Sunday Smatterings

Hi there, chickens! It's time for our first Sunday Smatterings of June, and it's chock-full of links and news, perfect for taking a break today. It's been a busy week at Chez Ellison, with lots of writing and preparing for new releases, but you'll be proud of me -- I snuck off Thursday evening and played a little golf. Well, let's put it this way, I showed up on the course and had fun. The play... well, it's early in the season, right? Plenty of time to get this girl's swing back into shape.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the latest bookish goodness!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Lifehacker Asks The Motivation Expert. An absolutely fantastic shortcut to success from Mel Robbins. You can find a more in-depth version here.

Don't Take Fake Breaks (And Two Nonfiction Books To Frame Your Summer Reading.) Superb advice that will help you feel more settled.
 

Advice To Writers: The Process Begins By Actually Sitting Down. This really is a no-brainer headline, but even I have trouble with this sometimes.  
 

Music City Reads: Six Local Authors You Need To Be Checking Out. Wonderful list of a few Nashville authors in a very special place -- The Contributor, which benefits our homeless, and written by a great guy, local author and educator Zack Barnes. Honored to be included.
 

Lauren Groff: By The Book. How can you not love this? So sassy... (Lauren was a guest on the first season of A WORD ON WORDS, too. Check out her interview here.)
 

The Biggest Psychological Thrillers Coming Out This Summer. I couldn't help myself... Look what made an appearance on BookBub's list! And seriously, what a list -- I can't wait to dive into so many of these...

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And closer to home:

A new book!

For my British, Australian, and Commonwealth readers, I'm exceptionally excited to announce that a brand-new version of NO ONE KNOWS is now available in both digital and print. It's your very own edition, too, and as such, has a slightly different ending. (How's that for a tease?) I did this through Two Tales, so it won't be in your local store, but you can order it online.

Get yours today! Here's the ebook and here's the paperback.

More JT-related bookish goodies, Goodreads has a giveaway for TEAR ME APART. Good luck!

And last, but not least, on my weekly Momentary Lapse of Reason, I discussed how music inspires me, and has for a very long time. I think you might enjoy this insight. 

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That's a wrap! I hope June has gotten off to a wonderful start for you. Here's to a great summer!

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hi there, chickens! Welcome to Sunday Smatterings on this glorious Memorial Day weekend. Let's take a look at the latest bookish!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Enormous Smallness: The Sweet Illustrated Story of e. e. cummings and His Creative Bravery. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
 

Creative Incubation. This hit me hard. It’s so true. Create that space for yourself. Without it, your work will suffer. We all need a room of our own without distraction.

How Things End Ending really is almost harder than beginning. But necessary. You don't want to leave a trail of half-eaten sandwiches around the house... though your mice will love you, your readers won't!
 

Ready Player Productive: On Virtual Reality and Cognitively Demanding Work. Very interesting to consider. There's nothing from Cal Newport that isn't fascinating. 

In an 8-Hour Day, the Average Worker Is Productive for This Many Hours. I know my mental productivity is limited to a solid three hours, mostly in the afternoon. Makes sense the business world should start cutting back.

The Gorgeous Reality of Having People Not Like You. "Caring too much about what others think of you stifles your ability to take risks and disrupts your social satisfaction." Love yourself. The rest will come. It doesn't matter if you're liked. Be true to you.

Marie Kondo Shows How to Tidy Your Office. When’s the last time you cleaned your office? I need to get on this...

What Makes a “Great American Read,” Anyway? The brilliant mind behind NPT's A WORD ON WORDS, Linda Wei, tells us. Have you voted for your favorite yet??

Tiny Luxuries.  Amazing what we can do when we’re mindful.

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And closer to home:

The ebook for ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS (Lt. Taylor Jackson #1) is on sale for $1.99! This a great deal for anyone looking to get lost in a book this holiday weekend.

Revisit Book #1 in J.T. Ellison's heart-racing, fan-favorite Taylor Jackson series!

When a local girl falls prey to a sadistic serial killer, Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her lover, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, find themselves in a joint investigation pursuing a vicious murderer. The Southern Strangler is slaughtering his way through the Southeast, leaving a gruesome memento at each crime scene—the prior victim's severed hand.

Ambitious TV reporter Whitney Connolly is certain the Southern Strangler is her ticket out of Nashville; she's got a scoop that could break the case. She has no idea how close to this story she really is—or what it will cost her.

As the killer spirals out of control, everyone involved must face a horrible truth—that the purest evil is born of private lies.

Download the eBook

KINDLE 
NOOK 
iBOOKS 
KOBO 
GOOGLE PLAY

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That's all for now! I hope you have a wonderful rest of the weekend and that the sun is shining wherever you are. Blessings and deepest thanks to those we've lost. 🇺🇸

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hi there, chickens, welcome to Sunday Smatterings. Lots of bookish items this week, so buckle up, buttercups, let's get reading.

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

The 2018 Summer Reading Guide is here! Some superb titles brought to you by Modern Mrs. Darcy!
 

