11.13.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Another Sunday, this one much darker and colder than the last, as fall has finally settled in and (thank heavens) daylight savings is over. I'm not a fan of DST. I must be part bear -- the longer nights and earlier sunsets means I sleep better, get up earlier, and am in general a happier camper. Isn't that odd? 

I spent the week relatively unplugged, working feverishly on the revisions of my new standalone novel. Thursday night I spoke to my alumni association (RMWC, represent!), a fun night dredging up memories of the people who told me I wouldn't ever get published (HA! I say. So there!) but I've been home the remainder of the time typing and petting the cats, so I'm in turns stir crazy and ready to sleep for a week. One fun thing, we have a new title, and a new release date. Ready?

LIE TO ME will appear on shelves September 5, 2017.  

I do have to share one great mistake: 

Typo I just found: She died of a heroine overdose.

And with that, here's what happened on the Internets this week:

 

The quite divine Parnassus Books is celebrating their 5th anniversary. I can hardly believe it's been five years, and I am so honored to call them my home store. Happy Anniversary!

I know we've all done our Meyers-Briggs tests, but I particularly like this site's in-depth analysis. Which one are you? (I'm an INTJ, btw.)

You're not dreaming: turning the clock back an hour takes a toll on your mental health. Here's how.

The answer to many of life's questions is "be more like Beyoncé." Wherever you are on the Beyoncé spectrum, I think you'll agree she does social media the way we probably all should.

Two of my favorite things combined: Harry Potter yoga!!!!!

These giant flip books in the middle of the woods in New Hampshire are mesmerizing.

 

And closer to home:

On the Tao this week, Amy and I came up with 40 things to take your mind off the election (still valid), and I talked about my recent trip to visit my publisher (spoiler alert: click for book news!).

There's still time to enter to win a copy of NO ONE KNOWS, plus 30+ more thrillers + a Kindle Fire!

And Leonard Cohen passed. Hallelujah is one of my favorite songs. So I leave you with the SNL version. That's all I have this week. I love you, I stand with you, and we'll talk again soon.

xoxo,
J.T.

11.10.16 - Toronto on My Mind

Week before last, my agent and I went to Toronto for meetings with my publisher.

It was a very exciting day, with so many takeaways I barely know where to begin. The main focus was on the new standalone, which will be coming your way around Labor Day next year. It was incredibly gratifying to see all the plans for this new novel, touch base with all the folks making it work, Facebook Live, sign books, and eat (and eat, and eat). It was truly a special day all the way around. 

I was very struck by several things.

One, obviously, I am extremely lucky to have the chance to sit down with my publishing team and discuss upcoming book plans.

Two, as the proprietor of my own small indie publishing house, it was incredible to see all the moving parts of a full-strength bonafide publisher at play. From research to marketing to art and social media, seeing the full force of a house in publishing mode was fascinating and gratifying. Makes me very, very happy I don’t have to all this on my own.

And a note about teamwork—I am endlessly grateful to have this team behind me. The players have changed slightly over the years, but I’ve been with MIRA Books for a decade now, and I’ve watched them weather all the recent publishing storms with aplomb, good humor, and an innovative attitude. These people are madly, passionately,  head-over-heels in love with books, and with the authors who create them. I’ve bumped up against people in the industry who take for granted the contribution authors make to the process; Harlequin and MIRA have always made it a point to let their authors know that without us, they don’t work. I’ve always been thrilled to be a MIRA author, I am even more overjoyed to be a part of this team now.

Also, marketing a standalone is very different from marketing a series. The differences were astounding to me, and I learned so much. Honestly, I’m still trying to process it all.

Many years ago, I wrote an essay about the value of face-to-face meetings with the people you’re doing business with, especially your agent and editor.  As a ten-year veteran of the same house, I’ve had the luxury of knowing the folks I work with forever. And I’ve known them so long because I made a special effort to meet them early on. I’m telling you, it is so worth your time and energy to find a conference your people are attending, or make a trip to visit them in their natural habitat. You won’t regret it for a minute. 

So that’s the book report on my exciting trip to Canada! More to come from the standalone front in the coming weeks, especially on the title! In the meantime, #keepwriting and #keepreading!

11.8.16 - 40 Things To Take Your Mind Off the Election

Unsettled, are we? It’s only natural when the entire universe is watching, waiting to see what direction we as a country, and as a world, will take moving forward.

