Sunday Smatterings

Hello, lovelies. How are you? While it's been a wild ride this week, I have to admit I've been following Irma reports quite closely. Many friends and loved ones in the storm's path, so while I'm still on tour today, my heart is with you, beloved Florida. Y'all stay strong and safe. ❤️

LIE TO ME touring has made me quite the road warrior—it's been so much fun seeing so many of you in person, and saying hi to new faces. Today I'm in the Bay Area, teaching at the Book Passage Mystery Conference. I prefer to think of it as corrupting the young writers of America, but YMMV...

I'm off to Seattle tonight, signing tomorrow at the wonderful Seattle Mystery Bookshop, then off to my Colorado stomping grounds, where I'll be talking with the brilliant Chris Goff at Tattered Cover – Aspen Grove on Tuesday night. Then a little break. Whew!

Without further ado...

---

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

The Best Places to See Fall Foliage in the United States. It's the most wonderful time of the year! 🍂 Even more fun: Sutton and Ethan Montclair's Franklin, TN, is on the list. 
 

The Greatest Goths in Literary History. I've always been a little punk rock and enjoyed the darker side of things—heck, I'm even putting out a Southern Gothic collection later this month! Here's to the darker writers who came before us.
 

White Shoes After Labor Day: Can You Do It? What say you, dear reader? Can you do it? Full disclosure, I have never owned a pair of white shoes (see punk rocker, above), so I'm doubly fascinated.
 

Book Review: The Perfect Pencil. Y'all know how much I love a good pencil. That is why the nerd in me wants to read this book.
 

Ian McEwan's Enchanted Garden. Excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor. 😮 WANT!!!!! (The house ain't bad, either...)
 

Sidekicks People Like Better Than the Main Character. Do you agree?
 

A Book to Watch Out For: I WAS ANASTASIA by Ariel Lawhon. Historical fiction fans, and history fans in general, don't walk—run—to get a copy of this book. I WAS ANASTASIA comes out next March, but those of you with NetGalley access can request it now. I got my hands on an advanced copy, and it's INCREDIBLE.
 

[video] New A Word on Words episode: Chemical Reaction with Weike Wang. This week's episode of AWOW finds my cohost Mary Laura Philpott chatting with CHEMISTRY author Weike Wang about her debut book, a coming-of-age novel about a young (unnamed) female scientist who must recalibrate her life when her academic career goes off track. Interesting!

---

And closer to home:

It's here: LIE TO ME is out! If you've been living under a rock (or missed the banner at the top of the page), you may not know that my newest standalone novel, LIE TO ME, came out this week. And oh, has it been a week. I've been overwhelmed by the flood of well wishes and love from all of you. LIE TO ME is stocked in stores across the land in all formats.  Even The Washington Post ran a review that said I've crafted a "compelling story" (let the angels rejoice!). It's been quite a ride—thank you for making all of this happen. ❤️

A few pieces that have run during LIE TO ME release week:

• Pushing Boundaries. If you're looking for ways to level up your writing, I give you 6 ways to do just that.
• Libro.fm's Books We Love. This sampling of HarperCollins new releases popular in independent bookstores is perfect for your audiophiles.
• Instagram Tour of Franklin, TN. The settings in my novels are, to me, characters unto themselves. I love the verisimilitude of writing a place I know so well. LIE TO ME is set in the beautiful, idyllic town of Franklin, twenty miles south of Nashville. If you'd like to see if the settings in LIE TO ME match your imagination, take a peek at my Instagram.

---

That's it from me! Y'all be good, be safe, read a good book, take a walk in the cooler evenings, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hey, y'all, welcome to Sunday. You doing okay? I've been thinking especially about you, Texas peeps. Nashville knows the devastation that floods can bring. Please know you're in our hearts.

I write to you from Decatur, Georgia, near Atlanta, the first stop on my LIE TO ME tour. It's a banner day – I'm on a panel with the stellar Tess Gerritsen. This is a full-circle moment for me. When I was a publishing newbie, a mere three weeks after I got my deal, I committed one of my biggest faux pas with the gracious Ms. Gerritsen... so I'm looking forward to sharing a stage and keeping my excitement buttoned up to a professional level this time. 😜

Without further ado, I give you today's links.

---

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Learning From the Feynman Technique. I'm a big fan of this when building a book. But what do I know?
 

Louise Penny: By the Book.  Lovely, classy—this is how it's done.
 

A Debut Novelist’s Descent Into Darkness. Gabriel Tallent's debut novel, MY ABSOLUTE DARLING, seems like a masterpiece wrought out of thin air. But Tallent, a waiter who just quit his job, has been working on this novel for much longer than anyone would realize...  
 

BookBub's 19 Thrillers to Read Before Summer's End.  Lots of goodies in here, and a few familiar faces... 😉
 

Developing Your Creative Habit. Actionable steps included... the most important part of creativity, in fact.
 

Seven Habits That Are Killing Your Creative Growth. Preach!
 

Goodreads' 21 Big Books of Fall.  For our ever-expanding TBR lists!
 

Rules For My Son.  A wonderful read. I love this!
 

