Sunday Smatterings

Hello, friends! A fun week has drawn to a close. Toured Chapel Hill with my BFF from high school, took part in a great panel on Villains at the Chapel Hill Library (thanks to Tracy Babiesz, Susan Brown, and my fellow panelists Mary Kubica, Tony Tata, and Grady Hendrix - it was wonderful!) had two dinners with excellent writer friends in two states, spoke on two panels at a writer’s conference in Nashville… and did lots of prep and planning and research for ROL! (Join the Literati if you want to know the title… exclusives, baby!)

And of course — A THOUSAND DOORS is now out into the world! Check out the fun giveaway below…

I’ve been having issues with the blog today, so forgive me if this is truncated. (I wrote a huge expose on the week and it was eaten by the ether, so this one’s a little shorter…)

Let’s take a look at the latest and greatest links!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

7 Expert Tips and Tricks for Organizing Your Home Library. Great suggestions! I’m thinking about bringing my rainbow scheme to the office next…

How to Manage Your Seasonal Depression. One of the best articles I’ve seen on managing SAD, including my favorite trick, upping your Vitamin D intake. 

Hundreds form human chain to move their local bookstore. That's the spirit!

Few things make me happier than a new blog post from my preternaturally talented BFF Ariel Lawhon.

The rise of Lululemon: How America became a nation of yoga pants. Full disclosure, I don’t own any Lululemon after that body image flap, but I do spend 90% of my waking life in yoga pants, and found this fascinating.

The bookshops of Scotland. Anyone else feel the need to plan a visit? Me. Now!

Develop Good Writing Habits with These 5 Effective Tips.  Habits are how you have a career as a writer. Get to it!

The Three Scientific Reasons You Shouldn’t Check Your Notifications. “In the same way that those tobacco companies were at fault for promoting something they knew was bad, social media companies are willingly and knowingly taking advantage of a resource they’ve commodified: our attentions. They’ve made us invested using our emotions. Although many of us know now that it’s bad for us, we’re so far in that it’s hard to get out. None of this is accidental.”

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And closer to home:

A THOUSAND DOORS is now here! In honor of its release, we’re giving away a $100 gift card to Parnassus Books, my hometown bookstore and a wonderful place to shop—either in person or online.

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That's all for now! Start laying in your Thanksgiving supplies, order your holiday cards, gets your kitties some Dr. Pussums magical feline elixir (it’s industrial strength catnip and my girls love it) and I’ll see you next week!

peace and hugs,
J.T.

Happy Release Day, A THOUSAND DOORS!

“Death hath a thousand doors to let out life: I shall find one.”

— Philip Massinger

I saw this quote years ago, and it sparked an idea. Now, over a decade later, you get to see what Massinger wrought in my mind. I found the door, now I bring you the lives… 

I am so thrilled to announce A THOUSAND DOORS: An Anthology of Many Lives is on sale today! 

Get the Paperback

AMAZON 
BARNES & NOBLE 
INDIEBOUND 
BOOKS-A-MILLION

Get the Library Hardcover

AMAZON 
BARNES & NOBLE 
INDIEBOUND 
BOOKS-A-MILLION

Download the eBook

KINDLE 
NOOK 
iBOOKS 
KOBO 
GOOGLE PLAY

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Having this book out in the world is an absolute dream for me. I’ve been harboring this story ever since I saw the quote, about a young woman who is murdered, and as she dies, has the chance to lives all the lives she’d once dreamed of having.

I’ve likened it to Sliding Doors meets The Lovely Bones.

But it wasn’t my usual kind of story, and a very ambitious one at that, so I shelved it until I felt the time was right. I’m so glad I did, because as the years progressed, I realized how incredibly cool it would be if I had help writing Mia’s many lives.

