Back to work

The first Monday in 2011, and I'm at a loss. After a delicious Internet break, I didn't want to come back. But alas, that is no longer an option. Today has a long list of to dos - starting with my 2010 Annual Review, submitting the proposal for Taylor Jackson #8, getting the winter newsletter together, writing a big fat hairy non-fiction essay for publication, and getting back to this blog. Three things knocked off already, hallelujah! 

I read two books while I was gone - American Gods and How I Became A Famous Novelist. Both are highly recommended. Golf was a struggle, but it was good to get some fresh air.

My week off gave me some time to reflect on what I want from my interactions in cyberspace. I'm really happy with how things are going on Facebook and Twitter, and plan to continue using this blog as the main force of communication to the two fun sites. I hope to write more here: shorter, pithier journals of what's happening with my writing and my world. But mostly, I plan to share the things that make me happy.

Several things have touched me since I got home:

• Friend and fellow scribe Jeff Abbott has started up his blog again. This is a Good Thing.
• Neil Gaiman has dog pictures, and a view of his new Narnia-esque lantern in the woods.
• Louise Penny's blog 17 is a reminder to all of us that we have the strength to overcome anything. We are the light. We are the way.
• And this beautiful wish for 2011 from Neil Gaiman makes me smile:

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

I couldn't agree more.

One last housekeeping item - an informal poll: If you are coming from FB or Twitter, can you weigh in on whether you like the prefix on these new blog announcements to read "New Blog" or "New Tao of JT"? I've added Murderati's feed to my sites, and that one will always say "Today on Murderati", since it's updated daily. I want to be sure to eliminate confusion.

Welcome to 2011, chickadees!

My Wish for 2011: A Smile, Freely Given

Well, hi! Long time no chat! I'm still in the midst of my online vacation, but a little birdie told me I have a new article up on AOL Opinion that I wanted to share with you. It's about what I wish for 2011. And yes, the title is a dead giveaway.

I was inspired by the following quote by  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. I hope it inspires you as well.

"I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de- humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming."

Many thanks to AOL and Red Room for giving me the opportunity to smile at you from afar.

Enjoy!

And here's wishing you the most spectacular of New Year's Eves. Have fun and be safe!

xo,

JT

SWEET LITTLE LIES: a short (short) story collection, is on sale now!

“Sharp. Witty. Shocking. The stories in Sweet Little Lies start with a deadly whisper and end in a high-frequency scream. Ellison takes the tedious banality of our tidy little lives and twists it just so—revealing the terrifying truth inside us all.”           —Laura Benedict, author of Isabella Moon

I've published a number of shorts over the past several years. Four have been anthologized, two appeared in magazines. Some were flash pieces from our dearly departed Flashing in the Gutters and other great ezines and online sites. 

I thought it might be nice to pull all the pieces together into one small collection. And now it's ready for you, in all its digital glory. You can purchase SWEET LITTLE LIES from the following e-tailers:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords*
 

And at $2.99, it's a bargain. Less than a cappuchino!

Wishing you a joyous Happy New Year! And remember not to lie...

*Sweet Little Lies will be coming to the iBookstore and Kobe shortly.

A Warm and Spicy Christmas Break

I received an unexpected gift from my editor yesterday. Time. A whole week of it, as a matter of fact.

I've spent the past four years doing edits over Christmas. It's just the way my schedule works. I've come to accept it, like the sun rising in the east. It's what happens in December. But this year, my editor got slammed with four books at once (granted, this was partially my fault, because I had a two-week extension.) So my edits won't be coming until next week.

Great rejoicing was had by all. This unexpected gift of time means I can actually take my Christmas break. I've spent the past 36 hours aligning the world so I can shut off my computer - I mean really shut it off. No blogs, no Facebook, no Twitter. Just me and my family, celebrating Christmas with some real together time.

I have space in my head to do my goal planning now too, which is lovely. No rushing through the lists this year.

And all that said, there is one post that will come during the break, but it's being pre-scheduled. A short announcement of sorts.

I hope that you will take a few hours off this Christmas too. As my critique partner/wonder twin/sister always says: Read a Book. It's good for you.

Merry, Merry Christmas to all of you, and best wishes for a joyous New Year!!!!!!!

xoxo,

JT

P.S.  A little something to warm your cockles: Hot Spiced Christmas Wine

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• 2 (750 milliliter) bottles red wine
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle white wine
• 1 (3 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, or to taste
• 1/4 cup brandy (optional)

Directions

1. Use a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the oranges in strips, being careful to remove only the orange part, leaving the pith behind. Then, juice the oranges into a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
2. Pour the red wine and white wine into the pot with the orange juice. Place the strips of orange zest, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and brown sugar into the pot with the wine mixture; stir to dissolve the sugar.

Cover and heat over medium-high until heated through, but not boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and heat for an hour or longer to bring all of the flavors together. Adjust the sweetness by adding more brown sugar, as necessary. Strain and serve hot with a splash of brandy, if desired.

Fa-la-la-la-la

Finally. All the Christmas shopping is done. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. The cards, presents and overseas packages have been mailed. All that's left to do is buy cookies for my friends at the post office and bask in the spirit of the holidays.

And what spirit it is. I sometimes think people forget that this is supposed to be a joyous time. For many, it's just a hassle. Things to buy, budgets to stretch. Travel nightmares. Awkward family situations. I count myself among the lucky that I don't have any issues along those lines. My own wackiness aside, that is.

As for me, I can't wait. There will be movies. And cookies. And golf. Maybe a little Internet break. I finished Hamlet's Blackberry this morning, and I'm looking forward to setting some new goals for myself when it comes to my screen time. Nooks don't count, right?

Who am I kidding? There will be work as well. Tons of it, I'm sure. Revisions will be coming out my ears.  

After reading this, I promptly went to the drugstore and bought myself a red lipstick. I've been using lip stain for years, sometimes a little gloss. More often than not, Carmex, or Burt's Bees in Pomegranate, or Yes to Carrots in Melon. But this morning, before I headed out for the great unknown situation at the Post Office on the heaviest mailing day of the year, I thought of Deanna. I threw my hair in a ponytail, put on my dark glasses, and swiped on that red lipstick. And made sure I smiled at everyone I saw.

The line at the post office stretched out the doors.

I didn't care.

Amazing what a little red lipstick will do for you.