Hello, my dears.

I hope today’s missive finds you safe and well! 

My week, in short form: birthday and deadline and quarantine. Birthday was lovely. It’s the first time I’ve been home for my birthday in years. I made my special shredded pork and shredded chicken for tacos, a spicy guacamole, and a chocolate torte cake that we’re still enjoying. DH got me a super cool perpetually heated tea mug, which is the best thing that’s happened since sliced bread, and a percussion massager for my knee that is happily taking the place of physical therapy, which I haven’t been able to do to for months. So we’re warm and loose… not a bad way to march into the second half of your life.

But the important news… I am so, so close to finishing the draft of this book that I laundered my well-worn good luck Harvard T-shirt, and it will be on my body in the next couple of days. Whoo-hoo!

I mean, finishing a draft is where the actual work begins. I made the terrible, awful, no-bueno mistake of trying to edit this book before I finished it, and I’m telling you, never again. You can’t edit a blank page, and you can’t edit an incomplete story. There’s still a ways to go on this, but revising is the fun part. I’m looking forward to it. That’s what I enjoy the most - having finished, and getting to shape the story, get input from my trusted readers (dad and besties) and sending it to my agent and editor for their input. So. Close!

And… as a reward, I get to interview one of my favorite authors on Friday for A Word on Words. Trust me when I say I’m in heaven. Will give you all the deets next weekend. I’m excited to try my new home studio that we’ve been outfitting to be Zoom TV compatible. We’ll see!

How’s everyone holding up? Are you staying home? Tennessee is opening up but I am not planning on taking advantage of that. I fear we’re going to see a big jump in cases over the next couple of weeks. I hope I‘m wrong, I really do. But I’m not convinced it’s time.

Let me know how you’re doing!

So since I’m a little preoccupied...  I give you the links. Onward...

THE LATEST ON THE INTERNET:

5 tricks to help you read when reading feels hard. This is so helpful.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday May 12 as I’ll be chatting with Heather Gudenkauf, Lisa Unger, and Mary Kubica in honor of Heather’s new book THIS IS HOW I LIED. There will be prizes! Details here.

Airbnb’s Book-Inspired Experiences Include Literary Cocktails and Rescue Kitten Storytime. Very cool.

13 Fascinating Literary Adaptations You Can Stream for Free Online. So many good movies!

Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting*. This is a fabulous and important piece—read it and really think about how you want to move forward after this pause.

Baroque Library of Metten Abbey. Beautiful!

Stephen King Is Sorry You Feel Like You're Stuck In A Stephen King Novel. It is eerie though, right?

To each their own: I've been reading more dystopian fiction than ever during the corona crisis. Here's why. "Dystopian fiction is at once an escape from reality and a lesson-learning exercise: what kind of society do we want to emerge from this?"

Poem constructed from emails received during quarantine goes viral. Brilliant.

Fun Hair Accessories to Liven Up Your Looks. Very cute options.

What Shakespeare can — and can't — teach us about Covid-19. "The playwright had left his wife in Stratford upon Avon to raise their three children. Plague quarantines are always easier for some than others.”

THE HERD by Andrea Bartz

What a ride! THE HERD is sharp, smart, and utterly bingeable read. I had zero idea where the mystery was going, and loved sitting back and letting the story unfold, and unfold, and unfold. Complex characters, a dark secrets, topical setting - what's not to like?

What are you reading?

That’s it from me. Deadline looms… I’ll see you next week!

Peace and hugs,
J.T.