A New AWOW and The Last Smatterings of 2022

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Sunday Smatterings logo on a christmas tree closeup

’Twas the night before…well, Saturday, because it’s Friday evening as I write this. I’m cuddled with the cats in front of the fire; it is genuinely chilly here in Nashvegas. The trees are lit, there is a holiday radio station on the TV (playing The Waitresses, naturally) and I’m going through my ToDo lists making sure everything has been covered before I bid 2022 a fond farewell.

It’s strange how this time of year makes us all flip out. I can’t help feeling compelled to get everything wrapped up, no loose ends or unfinished projects. This year, I am determined to take some time off, and not be worrying about work so I can enjoy the holidays. I have books to read, and cookies to make, and family to enjoy. Its time to put away the Type A personality and chill.

We started early with a quick trip to see bestie Paige and the godbabies in Georgia, which was so deeply soul-nourishing that I am still glowing. Also, Paige’s book launch at Hills and Hamlet was incredible. They have signed copies. You should buy one.

There are a few other things I wanted to share to wrap the year with a tidy bow.

On A WORD ON WORDS this week, I sat down with Gal Beckerman to discuss his fascinating book THE QUIET BEFORE.

If you get the newsletter, you already know about this, but if not, I was delighted to have an extensive, wide-ranging interview with my friend Cal Newport about the realities of becoming a thriller writer.

I made a new friend recently who shares my love of examining the deep life, albeit on her own terms. Lauren Lowrey has a very cool podcast called Amstigator, and her last show of the year discusses the vital nature of allowing ourselves to be fallow over the winter in order to build stronger roots for our creativity. I loved this idea, which is, of course, analogous to the seasonality discussions Cal has been sharing. It seems more and more of us are seeing the value in slowing down instead of grinding it out day after day.

Here’s a quick look at what I’m reading this month, in addition to Paige’s awesome THE LOST WITCH.

And on the Joss side of things, there’s a new short story out today called A BETRAYAL OF MAGIC that you can read for free if you sign up for the newsletter, or grab it on Kindle. A major goal for 2023 - I am taking Jayne’s world wide, so you’ll be able to buy/read from any store you like.

And lo, this brings me to a wonderful moment in time. I am closed for business until January 3!

Mr. E, the kitties, and I wish you a safe, healthy, peaceful, and joyous holiday season. See you in 2023!

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

New Episode of A Word on Words with Ruth Ware

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I couldn’t be more excited to share my interview with the brilliant NYT bestselling suspense author Ruth Ware, who, as you all know, is one of my favorite authors. Her new novel, THE IT GIRL, is a top five read of the year, and our conversation opened some creative doors for me, as well as being simply awesome. You can listen to this as a podcast, just subscribe to A WORD ON WORDS in your favorite podcast program, or watch the full version below. Enjoy!

A WORD ON WORDS interview with Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of THE IT GIRL

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

A Word on Words Season 8 Is Here–Now With Full-Length Episodes!

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I am very excited to share some pretty cool news— A Word on Words has gone long-form! Not only do you get the usual shorter broadcast airing on your local station, which for Nashville means Sundays and Thursday on Nashville Public Television, for the first time, you will also have access to the entire interview on our YouTube channel! And our full-length podcast is available, too! Subscribe from your favorite podcast outlet.


The first episode of the season introduces my fabulous new co-host, investigative journalist and novelist (and all-around great guy) Jeremy Finley! (You might learn a little about me along the way, too.) We have a stellar lineup this season, featuring some of your faves and some incredible debuts, and everything in between. Our producer Suzy and the rest of the crew has done an outstanding job with all the formats. There’s a little something for everyone now!

➡️ Click here to watch the show ⬅️

We’re so excited to hear what you think about this new format! Personally, I am thrilled you get a longer visit with our guests so you can hear more about their work, their ethos, and their lives as writers. Can’t wait for you to watch!

Stop by www.awordonwords.org to see our past episodes.

And keep reading!

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Smatterings: For Love of ASMR Rooms

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Thunder booms. Lightning flashes. the rain pummels the windows. But inside, you are safe, warm, womblike in the library. The fire crackles, candles flicker, the sconces on the wall glow gently. A clock ticks, and the susurrus of a pen scratching on paper lulls you into an almost hypnotic state. In this place, you can enter a flow state that allows your mind to genuinely focus on your tasks. 

ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is a relatively new phenomenon. And, from my quick bit of research, it doesn’t work the same way for each person. That makes total sense to me--what I find lovely and relaxing in person (cozy interiors with snow or thunderstorms outside) might cause someone else great distress. The whispering ASMRs meant to comfort make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. There are thousands of ASMR rooms to choose from, to each their own.

