10.30.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, friends, and welcome to All Hallows' Eve Eve! Do you have your candy ready for the trick-or-treaters? Have a big party planned? What's your costume going to be?? I think it'll be a quiet night for the Ellison house, though I should probably get last-minute costumes for the Thrillerkittens... after all, All Souls is our 3 year cataversary. How cute would that be?

I went to Canada this week, and met with my publisher. It was awesome. More on that later in the week, when I can do it justice. I am beavering away on the last pass on THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE, so no more fun for me until that's complete. 

Anywho...

 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:
 

I adore my A Word on Words co-host, Mary Laura Philpott. A brilliant mind with a wit to match, she wrote this piece in The Washington Post this week. Y'all. Read it to your kids today—it's so important to teach our girls they can save themselves, no matter who and where they are.

Need a last-minute Halloween costume idea? I've got 10 creepy costumes from books, ready and waiting for you to recreate them! 👻

Speaking of books, here are 11 of the greatest parties in literature! Which one would you like to go to the most? Hmm...

Y'all know I'm a sucker for office supplies. Which is why I love these desk accessories for book lovers! Be still, my heart.

Heads up: 50+ paranormal romance novels, PLUS a Kindle Fire (!) are up for grabs! Click here to enter.

"I can’t stress enough the importance of getting away. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but changing your location, taking some time off, and unplugging does wonders in the long run." YES!!! I couldn't agree more. A change of scenery is a good thing when you're stuck in a rut, and this is why it's good to get away every once in a while.

And closer to home:

The Wine Vixen found 12 spooky wines for Halloween!

If you've been waiting for the NO ONE KNOWS paperback, now's your chance—it comes out on Tuesday! Paperbacks make a great stocking stuffer, I'm just sayin'.

Deal Alert: What Lies Behind is .99 on Kindle today only! What a bargain!

That's it from me! Have SO MUCH FUN tomorrow, be nice to your trick-or-treaters, and we'll talk again soon!

xoxo,
J.T.

10.23.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, my lovelies. How are you today? I hope you're having a lovely Sunday, sitting out on the porch with something nice to sip and something nice to read. I've been enjoying some cooler porch weather here in Tennessee. I relish the days when I step into a crisp morning instead of a muggy cloud (blech!). The ThrillerKittens are loving it, too—I couldn't keep them inside even I wanted to; it'd be like... well, herding cats!

I know, I know—you come for the links, but you stay for the jokes!

Anyway...

 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Is there a better feeling than browsing a beautiful bookstore? Hardly. At lease one of these bookstores in Buzzfeed's 19 most beautiful bookstores in America is sure to appear on your next road trip itinerary. 

"Unlike books, tablets do not offer an opportunity to display taste or refinement. Books will never go out of fashion." This article from Aeon is a lovely defense of print, and gives a history of books as a status symbol.

Is social media toxic to writing? In a word, YES.

Looking for a Halloween costume? Take a page out of Scout Finch's book.

Y'all know I'm a sucker for notebooks and journals. Here are 11 journals that readers will love using to record their TBR lists.

Last call for this Romantic Suspense 50-book/Kindle Fire sweepstakes! There are some good ones in here, y'all—don't miss out!

OK, stop what you're doing right now and read "I used to be a human being" an article from writer Andrew Sullivan. I'm serious—go do it. And I challenge you to read the entire thing without picking up your phone. A nugget of goodness here:

 This new epidemic of distraction is our civilization’s specific weakness. And its threat is not so much to our minds, even as they shape-shift under the pressure. The threat is to our souls. At this rate, if the noise does not relent, we might even forget we have any.

It's so good stuff, I promise you. You'll thank yourself later.

 

And closer to home:

If you haven't grabbed a copy of my newest book, THE FIRST DECADE, now's the time! (psst: it's only $4.99 on ebook!)

And if you're been saving your pennies and waiting for the NO ONE KNOWS paperback, it's up for pre-order! 

That's it for today, y'all. Don't get into trouble, snack on candy corn, and we'll talk again soon!

xoxo,
J.T.

10.16.16 - Sunday Smatterings: Southern Festival of Books edition

Welcome to another Sunday! It's been a special weekend in Nashville--Southern Festival of Books time!  Three days packed with books, authors, panels, food, and friends... really, what more can you ask for? Here are a few shots of my weekend, starring, in order: my panel, with Jaden Terrell and I cutting up (photo courtesy of Genny Carter), the awesome Megan Abbott, my buddy Laura Hill from Reading Rock Books, Paul from NPT in my favorite shirt ever, the divine Victoria Schwab, snacks at the Oak Bar, my housewife crush, Helen Ellis, the adorable Meg Mitchell Moore, comrade-in-arms Ariel Lawhon, pointing and in hat, ghostly hands in the men's room at the Hermitage and a pile of housewives (photos courtesy of Helen Ellis), and my book haul. 

A good time was had by all.

Now, on to the links!

A most fascinating story that backs up something I've always believed: The Secret Life of Trees: The Astonishing Science of What Trees Feel and How They Communicate 

Solid productivity advice: To take control of your email inbox, think about it like your IRL mailbox.

From Bustle: 11 Desk Accessories Every Book-Lover Needs In Their Working Space

One of my favorite series is Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy. I've been rereading A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES this week, and say this awesome short video: Yoga and The All Souls Trilogy (cc @DebHarkness)

In case you didn't already know this, LitHub edifies Why Calvin and Hobbes is Great Literature.