Instead of fretting today, Amy and I offer to you a list of activities to occupy your thoughts:

1. Adopt a cat or dog from your local shelter
2. Eat ice cream
3. Handwrite those thank-you notes that have been stacking up
4. Start on your holiday cards
5. Read a book
6. Buy a book!
7. Gift a book!
8. Make friendship bracelets
9. Add "refollow all my friends" to your To Do list
10. Pour a glass of wine before you refollow all your friends
11. Reorganize your bookshelf
12. Clean your closet
13. Go on a Christmas present-buying rampage
14. Fill that Goodwill giveaway box that you’ve been neglecting
15. Get a manicure and pedicure
16. Rake your neighbor’s leaves
17. Jump in said pile of leaves
18. Check the batteries in your smoke detectors
19. Double check you’ve set all your clocks correctly
20. Laundry. Always laundry
21. Learn Morse code
22. Get a Ham radio (not saying there’s an impending apocalypse…)
23. Binge-watch that show you’ve been waiting for
24. Go for a walk
25. Go to a museum
26. Drink some Limoncello
27. Drink some water
28. Take a quick online Italian lesson and practice on someone
29. French kiss
30. Stare at the sunset. If it’s raining, pretend.
31. Use the word whom properly
32. Learn who Edward Hopper is
33. Look up the names in the Acknowledgements of your favorite author’s latest book
34. Buy all that author's books
35. Go to the library
36. Read "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe aloud in a fake Italian accent. Because why not?
37. Donate $5 to your favorite charity, more if you can
38. Make some coffee, tea, or cocoa in your favorite mug. Shut off the computer, turn off your phone, and enjoy
39. Remember that the world will continue to spin no matter what happens
40. Vote! (ok, so this might have something to do with the election, but we didn't tell you what to vote for—maybe you're judging a Cutest Kitten Contest, because that would be awesome)

It's all going to be okay. Pinkie swear.

Love,
JT and Amy

(P.S. this list was compiled by both of us, one of whom may have had a taste of Limoncello—you wondered about all the Italian references, didn't you?)

11.6.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, darlings. How are you? We're staving off the change-of-seasons sniffles here in the Ellison house, so I've got warm blankets, mugs of tea, and bowlfuls soup on my mind – the chicken stew I mentioned in this month's newsletter seems even more timely than ever. 

Sniffles notwithstanding, I'm in full work mode – I'm putting the final edits to my new standalone, currently titled TEAR ME APART. My editor and I are honing the edges, trying to make this a razor-sharp read for y'all, and I'm really excited with where this is headed. Come next fall, I hope you are too!

Without further ado...
 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:
 

Nerdy Christmas gift alert: these Blackwing pencils. (longer, nerdier post about pencils to come later this week – I know, I know, something for you to look forward to!)

Y'all know I love a good work hack, and this is a good one for all of us: How to use social media and stay productive. 

Did you ever snoop in your sister's diary, or accidentally stumble upon your spouse's journal? The inner voyeur in you might enjoy reading this piece, though all of us can appreciate the beauty of writer May Sarton's insight on solitude and getting through life's darkest times.

Rejoice, English majors: the Oxford University Press has just named Christopher Marlowe as a co-author in their new edition of Shakespeare's collected works.

 

And closer to home:
 

Fellow writers, are you participating in NaNoWriMo? I almost always do. While you're blazing new trails through your story, you might find yourself stumbling on one of the more difficult subjects to write about: a steamy sex scene. I've written about this before, but this week I (along with 4 other brilliant writers) have a snippet of advice in Bustle on how to write about doing the deed, and doing it well.

As we've said time and time again on The Wine Vixen, good wine doesn't have to be expensive. And these five wines from Aldi prove that beautifully.

Also, if you've been under a rock, you might not have heard that the paperback version of NO ONE KNOWS is out!!!!! A little bird told me this would be a great stocking stuffer for a bookworm or a swap gift for a book club.

That's it from me! Y'all enjoy your week (Lord knows it'll be an eventful one), eat some soup, snuggle with a kitty, and I'll talk to you again soon.

xo,
J.T.

11.3.16 - Welcome to November

November.

Not sure how this happened, though for once, I’m not wishing I could turn back the clock on the year. On the contrary, I’m ready for 2016 to be behind me because the Year of No turned into the Year of Go, and I feel like I’ve swum the English Channel in chains.

Don’t get me wrong: having work as an author is a wonderful, glorious thing. I’ve just been a wee bit overwhelmed.

As such, the blog has been neglected, but as we’re nearing the end of the insanity, and things feel like they’re calming down, I’m going to come back with snippets and word counts and affirmations. Sunday Smatterings will stay in it’s slot, and I’m going to blog as the spirit moves me.

So there. To hell with schedules, right?

Now. November is a special month in the writing world—It’s NANOWRIMO, National Novel Writing Month.
 

I’ve written about it many times. The general gist: writers try to write 50,000 words in 30 days. That’s 1666 words a day for those of you keeping score. Yes, that’s the usual output for a professional writer, which is why you see some disdain for this exercise from some, but the idea behind NaNo is much more basic. It’s a chance to throw caution to the wind and try something new. Which I love. My 2nd Taylor novel, 14, was a NaNoWriMo winner. I fully believe in the power of the creative spirit, and with so many creatives engaged, the universe becomes full. 

So NaNo on, peeps. I’ll let you know how I’m doing as well. I have a new standalone I’m a few chapters into and I want a nice big jump on it. It’s called THE LOST ONE, the story is whack, and I’m looking forward to having some fun. Onward! 

Write hard!