Sunday Smatterings

Hey, chickens, what's shaking? Are you snowed in like I (happily) am? We didn't get much snow in Nashville—most of us are stuck at home because of icy roads—but we got enough of the white stuff to turn everything into a winter wonderland for a bit. And even though they're cooped up inside, my girls enjoy how easy it is to spot cardinals in the snow. It's their version of Kitty TV!

Just because we're iced in doesn't mean we haven't been productive. Guess what? I celebrated the Snowpocalypse by turning in Novel the 20th—aka my new standalone, TEAR ME APART! 🎉 I think that's reason alone to break my dry January, don't you? My brilliant editor has it now, and there's more work to come, of course, but I always breathe a huge sigh of relief when the first draft is out of my hands. It's someone else's problem for now. 😜

And without further ado, here are your links for the week:

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

The man who read the world: David Bowie's son launches an online book club in his honor. I just love this. Can't believe he's been gone for two years.

Why time management is ruining our lives. A fascinating but important long read. We need margin to breathe sometimes.

You Need To See This Ice Hotel's "Game Of Thrones" Rooms. GoT nerds, you've got to check this out for the Hall of Faces alone!

Authors reveal their dream retreats. I'm always curious how other people go through the creative process and where they fill their wells. There's a reason we go on a creative retreat to Colorado every spring.

11 Literary Holidays You Need To Add To Your Calendar If You're A Book-Lover. Now we have almost a dozen more excuses to celebrate stories. Cue my excitement!

Why surprise Golden Globe nominee 'The Sinner' is a must watch. This was my favorite stream of 2017. The Sinner is superbly written and acted—I highly recommend it!

Woman Locked in Bookstore Overnight. She even had her own bed to read in. Best. Night. Ever.

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And closer to home:

Sunday Reads: SMALL TOWN TROUBLE by Laura Benedict (Familiar Legacy Series #5). My BFF has a great new book out this week. SMALL TOWN TROUBLE is a sweet murder mystery featuring Trouble the cat, who, I might add, completely steals the book from his human counterparts. A great read and a great author. Have a go!

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That's it from me! Y'all enjoy your week, stay warm, check up on a neighbor or two, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hey, chickens! How you doing today? Thawing out, I hope? No more bomb cyclones raging in our backyards?

If you're a U.S. chicken, I don't need to tell you that it has been so cold lately. My fingers stay frozen if they aren't wrapped around a tea mug. The kitties can't go on the porch. Thankfully Nashville wasn't swept up in the bombogenesis, but my deepest sympathies to you if you were. Yeesh. Old Man Winter is sure a grumpy fellow sometimes.

This week I put in lots of edits and new words for TEAR ME APART. I'm at a point where I'm honing the story, upping the tension, making things tighter, discovering more dark and twisty corridors inside of my characters. This is the good stuff of storytelling, when I can start pulling all the threads together. It makes this writer very, very happy.

Anyway. Without further ado, I give you links.

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:
 

The simple structure to attaining your goals. Essential January reading, especially for those who want to keep their resolutions.
 

Jocko Willink on the power of discipline. We all know I'm a fan of Cal Newport's work, and I read his blog religiously. This article featuring former-Navy-Seal-turned-leadership-consultant Willink ran in December, but I thought it would be a perfect read as we ring in the new year. We're all looking for more freedom in our lives, and Willink uses a surprising tool to find his: discipline. 


How to use money to buy back your time. Creatives, take heed. Your time is so valuable. Where can YOU turn over your work to someone and buy back some creative time?
 

I WAS ANASTASIA by Ariel Lawhon - a Winter 2018 Okra Pick. I had the pleasure of reading this beauty early. Fans of historical fiction: y'all need to run to your bookstore in March when this hits shelves. Such a great story!

Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan on How They Found the Voice of "Lady Bird." 2018 is going to be a powerful year for women in entertainment, both in front of and behind the camera. Long overdue!

Triple-Acting Diabetes Drug Reverses Memory Loss in Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Models. This is huge, y'all! An accidental find, and a promising start.

How Americans of both political parties can come together to support the Iranian people. When I joined Twitter, we turned our avatars green in support of the Iranian people. It’s time for another bold statement. #freedom

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And closer to home:

My 2017 Annual Review. 2017 was one of my most exciting, crazy, thought-provoking, and frustrating years ever. At the beginning of the year, I predicted I'd more create consistency and contentment through staying home more. How well did I do? You be the judge.