This is a fantastic piece for my fellow writers. I don't mean to provoke any sort of existential crisis, but deciding "What Kind of Writer Are You?" if a great exercise. 

And closer to home: We Made A Book! 

Here are all the details you need to purchase THE FIRST DECADE in PRINT!!!!

And a little piece I wrote about it on the Tao,  Plus a short piece about friendship and books on the divine Laura Benedict's blog

Thanks for being here. We'll see you next time. Have a great week, and #keepreading!

XOXO,

JT

10.9.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Y'all, it has been a crazy couple of weeks. We've known for months that the second half of the year was going to be busy, what with the regularly scheduled deadlines and book tours and conferences supplemented by parental joint replacement surgery and multiple tapings for Season 2 (!) of A Word on Words. And then Mother Nature decides to send a hurricane right at our beloved beach? It's the perfect metaphor, isn't it? Happily, the joint-replacee is doing great, the show is great, the deadlines were met, the hurricane did superficial damage, and I'm home of the foreseeable future (at least until November, LOL). Half of me is so sad we're heading into the second week of October, and the other half keeps saying "only 8 more weeks and things calm down!"

These are the blessings of my life, and trust me, blessings they are. Though I am looking forward to a quieter 2017. 💤

So. Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

First things first: if you'd like to help those who were devastated by Hurricane Matthew, here are some organizations you can look into for spreading the relief effort. Your help is so greatly appreciated!

Ever dreamed at working at a bookstore, or at least being Kathleen Kelly in You've Got Mail? Then you're gonna love these 17 behind-the-scenes secrets of working at a bookstore. I worked at a mall Waldenbooks for a while, and it was a blast.

A headline I know you didn't think you'd see today: Charles Dickens was a real-life Ghostbuster. Yes, we're getting into that time of year, people! 👻
 

If you're not reading the Bliss House series by Laura Benedict, you are missing OUT! Laura's prequel to the series, THE ABANDONED HEART, comes out Tuesday, and you need to go get it!!!! It's perfect reading for the Halloween season.

Looking to update your fall wine fridge? Here are 6 varietals to stock as the weather gets cooler.

 

And closer to home:

Would you look at this beauty!!!! Last week, the cover for Nick & Mike #4, THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE, made its debut and I don't think Catherine and I could be more thrilled with how it turned out! Mark your calendars for 3/14/2017, y'all, and pre-order it here.

The final episode of A WORD ON WORDS Season 1 just aired, and my guest couldn't have been a lovelier person: the wonderful Ariel Lawhon!!! If you're into historical fiction, you've got to check out Ariel's newest book, a masterful work on the Hindenburg's final flight—appropriately titled FLIGHT OF DREAMS.

That's it from me! Y'all be good, deck your porch with the trapping of fall (send pics, I'd love to see your decorations!) and I'll talk to you again soon!

xoxo,
J.T.

10.2.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, friends!

How's it going? Did you have a good week? I'm out in the wilds of Colorado, spending some time with my family. I love it out here, nestled into the mountains and valleys I grew to love when I was a kid. It's always good to be home. Wanna see some photos? You can check them out here! There is something special about fall in the mountains. The colors are astounding.

So, without further adieu...

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

One of the cutest memes I saw this week were people posting the three fictional characters that describe them best. Hmm! Mine weren't hard, Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen, and Jaime Fraser. Rebels, one and all. Who are yours?

Let's face it: writing is hard. Getting published is even harder. For those of you trying to accomplish anything, but especially publishing something, turn to J.K. Rowling's pitch-perfect advice on perseverance. She does know a thing or two about the subject.

Speaking of J.K. Rowing, she's finally telling us what our Patronuses are!!!! This quiz on Pottermore finally answers what we Potterheads have always wondered about ourselves. My Patronus is a wild rabbit, which fits in so many ways. No wonder I adore the bunnies in my backyard so much.

Attention all Yogis, Deb Harkness fans, and those of us who are both 🙋 – you need to read this article now. I've lost my yoga practice lately; travel and injury and the craziness of deadline has made getting to my mat very hard. I want to reboot my practice this fall, and this article was the perfect incentive. Because Matthew and Diana, y'all! Namaste!

What is it about fall that beckons us to the page? Is it the crisp breezes, the longer nights, the way we ever-so-slowly settle down in preparation for winter? Whatever it is, let's embrace it. Here are 13 places we book lovers should visit this fall.

Fact: there are many words we are just plain pronouncing... well, differently than intended. Fellow word nerds, I bet you'll find this article fascinating: The 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words, Explained. I know I did.

 

And closer to home:

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I co-host a TV show on Nashville Public Television called A WORD ON WORDS. My co-host, fellow Nashville author Mary Laura Philpott, and I are wrapping up our first season of the show, and needless to say, it's been the literary ride of our lives. We've interviewed some of our favorite authors, some of the most well-respected in the industry (I mean, MARGARET ATWOOD, come on!). And if you don't live in the Nashville viewing area, I've made it infinitely easier to catch up on the show! I've got a new A WORD ON WORDS page here on the website, where I've collected all the interviews for your binge-watching pleasure. As we get more, I'll add them. Enjoy, y'all! 📚🤓

Also, some good news: THE END GAME is on the New York Times bestseller list for the third week running. Thank you so much for your support! You can also find the entries to both the Taylor and Sam series on specials this week: ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS on sale for .99 this week, and A DEEPER DARKNESS for $1.99. What a bargain!

That's it from me! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, I hope your team wins, and we'll talk again soon!

Meanwhile, here's something adorable to begin your week with:

xoxo,
J.T.