Hello, friends!

Our first true Autumn banner, just in time for the Equinox/Mabon. The balance of these days, of these moments—equal light, equal dark—very much appeals to me, a light person who writes dark material. I do my Autumn decorating at this time, and the house gets a good once over. Throws get shaken and moved around, pillows get plumped, closets are organized, my office is decluttered, perhaps a new rug or chair will move in. I will definitely reset my mantel. For me, it’s both an energy boost and a little feng shui, all rolled into a deep clean. It’s also perfect timing for moving into a new book!

What? A new book? Well, the kittens need to eat, so yes, despite my plans to take a couple of months off, I’m going to indulge in some plotting and research and see if anything comes of it. No promises, no pressure. I’ve already bought my first research book: The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts, a recommendation from my friend Signe Pike (THE LOST QUEEN is next up for me…) Something about her description of it sparked an idea, so we’ll see what happens.

Now, this is very important. You want to be here tomorrow morning, bright and early, because I have some very exciting news to share about a secret project that I know you’re going to love. How’s that for a tease?

Time for the latest and greatest links!

Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

How To Read More Than One Book At A Time, According To People Who Do It. Or do like I do - a book upstairs, a book downstairs, a book on audio... It can be discordant sometimes, but often, I do read multiple books at once.

When Abandoning Your Novel Makes Sense. “I could have kept going, dumped a subplot or two, and wrestled it into a novel that checked all the boxes. But I couldn’t un-think that light bulb realization. Worse, it led to another nugget of truth: I didn’t hate the story, but I didn’t love it. And I wanted to be in love.” This is a great piece by my friend Barbara Claypole White. It’s hard, but sometimes necessary.

It’s no mystery why fans, authors gathered for Bouchercon in St. Petersburg. AN ALL-AROUND FABULOUS CONFERENCE! I had so much fun I immediately signed up for next year. Halloween, in Dallas, and the conference’s 50th anniversary? I’m in.

Soundtrack Album for Sky’s ‘A Discovery of Witches’ to Be Released. Le sigh....How many books will I write to this??? I am a huge fan of movie and TV soundtracks for writing ambiance — instrumentals, only, please.

J.K. Rowling Surprises Scottish Couple By Photobombing Their Wedding. So precious! I loved everything about this photo — also, KILTS!

The English Country House Mystery - 7 Suspenseful Tales Set in Foreboding, Majestic Houses. Hmm… wonder what other research I might be doing….

10 Famous Authors and Their Cats. A holiday gift for my minions, for sure! This made me grin. We writers do love our kittens! (And our puppies — don’t worry, I am an equal opportunity animal snuggler.)

Lisa Unger talks about how to write a novel. Y’all, this was exactly what I needed to hear. A great talk by a master writer!

And closer to home:

TEAR ME APART has been included in some great recommendation lists lately!

• CrimeReads: The Great Marriage Thriller - 7 Thrillers That Explore the Vicious Intimacies of Close Relationships. Beyond honored to have both TEAR ME APART and LIE TO ME mentioned!

• Hello Giggles: 10 terrifying (but tantalizing) suspense novels to read if you loved A Simple Favor. I can't wait for this movie.

Southern Festival Of Books, the next book tour stop, just announced their schedule! I’ll be speaking at 10 am on October 13 here in Nashville. Come see me! If you haven’t been to this literary festival before, you really should. It’s one of the best around.

Deal Alert!

Barnes & Noble included LIE TO ME in their Buy Two, Get The Third Free Favorite Paperbacks deal! Check out the full list of participating paperbacks here and get your copy today.

Let’s get social!

One of the joys of being a writer is connecting with readers and friends. It’s been a big summer, with lots of new additions.

Namely: just hit 4000 followers on Instagram! Thank you so much to everyone following me over there. It’s such a fun space to be in! Happy, bookish, and lots of love. Perfect for browsing. If you’re not following me already, I’m @thrillerchick.

Also, Twitter is humming along with lots of new folks, links and conversations. Stop by sometime!

And if you haven’t joined my private Facebook group J.T. Ellison’s Literati yet, what are you waiting for? There’s all kinds of bookish fun and there may or may not be an exclusive announcement happening there today!

That's all for now! Watch the blog for exciting news tomorrow, rake some leaves, and we’ll talk again soon.

peace and hugs,
J.T.