8.16.15 - Sunday Smatterings

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Sunday Smatterings

Hello, darlings! How’s your week been? Is back-to-school time kickstarting your routine again? Or are you still in the throes of summer? For me, it’s completely the latter, and will be for quite some time.

I’ve spent this week with the lovely Catherine Coulter in Sausalito, dreaming up new adventures for Nicholas Drummond and Mike Caine all while basking in the gorgeous San Francisco Bay views from her house. Seriously, I could really get used to having that vantage point (especially with the fog! #pluviophile). 

With my head in Book Land, I didn’t spend as much time on the Internets as usual this week. But I did manage to unearth some interesting tidbits:

Those of you with an eye toward reaching an audience might find this article from Buffer on why you should try to keep your existing customers quite interesting.

Hey wordsmiths, listen up: the incomparable Jane Friedman had a very insightful guest post on “3 Qualities of Masterful Word Choice” from author Barbara Baig’s new book, Spellbinding Sentences. Some really good nuggets in this one. 

In book news, the reviews have started rolling in for THE END GAME, and I’m so pleased by the positive feedback! Particularly, the fine people at Publisher’s Weekly had some nice things to say in their starred review.

And on the home front, InD’tale publisher T.J. Mackay stopped by for a 7 Minutes chat, and she was just awesome. Smart, savvy, and so much fun! 

Oh, and don’t forget about my August contest, still ripe for entering!  Free books, people!

And here’s a little carpe diem for your week: “Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” –Farrah Gray (which is my philosophy on life—that and, you know, “It's never too late!”)

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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.

8.9.15 - Sunday Smatterings

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There were lots of things going on in my world last week!

First of all, hats off to the courageous, competent Metro Nashville Police Department for neutralizing what could have been such a tragic situation.

The poli-sci geek in me was having a field day this week over Nashville's municipal elections. Taking the future of your local community in your own hands is critically important, and I can't wait to see how this mayoral campaign shakes out and (hopefully) moves Nashville to even greater heights.

In the publishing realm, have you been following author Steve Hamilton's saga? Earlier this week, Hamilton announced his departure from St. Martin's Press, citing a lack of support in his publisher's marketing plans, and signed with Putnam (with whom Catherine and I publish the Nicholas Drummond series). It's hugely unconventional for an author to buy back their rights, pay back their advance, and exit a publishing house so close to a new book's pub date. It's a bold move, but ultimately it's one that should pay off for Hamilton--and his readers.

What exactly happens between me typing "the end" on a manuscript to you holding the book in your hands? The lovely Diana Gabaldon explains it ain't no small task. 

Did you read GO SET A WATCHMAN? What did you think? Well, if the novel was something different you envisioned, then you're not alone. And if you bought the book from this Michigan bookstore, your pocketbook might be in luck.

I'm all about working smarter, so I was really digging this blog post on habits of highly organized people. So many good nuggets in here. 

Are you people watching True Detective Season 2? Good grief, this plot's convoluted. Just . . . no.

Looking for a surefire way to get your favorite author's next book? You can "follow" them on Amazon, and you'll never miss another book again. This should greatly enhance your status at the watercooler, as your friends and colleagues deem you "the font of culture" for knowing all the things. Who doesn't want to be the font of culture?

I like free things. You like free things. I like books. You like books. My publisher MIRA is blending all of these wonderful happenstances into one nice giveaway, celebrating the summer season with some reading goodies and 10 fabulous books (one of which is written by, ahem, moi). Go get you some free stuff!

And this week on the Tao, I had the privilege of hosting my longtime friend and wicked talented singer/songwriter/musician, Les Kerr, in a musical edition of 7 Minutes With...

And, of course, here's an overview of what happened in book world this week.

That's all I've got. Keep reading, folks!

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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.

8.2.15 - Sunday Smatterings

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Go Set a Publication Date - super cute piece by author Mardi Jo Link about the nightmare of having your release date up against a legendary book. http://www.

Some inspiration from Don Winslow ‏@donwinslow, whose book THE CARTEL is absolutely killing it, and being made into a movie with Ridley Scott directing: "Dear aspiring writers: It took me 19 books and several decades to have this terrific year with The Cartel. Keep writing. Never give up."

Some excellent, calming advice from Mind, Body, Green: 3 Zen Principles That Will Rock Your World (And Make You Happier!) 

Tools and Toys ( a blog you should be reading if you like elegant, cool things) has a great list of books that everyone should read. Some old faithfuls and some new ones, too, but all in all, a great list: Some of Our Favorite Reads

As an introvert, Everything I Am Afraid Might Happen If I Ask New Acquaintances to Get Coffee was both hysterical and hit very close to home for me. http://

A couple of links to things from the Tao this week:

7 Minutes With... my dear friend Kim Law 

And some major news on the Nicholas Drummond Brit in the FBI front - a TV deal! 7.28.15 - The Kind of News I Like To Share

Finally, as always, this week in publishing: News From the Book World

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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.

7.26.15 - Sunday Linkage

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It's high time we resurrect the "Best Links of the Week" - a gathering of the most interesting stories and essays I came across during the week. Sometimes there will be many, sometimes few, but always, these posts will appear on Sundays!
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"Business Musings: The Branding Surprise"  Kris Rusch always has excellent business and career blogs, but this one about branding is stellar. I'm in the midst of it myself, so it was very timely!

Peyton Manning launches Chattanooga Heroes Fund to honor shooting victims | WKRN News 2 

The Web We Have to Save - A great philosophical essay by Hossein Derakhshan about what the Internet has become. All bloggers, especially those who came up in the 00s, should read this awesome piece. 

Resistance, Housekeeping, Writing, & Me by Laura Benedict
A fabulous essay for all writers who are here (ahem) instead of writing now. And can we give props for the Oxford comma in the title?

Brilliance from Steven Pressfield about the revision process, its importance, and its difficulties, using GO SET A WATCHMAN as the prime example. This is really valuable info - Atticus Finch 2.0

"The Puzzle of Life"   I loved this quote -- "Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and devote yourself to it wholeheartedly.” Amen to that!

Debbie Haupt's Reading Frenzy has an interview with moi on What Lies Behind

This week on the Tao, we had a 7 Minutes With... interview with @SeanChercover

As always, News from the Book World

And I've just found out WHAT LIES BEHIND is $2.99 on Kindle. What a deal!

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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.