Sunday Smatterings

Hello, my dears. Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and Happy Passover to those who celebrate, and blessed Sunday for those who just need some extra blessings today!

It’s hard to feel normal on this normally joyous day. We are surrounded by stories of loss and of joy, and in that, we are really no different than any other time. Everyone suffers from their own disruptions, even when the fabric of society as a whole is affected. The world is a very small place sometimes, isn’t it?

I know my job as a writer is to make sense of the situations we find ourselves in through social commentary, but I’ve been at a loss for how to approach this. So I’ve kept my head down and stayed hard at work. I’ve lost track of time. I’ve lived in messy buns and yoga pants. I’ve tried to limit my news consumption and enjoy all the workouts in my makeshift gym. We’ve taken to sitting in the sun for an hour around lunchtime, and that fresh air and vitamin D has kept my mood up. (And my allergies stirred... I take my temperature every time I sneeze. Such is our lives now.)

It is hard to practice normalcy when the world is on fire. And yet... if we’re not directly affected, our own personal disruption occurring, that is all we can do. I think we—as a country, as a community, as human beings—are not used to sitting on our heels when there is trouble. We are at our best in a crisis, pulling together and finding a path back to life, and liberty, and equality.

And therein lies the problem. Most of us have been sidelined in this particular fight. We are completely dependent on our infrastructure, our grocery clerks, our delivery people, our doctors and community leaders, and that feels very, very uncomfortable. If we can’t serve, we must watch, helpless, and pray for the best possible outcomes.

It’s something to think about, how we’re going to come back to ourselves when this crisis is over. How we will come back together as a community.

This morning, I put on jeans and lip gloss so I could remind myself that this isn’t just another day. But now I’m writing, and that makes it normal.

Is there something you can do today to make your life feel real to you?

As always, onward…

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GOOD GIRLS LIE IS ON SALE!

Great news! For the very first time, the ebook of GOOD GIRLS LIE is on sale for $4.99. What a deal for all the secrets and lies you could ever want…

Get your copy!

KINDLE
NOOK
APPLE BOOKS
KOBO
GOOGLE PLAY

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THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

I interviewed my dear friend and co-introvert Lisa Unger for the latest episode of A WORD ON WORDS. #KeepReading

20 Feel-Good Ebooks Unlikely to Have Long Library Waitlists to Read While Social Distancing. Well, this is handy!

The Book of Reese: How the Morning Show Star Is Blowing Up the Hollywood Boys’ Club. "Reading is one of Witherspoon’s superpowers...She wants to tell stories, and she wants to encourage other people to tell them."

Exciting news for Wunderlist users. Though our favorite app closing up shop (😭), there's a VERY similar new service called Zenkit To Do, and wow, it is a seamless transition so far!

The 18 Best TV Shows for Vicarious Travel Thrills. Awesome shows to stream that will take you away…

Code Name Hélène Is a Masterful Novel About an Unsung World War II Heroine. "World War II heroine Nancy Wake should be so widely celebrated that whole bevies of schoolgirls dress up as this brave member of the French Resistance for Halloween... Lawhon’s novel Code Name Hélène will finally bring her the recognition she deserves." 

From us, for you. Brilliant work from the Rotterdam Philharmonic. I love it!

And with that in mind… skim forward to 8:20. Utterly brilliant. You can thank me later.

My friend Tim Maleey and I appeared on Authors On The Air earlier this week. Such a fun conversation!

10 of the Most Morally Bankrupt Narrators in Fiction. Superb list of dark as sin books.

Read this book then stream the movie. Great idea! There are so many possibilities... what will you try first?

From Farm to Table: The Making of a Folio Edition. Such incredible designs!

And though I promised. COVID free zone, this essay was both fascinating and brings some hope. If a polio vaccine took 15 years to filter to the masses, but we’re going to have a vaccine in 15-18 months, that’s something for which we should all be grateful.