Last year, I recruited some of my favorite writer friends to help me. Look at the amazing list of authors bringing Mia alive:

Kimberly Belle

Laura Benedict

A.F. Brady

Patti Callahan Henry

Paige Crutcher

Rebecca Drake

Heather Gudenkauf

Joy Jordan-Lake

Alisha Klapheke

Ariel Lawhon

Kerry Lonsdale

Catherine McKenzie

Kate Moretti

Lisa Patton

Kaira Rouda

This is the most unique, exciting project I’ve ever had the pleasure to work on. It’s much more than an anthology, this is a novel. Over the course of the story, you are going to meet 16 different variations of Mia Jensen. You are going to journey through her lives, be shocked by her decisions, her actions, her vulnerabilities, her loves, her mistakes. You are going to get to know Mia better than she knows herself.

A THOUSAND DOORS is on sale in hardcover, trade paper, and ebook today, everywhere books are sold. Audio is coming after the first of the year. I hope you’ll talk to your favorite indie booksellers and librarians and ask them to stock the book, too.

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Don’t Take My Word For It… Here’s What The Reviewers Are Saying

“I cannot express how unique, thrilling, and emotional of a ride it was to make my way through A Thousand Doors. The journey that Mia faces from beginning to end was suspenseful, tense, and gripping, and the ending tied everything together in a satisfying manner. Highly recommended to those who are finding the thriller genre a bit stale these days; A Thousand Doors is a breath of fresh air for readers who are feeling stuck in a rut.” –– Chelsea Humphrey, The Suspense Is Thrilling Me

“What makes this book so special is the different courses a person’s life can take and each author’s spin. If you have read each of the contributor’s work previously, you will see each story was ideal for that respective author. Each story is full of humor, intrigue, and suspense and very thought-provoking. Highly-entertaining!” –– Judith Collins, TLC Book Tours  

“A Thousand Doors is unlike any book I’ve ever read...an intriguing concept brought to fruition by an extremely talented and diverse group of women.” –– Susan Peterson, Goodreads

“This is one of those pieces of work that come along and leaves you thinking about every life choice you have ever made. And what would you do if you had the chance for a do over? Each story tells a different path and outcome. I have no idea how all of these authors came together and speak with the same voice. I have never read anything like this and it is just a brilliant idea and body of work.” –– Patricia Romero, Goodreads  

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Here’s the official Jacket Copy

The day Mia Jensen died, she finally got to live…

WHAT IF?

We’ve all played the “what if” game. For Mia Jensen, “what if” is a fact of life. Dissatisfied with her choices, she often dreams about what could have been. Now she has the chance to know. But that knowledge is going to cost her dearly. Only through death can she fully realize the value of her life. 

Forty-year-old Mia Jensen is home after a terrible day, trying to figure out how she’s come to this point in her life, when she hears a strange noise from the kitchen. She investigates, only to be brutally attacked and left for dead. As she dies, she experiences some of the lives that could have been hers had she only made a different choice. 

Can one woman can find peace with the path she’s chosen before it slips through her fingers forever? 

Through the unique voices of New York Times bestsellers and rising stars in women’s fiction, A THOUSAND DOORS examines how our smallest decisions can create lasting effects, and asks the ultimate question—can we actually change our lives? 

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I always have a soundtrack for my books, and A THOUSAND DOORS is no different… except this one was compiled en masse, with each author offering their own song to match their story. Can you guess which song goes to which life?

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Release Week Giveaway

Enter to win a $100 Parnassus Books gift card! This is my hometown bookstore and a wonderful place to shop—either in person or online. Thank you for celebrating with us!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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As you can imagine, a project of this magnitude isn’t undertaken lightly. A great deal of time, effort, and care has gone into this story over the years, as well as putting the book together and getting it into your hands. My deepest thanks to Ariel Lawhon and Laura Benedict for helping me conceptualize and organize, Kim Killion for the beautiful cover art, and Phyllis DeBlanche for her editorial expertise, and the amazing Leigh Kramer for putting together a stunning series of images and PR material that has really helped Mia shine. And of course, without the amazing authors who brought Mia to life, this story would still be rattling around in my brain. Thank you, brilliant sisters of letters. You’ve made this all worthwhile. XO

And as always, thank you for being on this journey with me. 

