Hello, my darlings. I am BACK from my social hiatus! Every year when Lent arrives, I take a break from social media, embrace the silence of the season as a way to re-center myself as the world wakes up and comes alive again, and me with it. When Easter comes, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated, having accomplished many things in the silence, namely the joy of having ritual in my life again, a quiet space to listen to the still, small voice inside of myself, whispering that all is okay, I am enough, go to the page and the words will come.

And they do. They always do.

I admit, I miss you when I'm on hiatus. I like chatting with you, catching up, seeing what's new and what you're into these days. Some days the silence doesn't come as naturally as others, and I feel restless when I can't pop in for a quick hello, how are you?

But. Easter is here, and spring with it, and here I come bounding back into the energy of the world. It's good to be back again.

Anyway. On to the links!

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

This article, right here. The name alone is compelling enough: What If All I Want Is a Mediocre Life? (To be fair, I don't think "mediocre" is the word I'd use. Maybe just... normal. Quiet. Content.) There's something to be said for a life with less striving and more being. It's a wonderful, thought-provoking read.

Also this, because life is messy, and life is hard: Here's to All of You Trying to Make the Most of a Bad Situation. I agree with the idea that we should celebrate the heroes among us who are finding ways to get by, instead of ways to get glory. 

In that vein, here are 50 Ways to Live Life on Your Own Terms. Because self-empowerment is a beautiful thing. This read has really realigned the way I'm approaching most everything in my life.
 

Something lighter, all told in Gilmore Girls gifs, because Gilmore Girls: 15 Things All Book Lovers Fight About. (I guarantee you'll find a couple that make you go 😡)

Oh, and Peggy Noonan won the Pulitzer, which I just love, because I love her (and have for decades). I don't always agree with her, but she was the most powerful female voice in D.C. when I Iived there, (she's a writer, remember. The pen is mightier than the sword... 1,000 points of light... shining cities on hills, you know, the idealistic view of life and politics, the one I fled from with great sadness?) and she stuck with me.

Aspiring thriller writers, are you stuck? Don't worry—this is the best way to start a book. Even Neil Gaiman says so.

And a last little lovely for your brain: these are the writing retreats from some of our favorite authors. (LOVE.)

And closer to home:

Gymnasts start at age three or four. So how do they really know what they really want, and how do the parents know when their [own] desires have taken over? –says the wise and über talented thriller writer Megan Abbott in this week's A WORD ON WORDS episode.

We touched on her latest book, YOU WILL KNOW ME, and why genre distinction doesn't really matter (a good story is a good story, y'all).

Are you looking for more good things to fill your ears? I found a few podcasts I really, really enjoy... and invent errands to drive around town for so I can listen.

Big news: my 2017 standalone, LIE TO ME? It has a cover—and it is GORGEOUS!!! You can learn more about the book here. (FYI: I think it's the best one I've ever written. Dead serious.)

Guess what? Three of you won't have to wait until the book comes in September to read it. Oh, no. Because three of you can win an ARC!!!!!! Click here to learn how to enter to win.

That's it from me, y'all! Enjoy your Easter Sunday (maybe you found the prize egg??), or your Passover, should you celebrate one or the other, pick a few flowers and put them in a vase, bring cookies to your elderly neighbors. We'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.