Sunday Reads: YEAR ONE by Nora Roberts. This apocalyptic read is quite a departure from Nora's usual fare...

Also, an important thing I must tell you before I go:

Saturday nights tights. #myhusbandisagenius #crazycatlady

A post shared by J.T. Ellison 📚🤓 (@thrillerchick) on Dec 30, 2017 at 8:41pm PST

They make sexy tights with kittens on them. You're welcome.

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That's it from me! Y'all stay warm, make a snow angel or two, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Happy New Year's Eve! I hope you've had a blessed holiday season, enjoyed time with family and friends. I know I did. Lots of Christmas cookies, movies (Star Wars was awesome!), rounds of golf, beach walking, reading, and dreaming up plans for 2018. This is one of my favorite times of year. I'm so enjoying the quiet. It helps me reflect on the year that's ending, and allows me to look forward with a clear head.

This week, I've sprinkled a few productivity articles among the fun links. I hope you find all of them useful (I especially love those free word trackers). If you have any productivity tips or goals for 2018, let me know in the comments. I'm a sucker for anything that helps me thrive!

Here's to our last Sunday Smatterings of 2017!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

In praise of JK Rowling and all other Rebel Girls. Bring on the stories of badass women! In a sea of tough dudes and superheroes, little girls deserve to see tough chicks, too. 

Scientists just found the oldest known black hole. It's a monster. This is incredible! I lost half a writing day talking with my father about what's on the other side...
 

2018 Word Trackers are here! Attention, fellow data geeks: If you'd like to count how many words you write this year, use these handy word trackers from Svenja Gosen. They're free, too, though I like to leave a nice fat tip on my way out the door.
 

10 Authors Share the Writing Tools They Can’t Live Without. There are many ways up the creative mountain, and I'm fascinated by how other writers get the job done. I can't help it; my curiosity rivals a cat's. (psst: if you're new to my site and curious as to what I use, I outline my favorite writing tools here)
 

12 Tips from Rare Books Experts to Keep Your Books Looking Great. You know, for the more, ahem, OCD among us.
 

Why A WRINKLE IN TIME will change Hollywood. Great article. I can't wait to see this in theaters. The trailer looks ah-mazing!
 

The solar eclipse burned a crescent wound on a New York woman’s retina. She wasn’t wearing proper glasses. 😳😳😳 
 

12 Literary Cocktails to Pair with Classic Reads. Just in case you need to jazz up all the winter nights of reading by the fire.

Lastly, we lost an icon this weekend. I was heartbroken to hear of Sue Grafton's passing. She was a class act; a generous, kind, and down to earth woman with a spicy sense of humor, and her legacy is more than a phenomenal series of books and trailblazing the way for women mystery and thriller authors. Every writer who shared their remembrances told a similar story: she was good to them. It's the way to leave this world, I think, with the accolades and praise for your spirit as well as your work. RIP, Sue. The alphabet ends in Y.

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And closer to home:

Keep an eye out for my 2017 Annual Review and 2018 Preview, coming out later this week! It's my favorite blog post each year. If you'd like to compare my 2017 predictions with my upcoming results, take a look at my 2016 Annual Review and 2017 Preview.

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That's it from me in 2017! I hope you have a wonderful start to 2018, that you're safe tonight and take care of pets who aren't big fans of fireworks or cold weather. Stay warm, be good, and we'll talk again soon. Happy New Year!

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hey there, chickens, what's shaking? Enjoying the holiday season? I want to wish a very Happy Hanukkah to my friends who are celebrating this week!

Lots of cleaning and straightening and drop-off trips to Goodwill in my neck of the woods this week. The Ellison elves have been clearing the clutter—we had a party on Friday, and we've long needed the extra overflow space for our guests to mingle and play pool (like Taylor!). It took quite a few man/woman hours and four-letter words, but our bonus room has a new lease on life as a proper game room, and I couldn't be more pleased. The best part is we didn't just hide the clutter, we removed it entirely. The end result is a clean, minimalist house with great energy flowing through! 

If I only hadn't overindulged in almond flour macaroons last night...

Without further ado, here are your links.

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:
 

2018 Golden Globes Nominees Are Chock-Full of Literary Adaptations. Which of these have you read? And which stories are you excited to see on screens big and small?
 

