some won’t survive.
GOOD GIRLS LIE GETS MAX’D!
March 9 will be here before we know it. In the meantime, have you read GOOD GIRLS LIE yet? It’s now available in mass market paperback max. Get your copy today!
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THE ORDER by Daniel Silva
I’ve been a Silva fan forever and a day. I look forward to his books in the way of all rabid fans. He never, ever disappoints, and that is an incredible track record for an author. This new Gabriel Allon adventure is the perfect escape. I’ve been reading slowly because I don’t want to wait another year for more! 😭 Highly recommended. What are you reading?
That’s it from me. Do some deep work this week, think about what you want from your life, hydrate, and I’ll see you next week!
Peace and hugs,
J.T.