I bring this up only because I’ve been doing work with my life coach recently focusing on rewiring myself to let go of internal blocks and accept the flow state, and I’ve combined it with my favorite ASMR rooms this week to great success. Here are a few of my favorite ASMR feeds if you want to give it a try yourself. Just be warned, it truly is hypnotic, and you might just create something magnificent!


Royal Library

Writing Library

Thunderstorm at Hogwarts

Everything from My Ambience especially Crackling Fireplace


I think you’re going to love working with some of these in the background. Let go and let it flow! Onward…

Links 🔗

I’m up this week on A WORD ON WORDS interviewing Patti Callahan about her new book ONCE UPON A WARDROBE. I rarely get a chance to interview close friends on the show, and Patti and I have a tendency to finish one another’s sentences, which made for a fun, intimate conversation. 

An interesting piece about the influx of AI in the audiobook sector. What do you think?


Scott Young talks about goal setting and the science of achievement.


Susan DeFreitas spent a year reading Ursula LeGuin novels, and it blew her mind.


Another Worlde story, but with a nice look at all kinds of word puzzles.


The February Newsletter went out this week, with some fun news…

Reads 📚


A good reading week in between the Olympics coverage. Finished THE WIFE STALKER (5 stars for creativity), moved on to Jennifer Armentrout’s FROM BLOOD AND ASH, dabbled a bit in SWAN DIVE by Georgina Pazcoguin, and made good progress on a galley from thriller author Adam Hamby. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! ♥️ I hope you’ve had a great weekend with a wonderful book!

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, ,

J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Smatterings: A Little Productivity Pep Talk

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"Smatterings" with a snowy background with park benches and snow-capped trees.

Happy Sunday. I hope you’re safe and warm with a good book close by.

I had a conversation with a writer friend recently that I thought salient to this week’s note. This author is highly motivated and extremely creative. She regularly juggles multitudes of projects—quite successfully, I might add—writes quickly, is used to immersion into the worlds she creates. She was having an off day and was resisting the urge to beat herself up over the lack of productivity. Hyper-productive authors don’t do well with moments like this. I know that for a fact, because I too have these days when I can’t seem to move the chains no matter what I try. The words just aren’t there. Those days are rough, and it’s very easy to fall into the I am screwing everything up when you don’t hit your goals. Here is my response:

“Paradoxically, I think this is what makes us great creators. It's the same emotional diligence that keeps us coming back to the page and trying to create, even when there are bad days. It's tied to our self-discipline. So if you reframe it like that, it might help. Also, look into Cal Newport’s new ideas about slow productivity. It deemphasizes the micro in favor of the macro. I had a crap day Thursday, but looked back and realized I'd written 25,000 already for the month. (Last year I only wrote 140K, so this is a BIG leap forward for me) You'll be okay. You have a ton of projects you're juggling, and brains sometimes need a little rest from the incessant adrenaline spikes we give them.”

I stand by this advice for her, and for you. Those artists who suffer from extreme emotional frustration when they can’t produce are the same ones who, over time, accrete an impressive body of work.

Slow productivity is a real thing and is especially appropriate to writers. Very few of us can toss off 100,000 words in a month. It takes time to write a book. I’ve always equated writing novels to an ant eating an elephant. It takes thousands of small bites every day, day after day after day, to consume the whole thing. 

The next time you’re feeling frustrated that you need to lie fallow for a day or two, keep the faith. It’s just your brain recovering from the adrenal strikes. Over time, you’ll see that one or two bad days don’t matter at all.

And with that in mind, onward! 

Links 🔗


Season 7 of our literary television show A WORD ON WORDS begins airing this week, and a huge Nashville welcome to my new co-host, the divine Alka Joshi, who digs deep into Jessamine Chan’s THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS!!! #keepreading


Publishing has been plagued by a scammer, and he’s finally been unmasked: The Talented Mr. Bernardini


My life coach has some advice for you: Savoring! 3 Ways to Squeeze More Sweetness out of Life


I’m sharing because it’s cool but also I call dibs: The Woman Who Can See 100 Million Colors


Who wants to be the master of their domain?


Some superb editing advice…

Reads 📚


I had a momentary reading block earlier this week trying to conquer the paradox of choice that is my To Be Read pile. I finally settled on Sarah Pinborough’s amazing BEHIND HER EYES, and also watched the adaptation on Netflix, which was stellar, and Liv Constantine’s excellent THE WIFE STALKER, which helped me jump right into the proposal for my next book. Thanks, ladies, for the great books!

What are you reading this weekend?

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J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.