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WHAT I’M READING:

THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett

On a group text this week, one of my friends asked for an audio recommendation. I had to throw in my fave audiobook of the year thus far - Tom Hanks reading THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett. Oh. My. I'm telling you - there is something about his frank narration — and it is frank — that just worked for me. I adore acting in an audiobook read, truly appreciate when the narrator can take on the characters with different voices and inflections (Julia Whelan is one of the best at this, BTW. I will listen to anything she reads.) But Hanx just goes straight at this, and I felt like I was being told a story by a friend sitting across from me at a restaurant table. Seriously brilliant stuff. Do you have a favorite audio book narrator?

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That’s it from me. I’m off to plant some gummy vitamins in some Easter grass. Be safe, be well, and I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hello, my dears. I hope this Sunday finds you safe and well.

The birds are singing. My little magpie cats keep stealing things from my desk and making off with them. The sun is out, and the mailman just drove through the neighborhood. I’m writing. It is just another day.

And yet…

I forget, sometimes, what kind of crisis we’re living through. Isn’t that always the way with acute grief? A loved one dies, and you feel guilty for laughing, or enjoying a meal, or making love. Too soon. Too soon.

Yet time blunts the worst of the grief, and eventually, as the world normalizes again, that probing, intense pain when you touch upon the memory doesn’t make you want to curl up in the closet and cry.

I suppose childbirth is similar. I don’t have children, but I’ve certainly heard my share of stories about the process. We must forget the terror and pain, it must be tempered in some way, or no one would ever have more than one child.

Now that’s a COVID phenomenon I don’t understand. Having been unsuccessful in our attempts at having children, seeing the great universal bemoaning of having children at home now confuses me. I suppose what one person finds a trial another would see as a blessing.  

Anytime I get frustrated, I remind myself that everyone feels exactly the same way. That comforts me. Mostly. Sometimes, there’s nothing that helps except a glass of wine and a bag of emergency M&Ms. And that’s okay. Some days are better than others. We have to honor our feelings, the highs and the lows. 

When I saw the Javits Center was being made into a hospital, it cut me deeply. When they changed it to a military-run COVID hospital, that broke me. A site of such joy, of such excitement in my life, now witness to pain and fear. I do hope there’s some lingering positive energy there to help the patients and healers alike. That our industry, our publishing houses, our bookstores, can weather this incredible storm. 

The new book is chugging along. I had my alpha reader take a look at some pages, and am making adjustments accordingly. Things are flowing; the story is taking on a more cohesive shape. My editor will have plenty to keep her busy, to be sure, but I’m trying to get this as clean and smart as possible before she tackles it. I’m flirting with the 90k mark, and story-wise, I’m in my lead-in to the climax at last. 

And when I look up from writing this, I stop and take a breath. The redbud in the front yard has bloomed. The kittens, having played all morning with a piece of string, are taking a nap in the slanting sunlight. It is quiet now. It is a beautiful day. 

How are you holding up?

Onward, ever onward…

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The third iteration of THE LAST SECOND cleared the tower this week and is now available in mass market paperback form! If you missed this one the first time around, now’s your chance. Jordan would appreciate it muchly.

Get your copy!

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
TARGET
BOOKS-A-MILLION
BOOKSHOP
INDIEBOUND
INDIGO

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THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

Crime Books to Read While You Stay at Home. A wonderful sampler from Crime By The Book.

How to spend the time. Wonderful piece. Our lessons from quarantine are varied, aren’t they?

Wondering What to Write? There’s a Prompt For That. I adore Day One and have used it for years and years. I draft all my nonfiction in it and use it to capture thoughts about new stories, too. Their tagging feature absolutely rocks.

Your April Bookish Horoscope. All your reading needs, built out by your astrological sign. I especially think you Scorpios will enjoy the selection...

Unwind and Unplug with Literary Puzzles. Puzzles are really having a moment. I admit I bought one and am looking forward to diving in.

7 Amazing Livestreams to Watch Right Now. Peace is necessary. These bring it in spades.

On Patti Henry’s Alone Together Tour, Author Marybeth Mayhew Whalen gives some great, grounding journaling tips, which are great for you and your kids.

Explore the wonders of the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition at home. How cool is this?!

14 of the Best Ambience Room Videos for Readers. I’m a big fan of the Ancient Library Room. The cats are, too.