Sweetbitter Author Stephanie Danler on Bringing Her Book to TV. "When you’re a novelist, you’re really playing God and you’re in total control of the action and the characters. I quickly realized that with screenwriting all you’re doing, really, is creating a document that’s a map for the director and the actors to hopefully find something sort of magical in the moment. It’s not a finished piece of work. It’s not the final say. It’s so fluid." Fascinating.
 

The Silenced Woman and the Psychological Thriller - How to Write A Feminist Thriller From a Male Perspective. Superb, thought-provoking piece by Araminta Hall. I’ve long said we need to rethink victimizing our heroines. This dovetails nicely.
 

Dangers of Not Trusting The Creative Voice. Great advice — though I still think it’s perfectly fine to edit your novel once it’s done.
 

17 Secrets of Audiobook Narrators. Pertinent to think about, now that we at Two Tales have published our first audiobook...
 

Today's New Moon In Taurus Is The Perfect Excuse To Treat Yourself. Change is afoot, peeps. Take advantage!
 

Time Mangement Monday: 3 Reasons You're Procrastinating. Any of these apply to you, chickens?
 

Pick up a cat like a pro. Practical advice. 🐈

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And closer to home:

In case you were under a rock this week, I revealed the cover of my new standalone novel, TEAR ME APART! Confession: This book is unlike any other I have ever written. It’s a very serious family drama, a dark suspense with a Girl, Interrupted vibe, albeit if the girls from the film were grown up. It's about a mother's love, and secrets, and darkness. The tagline, Everyone Has A Dark Side, could not be more perfect. I got chills when I saw it on the cover.

Here's where you can order yours:

Barnes & Noble
Indiebound
Books-A-Million
Indigo
Amazon

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That's it from me. Y'all have a wonderful week, snag some strawberries at the farmer's market, sit on a porch for a spell, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hello, friends, welcome to Sunday...and Happy Mother's Day! As a mother of cats myself, I look forward to a day of being waited on by my fur girls. (Ah... Well, a woman can dream...) 

Settle down and pick up your cuppa. We've got some links to read.

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

I want to be rich, and I'm not sorry. Fabulous piece — I’m right there with you, Jessica Knoll. No apologies needed for being a woman who works hard to achieve financial independence and freedom.

The birth of a book reviewer, by Debbie Haupt. A very cool essay about how a wonderful reviewer got in the game.

Which books made you a reader? These three authors have some surprising answers. I loved this! Including Lisa Ko, who was a guest on A WORD ON WORDS. 

Researchers train spider to jump on command. Can you imagine? Equal parts mystifying and terrifying...

Read the 100 List for PBS' Great American Read. Are your favorites on the list? Mine are!

A heartwarming moment with wild gorillas. Amazing. Can you imagine doing this? The baseball cap escapade made me tear up.

Every library has a story to tell. These three books about library history look super interesting. Could there be a nerdier subject? No. Do I care? Absolutely not.

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And closer to home:

We made an audiobook! If you've been under a rock, you'll be thrilled to hear that the 13 stories from DEAD ENDS have been brought to life in audiobook. They're a killer way to pass the time as you drive, do the dishes, or run in the park (especially running—these stories are creepy as hell...). Our narrator, Courtney Parker, did a PHENOMENAL job, and I think you'll love it!

Click on your favorite retailer to get your copy:

Amazon  |  Audible  |  iTunes  | Libro.fm
 

And my story from this collection, Catwood, is available for sale as a single ebook! Just FYI for you...

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That's it from me! Hope y'all have a great week. And tune into the newsletter Wednesday—I have some big news for you... Wait, you're not on the newsletter? Well, click here and we'll take care of that for you.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Welcome to a beautiful May Sunday, gentle readers.

Grab a hot cup of tea, and kick up your feet. Let's read some good stuff together.

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Advice to Writers: You've Got to Work It Over. Excellent advice from my writing hero Ernest Hemingway.

Go Medieval and Attach a Book to Your Belt. Just go read it. You'll understand...

26 Crime Writing Poets. Oh hell yeah! Did you know poetry was my first love?

Want to earn more as a book author? A male name will help. This story is starting to get old...

Do librarians read all day? Do writers write all day? 🤔

25 Foreign Words and Their Hilarious Meanings. I particularly enjoy #8...

How Fairy Tales Help Us Continue to Think Smarter and Harder. “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”  –Albert Einstein

On Analog Social Media. "The resulting analog social media tended to prove significantly more satisfying and rewarding than the addictive experiences offered through screens by the algorithmic attention economy.

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And closer to home:

You need to listen to this Harlequin Audiobook Sampler. If you love audiobooks, then this will be your jam. Featuring wonderfully told tales written by Mary Kubica, Christina Dodd, Hannah Mary McKinnon, Amy Lloyd, and me! 

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That's it from me! Y'all have a great week, buy some $8 grocery store flowers and put them in a Mason jar, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

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