Now, get thee gone, reader, and buy your copy of A THOUSAND DOORS, STAT! I can’t wait for you to read it!

I leave you with a final question.

Which life would you choose?

Sunday Smatterings

Hello, friends! What a week it’s been. Halloween was uneventful but terribly small this year, which meant Nov 1 was spent digging through the candy bowl, picking out my favorites, until I finally had to package the remainder up and have Randy take it from the house. There’s a reason I don’t keep peanut M&Ms around…

I did a lot of joint writing sessions, which is a lovely break from the solitude I usually work in. Tuesday I did a Scapple demonstration for my friend Victoria, and it helped me shake loose the entire backstory of the book I’m working on. Then Laura came for a mini-writing retreat and oh, my goodness, did we write. I’m finally getting a handle on ROL.

A Thousand Doors comes out TOMORROW… see below for some new information!

And in the most wonderful news category, my parents adopted a kitten this week. She is 5 months old, a gray tabby who has some Bengal in her, and a bundle of purr. Her name is Jazelle… how adorable is that??? Of course now the whole family has kitten lust. The group texts have been a hoot.

And with those furry stars in our eyes, let’s take a look at the latest and greatest links!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

I loved this story about how 'Harry Potter' translators made magic in every language. “In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the diary projection of Tom Riddle writes his full name in the air, and rearranges the letters TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE to become I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. But that anagram only works in English. And so, in German, Voldemort’s alter-ego is named Tom Vorlost Riddle; in France, he’s Tom Elvis Jedusor (with Jedusor in French means “twist of fate); and in Danish, he’s Romeo G. Detlev Jr (the G stands for ‘gåde’ the Danish word for Riddle).”

Pumpkin library bookshelves. This is so cool! Can you imagine the time and effort it took to put this together?

What Happens When Your Crime Library Goes Up In Smoke? I cried when Jeff Abbott lost his house and library in a fire. I cried again reading this it. it is a must-read, and has some truly life-changing tips that we should all follow with our homes. Also, Jeff has turned his considerable skill to the domestic suspense genre and his new book, THE THREE BETHS, is the epitome of what a suspense novel is supposed to be. You’re going to love this!

3 Muralists Making Their Marks on the Walls of Nashville. It’s becoming a “thing” in Nashville to have your photo taken with the angel wings, or the Nashville sign, or multiple other little paints throughout the city. What I love is the murals that are taking over certain areas. It’s always so much fun to turn a corner and see something new.

"Harry Potter" Homecoming Assembly. This is fantastically creative and fun!

Diana Gabaldon on Making the Top 10 on The Great American Read and Season 4 of Outlander It’s no secret I voted for Outlander in The Great American Read. And with it placing #2 behind TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Diana is now America’s best-loved living author, which is pretty much what we all want to be remember for when we sit down to the page.

100 Websites That Shaped the Internet as We Know It. I Can Haz Cheezburgers, anyone?

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And closer to home:

As I mentioned, A THOUSAND DOORS comes out tomorrow!!! Be sure you’re signed up for the newsletter for a special treat…and order your copy now!

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THE SIXTH DAY, the fifth book in the Brit in the FBI series, is coming out in trade paperback and Goodreads has 100 copies up for grabs! Giveaway is US only. The trade paperback will be available everywhere November 13!

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Book two in the Taylor Jackson series, 14, is a Kindle Monthly Deal! Get it for only $2.99.

Synopsis:

Ten victims, each with pale skin and long dark hair. All have been slashed across the throat, the same red lipstick smeared across their lips.In the mid-1980s the Snow White Killer terrorized the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. Then suddenly the murders stopped. A letter from the killer to the police stated that his work was done.

Now four more bodies are found, marked with his fatal signature. The residents of Nashville fear a madman has returned, decades later, to finish his sick fairy tale. Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson believes the killings are the work of a copycat killer who's even more terrifying. For this monster is meticulously honing his craft as he mimics famous serial murders...proving that the past is not to be forgotten.