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CODE NAME HÉLÈNE by Ariel Lawhon

I had the great privilege of reading Code Name Hélène early, and I have to tell you, you are going to LOVE this book. Nancy Wake, Aussie expat turned spy in World War II, is one of the most engaging heroines I've ever come across. She is smart, she is sassy, she is bravery personified, and she is utterly brought to life by Ariel's incredible writing and exhaustive research. That The White Mouse is a real person makes this story all the better. If you want to experience genuine courage in the face of true evil, and a compelling love story to boot, trust me, this is the book you want to read this week. I know you'll love it just as much as I did.

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That’s it from me. Give your kids an extra hug, stop for a moment and take a deep breath, toss out some feed for the fat robins getting ready to lay their eggs, and I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hello, my dears.

Four score and seven years ago… I left my house. Actually, I went for a walk yesterday, but you get the gist. I’ve actually been home for a month now. I was at a conference at the end of February with people from Washington, Toronto, and Boston, and since the outbreaks were starting there, I decided to stay home, just in case. Now it’s a month later and I’m. Still. Here. And to be honest, I’m anticipating another month. Eight weeks is a long time, but I have plenty of work to keep me busy.

I do hope you’re well. I know this week has been incredibly difficult for so many of you, and my heart goes out to you, it truly does. If you’re getting too bummed, you know to reach out, yes?

I’m trying for normalcy myself, and that means writing. HER DARK LIES is (finally) getting some real traction here. I anticipate sending some pages to people who read tomorrow. I have several chapters left to write, but things are coming together, finally. It is so strange how every book has its own lifecycle. I came up with the concept of this one almost exactly a year ago. DH took me to dinner to celebrate finishing GOOD GIRLS LIE, and over the course of that evening, we hammered out a new story. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have tried to latch onto another idea so quickly, but there you go. You live, and you learn.

And as it happens, the story has morphed so much that the original concept is practically unrelated, and can be used for another book. Which is cool. 

But sometimes, books just resist. THE COLD ROOM was one of those for me. It simply refused to cooperate. Then, like now, I was experiencing a serious life upheaval, though it was confined to my home, instead of the world. Eventually, I lost myself in the book and was able to use the work to claw my way out of the doldrums. Then its editorial process dragged on, we changed titles, cover directions, everything. In the end, it took 14 months from start to finish. And I released and toured another book in that time period. Crazy.

This one feels much the same, though looking back through my notes, I see that the new concept only started to gel May 6, 2019, and it wasn’t until June 29 that I found my male lead properly. And even then, the story was morphing, and I didn’t truly land the essence of it until December (when I had 67,000 words and had to toss them and go back to the beginning... OUCH). 

In the end, it will be the book written by a thousand cuts. Think of a bubble floating by, how if you poke at it, it pushes off the other way, but if you hit it just right, it pops. Or... okay, I’m wiping my tears away from laughing so hard as I envisioned this, but it is fitting -- think of a million sperm heading to an ovum.  Only one gets in. That’s what happened with this. I had a million tries at it, and finally got one through.

With that earthy vision, I’ll leave you to the links.

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THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

A WORD ON WORDS is back! I had the privilege of interviewing  Ruta Sepetys about her book THE FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE. We had a fantastic time. #KeepReading

Emily St. John Mandel on the Forces That Shaped Her Writing. This is a great interview with one of my favorite writers.

Between Books. “Every day you skip takes six days to make up.“ Isn’t that the truth? Writing is a muscle, and needs regular training to stay in shape. That’s why I want everyone to at least try to work while they’re home.

So Soothing .... Live Video Streams From the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

#read99women. So happy to participate in this amazing challenge from Greer Macallister. You really need this book, too…

My dear friend Patti Henry, whose brand new enhanced paperback version of BECOMING MRS. LEWIS released this week, is one of the many authors whose tour was cancelled, and she came up with a brilliant replacement that benefits her many readers—asking her writer friends for advice on how to manage our new stay-at-home statuses. This is my contribution, with ways to keep your mental health balanced in these stressful times.

You Can Totally Work From Home With These Playlists. Lots of great options out there. What’s your favorite?

When School Gets Sinister: 11 Books That Deliver Suspense in Academia. Love seeing GOOD GIRLS LIE on this list!