“Wearing a uniform is also a way of asserting your status as a protagonist. ” On the virtues of finding a uniform—this appeals to me in so many ways...

---

And closer to home:

Before you dive into LIE TO ME's marriage from hell, I present to you... my own love story—and why I think it works. A certain book we all know about releases on Tuesday (ahem). And you're going to see a lot of promotion around it. But here's a piece that falls close to my heart: the story of my own marriage. 

---

That's it from me! It's a big week coming up, so you may see me around the Internets more than usual. Nashville, Minneapolis, San Francisco—come see me this week, I'll be in your neck of the woods and I'd love to say hi. Y'all be good!

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hey, peeps, happy Sunday! Hope you had a good week. Did you do anything fun?

Lots of quiet time for me, writing and storing up energy for a busy fall. I'm looking forward to traveling to across the country over the next few weeks. I do my best writing on planes, actually, because I have nowhere to go and no immediate distractions – no phone to answer, no kitchen to clean, no errands to run, no kitties to throw mice for. On top of that, I get to say hi to so many of you, for which I'm so grateful! LIE TO ME is about to be born into the world, and y'all are the ones who make it all possible. Thank you, darling readers. Truly.

---

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

19 Thrillers You May Have Missed This Summer. Stock your TBR lists, people! Winter is coming. You may see some familiar faces here...
 

A Discover of Witches TV Show Announcement. If you've been around the Tao for a while, you know I feel pretty strongly about Deb Harkess (I love her) and her series A Discover of Witches (I love it). So I was tickled pink when Deb announced the TV casting for reluctant witch Diana Bishop and sexy vampire geneticist Matthew. Wonderful choices—especially for Diana! I can't wait to see their performances.
 

A Woman Was Arrested for "Stealing" a Case of Water Bottles and THIS Was Her Husband’s Response. LOLOLOLOL! Priceless. 😂
 

How many of the top 100 crimes novels of the early 20th century have you read? Y'all are pretty prolific readers, so I'm curious. Leave your answer in the comments...
 

Being Busy Is Killing Our Ability to Think Creatively. I'm trying my best to heed these words. Focus takes practice now, which is alarming to me. I've had a lot happening this year, so this is especially salient right now.
 

8 Books to Read If You Loved Broadchurch. After the finale, you may be jonesing for more Hardy and Miller. These may do the trick.
 

20 Literary "Would You Rather"s. Hee! 
 

A WORD ON WORDS with Elizabeth Strout. Did you know Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of OLIVE KITTERIDGE and MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON, did stand-up comedy? My cohost Mary Laura Philpott uncovers all kinds of gems in this episode of A WORD ON WORDS (psst, this kicks off a whole slew of Season 3 episodes! Stay tuned over the next few weeks for some killer all-star guests 🙌). #keepreading

---

And closer to home:

LIE TO ME is here NEXT WEEK.

Needless to say, I can't wait for you to get your hands on it!

Some lovely people have been featuring the book, bloggers you may want to put on your radar if you want some tip-top resources to your TBR pile. Many thanks to:

• Novel Gossip
• Jathan & Heather
• The Book Diva’s Reads
• Broken Teepee
• No More Grumpy Bookseller

Haven't pre-ordered your copy yet? No worries.
Find your preferred format and favorite retailer here, and claim yours in a couple of clicks.

---

Pre-Order DEAD ENDS: Stories from the Gothic South, available 9.28.17! 

Surprise!

As you know, I have been stocking my indie press, Two Tales, with my own short stories exclusively. But no more! 

On September 28, we are releasing the first Two Tales Press Anthology — DEAD ENDS: Stories from the Gothic South — featuring 13 original stories by 13 incredible authors. It's a themed anthology, too! DEAD ENDS is now available for pre-order in ebook, paperback, and hardcover. I hope you love it—there's some amazing stuff in here for you. Here's the lineup of incredible authors:

1. Jeff Abbott
2. Helen Ellis
3. Patti Callahan Henry
4. Amanda Stevens
5. Paige Crutcher
6. Dana Chamblee Carpenter
7. Laura Benedict
8. Bryon Quertermous
9. Dave White
10. Lisa Morton
11. David Bell
12. J.T. Ellison
13. Ariel Lawhon

Enjoy, y'all.

---

That's it from me! Y'all have a great week, enjoy the last vestiges of summer before we plunge into Pumpkin Spice mode, and I'll talk to you again soon.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hey, friends, how's tricks? You doing okay?

I'm plugging away, deep in writing mode as I prep for the LIE TO ME tour that's coming up soon. It's been a good writing week, actually—I've written my way past some tricky areas in Brit #5, which is always a great feeling when I can power through. I don't believe in writer's block, just bad plots. When I'm stuck for a couple of days, I take a breather, grab a couple of margaritas with my husband, and together we can usually hash out whatever the problem is. It's a beautiful thing.

Y'all ready for some links?

---

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Anyone want to buy a bookstore? Seattle Mystery Bookshop is up for sale. I have long admired this great store from afar, and I'm beyond thrilled to be signing there for my first time in a couple of weeks—but heartbroken the store is up for sale. I'd love to see it live on.
 