16 Literary Gifts For Every Book-Lover In Your Life, Based On Their Myers-Briggs Type. For all of you personality geeks who categorize your friends and loved ones (INJT here! ✋), this list may help you choose your holiday gifts.
 

CBTB Recommends #3: Witty Crime Fiction and Dark Thrillers. I love a good year-end roundup list—they help me stock my TBR for the next year! If you need some book suggestions, stop by Crime by the Book. She's always reading something good.
 

The 50 Best Superhero Movies of All Time. What’s this list say? We desperately need some more female superheroes, in books and on screen. Period.
 

Being Busy Is Killing Our Ability to Think Creatively. Ouch! It's easy to get overloaded, especially this time of year. But we all need to build quiet space in our schedules, time we can calm ourselves and get creative. This is part of my plan for 2018.
 

How I Learned to Make Business Travel More Enjoyable. Being a road warrior is tough. These are tactical suggestions to ease your stress while you're on the move. (hint: it's okay to enjoy the perks - necessary, even!)
 

Chicago Boy, 4, sharing gift of books with others after reading 100 in a day. So precious. May we all set big goals and work hard to achieve them!

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And closer to home:

Sunday Reads: I listened to THE GRAY MAN by Mark Greaney this week. Superbly paced and performed, Mark has ushered in a new spy for our modern age. I loved Court Gentry, an honorable Byronic hero if I've ever met one, and loved the read. 

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Booksworms, Nerds, and Productive People. My favorite books of the year, my favorite tools and trinkets, even my favorite blogs: they're all here and linked for your browsing and shopping pleasure. Hope you enjoy them!

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That's it from me! Listen up for a second: just breathe. This time of year can be so stressful. I know you want to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones and make their experiences the most fun they can possibly be. But... if you can't enjoy them yourself, what's the point? Take a minute to s l o w  d o w n. It will all be fine, okay? No one's judging you but you.

Have a great week, y'all.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Back on deadline go I. My priority at the moment is getting the revision of the new standalone done. As of this moment, you can look for this new book next September. If I get it revised in time, that is. It's title is TEAR ME APART. And oddly, it's already available for pre-order. That freaks me out a bit. I mean, it's NOT READY....

When I start feeling this kind of pressure, I take a deep breath, make myself a nice cup of tea, listen to a podcast or audiobook, pet the kitties, and then, sit back down at the computer and keep on trucking.

I tell Assistant Amy all the time, we aren't curing cancer here. What we do is try to entertain, to enlighten, even sometimes to educate, none of which is life threatening, for us, or for you. Remember that as you move through this month. Blessings abound. Kindness exists. Did you see the video of the man in California saving the baby rabbit from the fires? It shattered me for almost an hour. And the response shattered me again when the internet came alive with recriminations on how he'd condemned the bunny's family to death by interfering with nature. [Update: our hero confirmed the bunny's family followed their matriarch out of the flames...]

This season, be the man who felt so strongly about seeing another's suffering he braved the flames of a massive fire to save a wild rabbit, not the one who attacks this act of kindness. The world will thank you.   

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Crime Fiction novels make excellent travel guides. I completely agree. I've traveled Nashville and DC with Sam, and the entire world with Nicholas. 
 

The 11 Best Holiday Foods In Literature — From Treacle Tarts To Snow Candy. Which one do you want to make?? I pick snow candy.
 

Andy Weir: By the Book. In which Mr. Weir admits he hasn't read a huge book in the sci-fi canon... but, um, he's excused because he's writing fabulous books.
 

17 best debut novels by women in 2017. Stock your TBR and support women writers, y'all! 
 

Wellbeing enhanced more by travel than by objects, study finds. Intriguing. This study says that people are more content when they feel strong emotional pull toward a special place rather than a special object, like photographs or a wedding ring. Do you agree? 
 

Formerly conjoined twins sent home five months after surgery. So amazingly cool! That we have the technology, the doctors, the skill to accomplish this feat is such a blessing. 
 

And of course, the video that left me in a puddle. I have a fondness for wildlife. 

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And closer to home:

Today's Sunday Reads: EVERYTHING WE KEEP by Kerry Lonsdale.  This one kept me on the edge of my seat, whipping through pages until the bitter end. As a matter of fact, I stayed up until 2 in the morning to read. Snatch this one up! And if you're a Kindle Unlimited member, lucky you—you can read it for free.

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That's it from me! Be good to each other, make a small donation to your local animal shelter (in the form of money, towels, newspapers, anything) take a deep breath, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.