Publishers report sales boom in novels about fictional epidemics. Not entirely surprising.

Host a Remote Movie Night With This Handy Netflix Browser Extension. Very cool!

These Women Are The Biggest Book Influencers In 2020. “If there’s one prevailing theme in the literary world right now, it’s that the industry’s most influential members — from behind-the-scenes publicity powerhouses to the biggest authors to prominent critics to podcast hosts to, you know, supermodels — are overwhelmingly women.” 

29 Podcasts For Readers Who Love Mysteries, Thrillers & True Crime. Great list!

In 1899, Arthur Conan Doyle Took Dictation for His Dying Friend’s Mystery Novel. This is a cool story.

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VIRTUAL BOOKSTORE TOUR:

Bookshop is an online bookshop that supports independent bookstores. It’s so easy to use! Much easier than IndieBound so it’s no surprise IndieBound and Bookshop are merging. Use it to treat yourself to one of these amazing titles below… And yes, you’re seeing that top row correctly—THE LAST SECOND mass market paperback is coming out on Tuesday!

CODE NAME HELENE by Ariel Lawon (March 31) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

THE LAST SECOND (A Brit in the FBI #6) by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison (March 31) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by Sarah J. Maas (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

BECOMING MRS. LEWIS (expanded version) by Patti Callahan (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

CUT AND RUN by Allison Brennan (March 31) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

CHOSEN ONES by Veronica Roth (April 7) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

THE CITY WE BECAME by N.K. Jemisin (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

A CONSPIRACY OF WOLVES (Owen Archer #11) by Candace Robb (March 31) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

FAKE TRUTH by Lee Goldberg (April 7) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

THE GLASS HOTEL by Emily St. John Mandel (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

A BEGINNING AT THE END by Mike Chen (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

THE HERD by Andrea Bartz (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

HE STARTED IT by Samantha Downing (April 28) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

A MURDEROUS RELATION (Veronica Speedwell #5) by Deanna Raybourn (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

PRETTY THINGS by Janelle Brown (April 21) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

THE SEA OF LOST GIRLS by Carol Goodman (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

THORN by Intisar Khanani (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

THREE HOURS IN PARIS by Cara Black (April 7) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

THE WIFE STALKER by Liv Constantine (May 28) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

YOU CAN’T CATCH ME by Catherine McKenzie (June 9) (Barnes & Noble | Bookshop)

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That’s it from me. Be safe, be well, and enjoy your enforced time at home! I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hello, my dears. It’s all about the books this week! 

Yes, I know we have a wild crisis on our hands but I did promise you a COVID-free feed, so here’s my attempt. Forgive me if we have some leakage. 

I’ve had a *very* busy week.  Things are happening with HER DARK LIES, and I had to rewrite the synopsis of the book — let me just say, right here, right now, I find writing a synopsis on par with nails on a chalkboard. It is not my bag. I’m good with log lines and quick pithy summaries, but when I have to actually lay out the story in stark black and white, it always looks so blah to me. Plus, so much changes that it sometimes feels pointless. But write the new synopsis I did. 

I also did an essay for my friend Patti Callahan Henry’s newsletter, wrote a script for a PSA (The gist? STAY HOME, for heavens sake), did 1000 words on a secret project, touched base on another secret project, taped the PSA, taped a hello for a bookstore, taped a hello for y’all, had several business calls, wasted too much time trying to upload a video to Instagram, cooked forty thousand times, unloaded the dishwasher fifty thousand times, and folded about two hundred thousand loads of clothes. And kept the cats out of trouble, which believe you me, is not the easiest. Jordan decided to help me tape a PSA video on staying home. Crazy cat.

Clearly, keeping busy helps.

I had one minor meltdown. I’m not much of a crier, it doesn’t really help me feel better. My tears generally come in anger or extreme frustration.  But I had an honest-to-God cry fest for about thirty minutes, called a couple people for comfort, then I gobbled down two Sunday Scary CBD gummies and got back to work. 

Hey, these are damn scary times. Though I’ve seen us rushing headlong to this point—the shutdowns, the quarantines—I don’t know what happens next, and that uncertainty got to me. Sometimes it’s nice to remember I’m human, after all.