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That's all for now! It’s going to be a busy week, so I prescribe for you what I’m prescribing for myself: take a walk in the crunchy fall leaves, say at lease one nice thing to a stranger, read a book, and I’ll see you soon!

peace and hugs,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hello, friends! Welcome to another Sunday. It’s a weekend of huge change around Casa Ellison. I’ve started the major renovation of my office. Five of the 6 bookshelves are in (we mis-measured and have to get a slightly smaller one, which will be installed next week.) I have a new rug, a new chair, and my new desk is being made. That won’t come until later in November, so I’m using Randy’s old drafting table as a desk in the meantime.

Change is hard for me. But once I decide I’m going to make a change, it’s full bore ahead. I’ve known I needed to do this in my office for several years, ever since I realized my “office” was pretty but unusable. I worked on the deck, the dining room, the kitchen, the living room. My “office” was scattered everywhere. When we did the redesign of the living room last year, I knew the office would have to be next. But I didn’t want to let go of my desk. Here’s a piece I did the last time I made a change to my office — moving from my very first desk to the set up I’m dismantling, desktop to laptop. Having a laptop does change things considerably. But I want to contain my creativity to the office again. To have a single place to go, so when I leave, I know that I’ve done my work and now it’s time to switch gears.

This will be my third desk during my career. I’m looking forward to it, and all the new things I’m going to create on it. I’ll post pics when it’s all finished.

Time for the latest and greatest links!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

The Snarling Girl. Incredible piece by Elisa Albert. Ambition is so fraught for many of us and this spoke to me deeply. I’ve shared it far and wide with writer friends this week. Some love it, some hate it. Some just curse me because it’s so long. 😆

5 Writing Tips: Barbara Kingsolver. Lessons from masters are always worth looking at.

How to Help People Affected by Hurricane Michael. It’s still bad down in Florida. With our current news cycles, it’s sometimes hard to imagine what these folks are going through.

A Unified Theory of Everything Wrong with the Internet. I have to admit, I have been considering a detox… it’s about time for a wee social media sabbatical. Besides, the Internet is such a distraction! When I’m drafting like this, I need to be totally focused.

Quick fashion tip: spend to your weakness. Superb advice from Anne Bogel. Also, if you’re not listening to Anne’s wonderful podcast, What Should I Read Next, you really should.

What Is Eustress? Yes, Stress Can Be A Good Thing. This is exactly my kind of stress -- it's a positive thing! I spoke at length about it in this month’s newsletter, too.

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And closer to home:

Only one week to go until A THOUSAND DOORS is here! I absolutely can’t wait to get this book into your hands!

Looking at the graphic above… Which life would you choose???

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The Bargains page keeps filling up! We added a few new deals this week but visit the page to make sure you’ve caught them all. I’ve been doing a fun sale on TTP titles through KOBO for Halloween. All prices are matched on Kindle, too…

• THE END GAME, the third book in my Brit in the FBI series with Catherine Coulter, is on sale for $1.99 on Kobo!

• DEAD ENDS: STORIES FROM THE GOTHIC SOUTH is on sale for $2.99 on Kobo!

• My scary novella THE ENDARKENING is on sale for 99 cents at Kobo! Perfect reading for the week of Halloween.

• STORIES OF THE NIGHT is on sale for $1.99 at Kobo! This is a wonderful collection of four shadowy tales.

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I was totally blown away by the news that Kirkus included TEAR ME APART in their 9 Most Thrilling Page-Turners list! It was also one of Bookman Bookwoman's Best Reads for Fall 2018 on Nashville’s News Channel 5.

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That's all for now! Organize your books, declutter a drawer or two, then have a nice, long, quiet afternoon, and I’ll see you next Sunday!

peace and hugs,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Hello, friends! Happy Sunday to ye. It’s finally chilly in Nashville — we had our first fire this week. It was a fun week, kicked off in Charlotte, NC with the WNBA Bibliofeast. I met so many lovely, fun, engaging women who were all such enthusiastic readers. Definitely worth the trip.