The email app that delights. I am a big fan of the Newton Mail client. Clean, minimalist, and easy to read and respond. What more do you need? Well, Windows fans, they are available for you now, too!
 

Harry Potter Nerds Rejoice: 2 New ‘History of Magic’ Books Coming This Fall. I'll take more Harry Potter any way I can get it, thank you very much.

Harry Potter-themed store opens in Toronto. And speaking of HP, I know where I'm making a pit stop when I'm in Toronto this fall... (y'all, Toronto even has an HP-themed bar!
 

A new-to-me travel tool: JustyFly.com. If you're looking for a cheap getaway, this site may help. 
 

Here's How Many Books You Could Read Every Month If You Cut Back Time Spent on Your Smartphone. Just a tech PSA. If you read your books on your phone, you are excused.
 

18 Tiny "Game Of Thrones" Details You Might Have Missed First Time Round. This season of GoT, we're getting all kinds of payoffs. This list may help you remember some nuggets you've forgotten so you can enjoy what's happening on the screen even more. #dragons
 

7 Reasons Slow Reading Is Actually A Good Thing, Because Being A Speed Reader Is Overrated. In case you needed a morale boost for that book it's taking you forever to finish. Read to your comfort speed, no more.

---

And closer to home:

Have you added LIE TO ME to Goodreads? One of the easiest ways you can (1) make sure you're ready for LIE TO ME's release and (2) help spread the word about my new book is to put it on your Goodreads shelf. Why's that? The more people who shelve the book on Goodreads, the more Goodreads will suggest it to new readers: it's a win-win situation! Speaking of Goodreads, my friend Debbie is running a LIE TO ME bookclub there in September and October, and you can join in. Trust me, you may want someone to talk about this book with when you finish. The more, the merrier!

---

That's it from me. Y'all enjoy the eclipse (and make sure you wear your eclipse glasses, pretty please), eat some fresh honeydew, read a good book, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hi, chickens, happy Sunday. Did y'all have a good week? As you know, I just got back from vacation (which was glorious). After a few days catching up, I'm happily back at work on Brit #5, trying to flesh out a rip-roaring adventure for Nick and Mike. Things are swimming along, and there's a big month of writing ahead. Summer's over for the kiddies, and now it is for me, too. 

I have a favor to ask you below, but we'll get to that later. Right now, it's time for links:

---

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? A fabulous long read with sobering statistics.

Aziz Ansari gave up using the internet for reading books. After reading articles like the last one, this gives me hope.

Why are cats afraid of water? This was the most retweeted article on my feed this week—for good reason. Face it, you've always wondered...

[Listen] The World's Most Glamorous Librarian. BookRiot brings us the life of Belle De Costa Greene, the most glamorous and influential librarian in early 20th Century America. And she is fascinating. 

Branch out from your usual genres this year (and 15 titles that will help you do just that). For those of you doing book challenges, Modern Mrs. Darcy may be able to help you out.

Megan Abbott on Genres. On the last season of A Word on Words, I talked to the brilliant Megan Abbott about the literary vs. genre divide. And her insight is pretty spectacular and totally spot-on. This week Poets & Writers picked up the interview, which turned out to be quite timely.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter's New Ride Promises to Be Scarier Than the Dark Arts. This is important. Obviously.

---

And closer to home: LIE TO ME is almost here!

Y'all, I have to tell you – I am so excited to share LIE TO ME with my chickens! You can start devouring Ethan and Sutton’s story on September 5!

If you'll indulge me, let's talk about this book a little bit.

I had a specific goal in mind when I wrote this story – stretch myself beyond my limits. Thankfully, some very important people agreed. Lee Child called LIE TO ME “wonderful... a one-more-chapter, don't-eat-dinner, stay-up-late sensation." Lisa Scottoline said LIE TO ME has “more twists and turns than the backroads of Tennessee.” And in their starred review, Publishers Weekly said LIE TO ME was “exceptional” and “may be [my] best work to date.”

This book is a big one, y’all. It would mean the world to me if you supported LIE TO ME the way you have with my past work.

How can you help, you ask?

I’ll be honest – a pre-order means EVERYTHING for this book. Pre-orders are vital to a book’s early success. It tells bookstores to order more copies, it helps with placement on the front tables and bestseller lists, it gets libraries excited to stock the title – everything a book needs to be a success. And it’s all in your very capable hands.

Plus, you have options! You can order it in your preferred format – trade paperback, hardcover, digital, or audio – right now. No waiting six months to a year for the more cost-effective paperback. Cool, right? (FYI, the trade paperback is only 10 bucks. Just sayin’.)

So if you would, pick up a copy, rate it on Goodreads, leave a review at your favorite retailer, copy and paste the image above on your social feeds, tell a friend about it: every little thing helps, and I am so grateful for any support you can give.

Thank you, thank you for coming on this journey with me. I’m thrilled to share my writing world with you!

---

That's it from me. Y'all have a great week, go get a popsicle, finish the book you're reading, and we'll talk again soon!

xo,
J.T.