So we’re doing something new on the blog this week. Since so many authors are having their new book releases interrupted, we gathered up a lot of them to share with you. There’s been a massive rush to the indie bookstores to help keep them open, and I applaud this effort. ALL bookstores need love right now. I applaud the head of Waterstone’s and B&N James Daunt arguing to the government that books are essential items. They absolutely are. So after the links, you will find a whole section of just released and upcoming books. Go forth, and order!

For the record, these are affiliate links. Any fees I receive through this, I will donate to BINC, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation.

With that, onward!

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THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

When Did Reading Books Become So Competitive? Do you feel like this sometimes? I do. I can’t keep up with all the books and I get frustrated.


A delightful spring recipe for a yummy rosemary orange cake. What better way to spend your time than baking (and freezing) some sweet treats?

20 board games to beat the rainy day blues. Modern Mrs. Darcy people are my kind of people. Games, and puzzles — I am officially ordering a puzzle. Wonder if the cats will stay out of it.

Lionsgate Wins Movie Judy Blume Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Oh, I can't wait - this was one of my favorites!

In which I chat with the divine Meg Tucker bookclub about GOOD GIRLS LIE... This was so much fun! I love Meg’s chats.

Coronavirus Diaries: I Own a Bookstore. I Don’t Know How Much Longer We Can Survive. Support indie bookstores however you can! Ordering online is always an option. More on this below.

Why Are Hardcover Books Published Before Paperbacks? The more you know.

Everything is cancelled, so join us for Stay at Home Book Tour. Love what Anne has put together! We have several of these books listed below, too.

This video of a dog jumping in a big pile of leaves made me so happy, and we all need some happy this week.

The Scottish Play: Why Actors Won’t Call Macbeth by Its Title. Do you think it’s actually cursed or does Eccleston’s explanation make more sense?

5 adorable UK Airbnbs with libraries in for book lovers. Very cool - some travel to look forward to!

Watching ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ with 18,000 teenagers was one of the most profound theater experiences of my career. "This wasn’t just a harnessing of potential young people power; it was a demonstration of theater power."

Why Are So Many Scary Books Set in Maine? It makes sense. (And it’s not just because Stephen King lives there.)

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VIRTUAL BOOKSTORE TOUR:

Ta-da! As promised, here are 15 books that have just released and need some love. I know for a fact that your indies and BN will bring the books curbside, and many are actually delivering. Just remember to hit them with a Clorox wipe or Lysol, just to wipe away any lingering germs.

We’ll have more books next week!

DEACON KING KONG by James McBride (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

DON’T OVERTHINK IT: MAKE EASIER DECISIONS, STOP SECOND-GUESSING, AND BRING MORE JOY TO YOUR LIFE by Anne Bogel (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

FOLLOW ME by Kathleen Barber (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

HIDE AWAY by Jason Pinter (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

MY DARK VANESSA by Kate Elizabeth Russell (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

ALL YOUR TWISTED SECRETS by Diana Urban (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

AMERICAN DAUGHTER: A MEMOIR OF INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA, A MOTHER’S DARK SECRETS, AND A DAUGHTER’S QUEST FOR REDEMPTION by Stephanie Thornton Plymale with Elissa Wald (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

BALANCE 2.0: PREVENTING FALLS WITH EXERCISE by Amanda Sterczyk (Amazon only)

CINDERELLA AND THE GLASS CEILING: AND OTHER FEMINIST FAIRY TALES by Laura Lane and Ellen Haun (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

DARLING ROSE GOLD by Stephanie Wrobel (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

THE BOY FROM THE WOODS by Harlan Coben (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

THE DEEP by Alma Katsu (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

THE JUNE BOYS by Courtney Stevens (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

THE MOUNTAINS SING by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

THE TILT TORN AWAY FROM THE SEASONS by Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers (Barnes & Noble | IndieBound)

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That’s it from me. How are you doing?

Stay safe, stay well, stay well-read, and I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hello, my dears. Welcome to our new normal. Take a breath. This is a hard time, for sure. You’re allowed to be scared and allowed to be upset. Honor those feelings. We’re in an unprecedented situation, but we’re in it together.