Returned home Tuesday in time to collect my parents from the airport. Which means… I took a few days off this week! The past two visits I’ve had with my folks, our time has been eaten up with work, so I closed my laptop for the rest of the week. We saw two movies in the theater: A Star is Born (five enthusiastic thumbs up, Bradley Cooper was awesome and Gaga, well, Gaga is spectacular always) and First Man (a lesser film on all accounts.) Drove all over the mid-state, checking out neighborhoods and leafy trees. Had dinner downtown and watched some movies at home (Black Swan is still so groovy nuts!). It was a nice week. I hate that we don’t live closer.

Though I wasn’t typing, I was thinking. The new book, whose acronym is ROL, is… ahem… rolling along. A conversation with a friend last weekend sparked an idea, and I’ve actually sketched out the epilogue. And I know what the climax is, and the character’s motivations. There’s still a lot I don’t know, but I’m getting very, very excited to dive back in tomorrow.

Without further ado… let’s take a look at the latest and greatest links!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

How to Deal with Plotter's Block (Which Is Worse Than Writer's Block). “Writer’s block, as I see it, is when you have a story but the words aren’t flowing or behaving. Plotter’s block is when you’re itching to write, perhaps you’re already writing — except you have no story.”  Very interesting…

This drone video of what fall looks like in Utah is unreal.

A Dublin janitor wins the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature from the university she cleans. This is lovely! What an amazing accomplishment!

The Very Definition of Overwhelm. A state I exist in perpetually. But I am working on it. I hope this helps you, too.

Since we’re moving into Halloween… 10 villains ruined by way too much story.

New 'Chronicles of Narnia' Adaptation Is Coming to Netflix. And I will be waiting with bated breath — one of my favorite stories!

Imagining your future projects is holding you back. I have so many feels about this... I'm a planner, and I take this to heart.

7 Movies That Got Mental Illness (Mostly) Right. Speaking of watching Black Swan…

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And closer to home: It’s Books, Books, and more Books!

We’re only two weeks away from the release of A THOUSAND DOORS! The response to the advance copies has been remarkable, and I absolutely can’t wait to get it into your hands!

Which life would you choose???

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WHEN SHADOWS FALL, the third book in my Sam Owens series, has a new cover for the digital edition! I absolutely love it. For your enjoyment, this post delves inside the origins of the novel.

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When I first started writing, I never could have imagined my name appearing next to these luminaries. The Suspense on the Edge of Romance Collection includes ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, the first book in my Taylor Jackson series, FLAWLESS by Heather Graham, SAINT’S GATE by Carla Neggers, and THE SECRET SISTER by Brenda Novak. What an amazing deal!

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You know there’s a Bargains page on the website, yes? No? Well, there is, and it is filling up with all sorts of great deals. There’s more coming your way over the next few weeks, so check back often! Here are a few things happening right now:

• Win a copy of TEAR ME APART, plus 50+ Crime Fiction & Thrillers from your favorite bestselling and award-winning authors, plus a brand new Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet!

• THE OMEN DAYS, a Christmas ghost story, is free on Kobo!

• LIE TO ME is part of Barnes & Noble’s 3 For $30 paperback sale!

• 2 NOVELLAS FROM THE TAYLOR JACKSON SERIES is on sale for Kobo for just 99 cents! It’s a must for any fan of the Taylor Jackson series. And if you haven’t read the series yet, this would be a great introduction!

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I had so much fun talking about TEAR ME APART this past weekend at Southern Festival of Books and at Bibliofeast. I hope you’ve had a chance to take a look. Let me know what you think!

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That's all for now! Start planning your Halloween costume (I’ll be going as a writer on deadline, as always), clean out a few drawers, and I’ll see you next Sunday!

peace and hugs,
J.T.