I hate to say this, but this is a pretty normal Sunday for me. I’ve had the great blessing of working from home for a long time now, and I’m a natural hermit, so things haven’t changed too much. Yes, I’m paying attention, yes, I’m worried. But I’m also trying to keep to my schedule and let the work sweep away my anxiety. It’s the ultimate self-care.

In my social networking, I’ve always tried to provide a safe place, one that doesn’t stream a regular dose of current events. I’ve managed to keep things focused on the literary side of life through thick and thin for many years. I’ve obviously been sharing my COVID concerns for the past several weeks. But now that everyone is on board, and all the news and social media outlets are going to have wall-to-wall coverage, I’ve decided to return to normal business. My role in this is over. I’m not an expert, and there are plenty of those out here. My job is to write fiction, to tell stories. That’s my job.

Going forward, I’m going to do my best to make this a fear-free zone. I want you to know you can come to the blog and my socials for a respite from the scary news of the world. I’m here for you. I’m not being an ostrich, quite the opposite. I’m making a decision to be mindful about the things that frighten me and derail me, and in so doing, hope that will help you, too. Obviously my social media sabbatical has been blown, but perhaps now I’ll be able to focus.

Books have saved me many times. In happiness and despair, reading has always been my lodestone. Story is my balm, my past time, my lifeblood, and obviously, my life’s work. And so, in these strange times, to books I shall return.  

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The March newsletter went out a few days ago and I revealed the title of my next standalone: HER DARK LIES. One keen-eyed reader alerted me you can now add it to your Want To Read shelf on Goodreads!

I had a chat with the leader of a favorite book club Friday - Meg Tucker Talks - about GOOD GIRLS LIE. Meg asked what was next for me and we talked a bit about HER DARK LIES. I admitted I broke one of my own drafting rules, and I’m paying the price for it. I started revising before the story was finished. Bad, J.T. Bad. 

I always tell people to finish the story before you try to edit the story. I am learning firsthand why that advice is so vital. You can’t edit a blank page, everyone knows that. But you also can’t edit an unfinished story. I don’t mean the kind of topical edits that I do daily as I’m writing, I’m talking about structural changes and story conceits and premises. That way lies madness. (Feel free to insert we always knew you were mad, J.T. here… I don’t mind.🤪)

This week, as I’m still trying to get to the end of the book, I’ve had to go back and unwind a few big mistakes I made early on that are impeding my ability to finish. That includes combining four characters into one. This character has always been an impediment, but I think streamlining her story will help. I might be trying to keep her from stealing the show. That happens sometimes, a secondary character becomes a point of view and boom - the story is suddenly about them. I will keep you updated...

Onward!

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THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

The 20 Books You Need To Read This March. It's a good time to fill up your TBR with some awesome reads! What are you looking forward to?

14 Book-Nook Shelf Inserts That Are The Dopest Thing You'll See All Day. Very cool! I want to get rid of some books to make room…

On the Cover: Jason Pinter by Adam Meyer. So proud of my Killer Year writing brother Jason Pinter!

Covers Got Me in Stitches: Embroidered Book Covers. These cover designs are so creative!

Good Girls Lie: The Boarding School Mystery You Need in Your Life. Very exciting to see this review at Frolic!

My Boyfriend, his Best Friend, and Me: A Love Story. Beautiful and so bittersweet. I’ve bought the book and can’t wait to read it.

Lincoln Book Tower. Very impressive: "A 34-foot-tall stack of books all dedicated to the life and times of the storied 16th president standing in the middle of a spiral staircase. It consists of 6,800 books and stretches three floors high."

Why I Was a People-Pleaser and How I Stopped. Some good insights here... I’m working on it, I promise.

Enter to win 25+ thrillers, including THE LAST SECOND, and a new e-reader. This contest runs through March 18, so enter now.

This Company Helps Luxury Hotels Go Analog to Get Guests to Unplug. Something I would love to pieces whilst on deadline…

My Tireless Quest for the Tubeless Wipe. From the earthier side of life...

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That’s it from me. Take a walk, smell the roses, pet a puppy, and I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.