Sunday Smatterings

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Sunday Smatterings 8.27.17

Hey, peeps, happy Sunday! Hope you had a good week. Did you do anything fun?

Lots of quiet time for me, writing and storing up energy for a busy fall. I'm looking forward to traveling to across the country over the next few weeks. I do my best writing on planes, actually, because I have nowhere to go and no immediate distractions – no phone to answer, no kitchen to clean, no errands to run, no kitties to throw mice for. On top of that, I get to say hi to so many of you, for which I'm so grateful! LIE TO ME is about to be born into the world, and y'all are the ones who make it all possible. Thank you, darling readers. Truly.

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

19 Thrillers You May Have Missed This Summer. Stock your TBR lists, people! Winter is coming. You may see some familiar faces here...
 

A Discover of Witches TV Show Announcement. If you've been around the Tao for a while, you know I feel pretty strongly about Deb Harkess (I love her) and her series A Discover of Witches (I love it). So I was tickled pink when Deb announced the TV casting for reluctant witch Diana Bishop and sexy vampire geneticist Matthew. Wonderful choices—especially for Diana! I can't wait to see their performances.
 

A Woman Was Arrested for "Stealing" a Case of Water Bottles and THIS Was Her Husband’s Response. LOLOLOLOL! Priceless. 😂
 

How many of the top 100 crimes novels of the early 20th century have you read? Y'all are pretty prolific readers, so I'm curious. Leave your answer in the comments...
 

Being Busy Is Killing Our Ability to Think Creatively. I'm trying my best to heed these words. Focus takes practice now, which is alarming to me. I've had a lot happening this year, so this is especially salient right now.
 

8 Books to Read If You Loved Broadchurch. After the finale, you may be jonesing for more Hardy and Miller. These may do the trick.
 

20 Literary "Would You Rather"s. Hee! 
 

A WORD ON WORDS with Elizabeth Strout. Did you know Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of OLIVE KITTERIDGE and MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON, did stand-up comedy? My cohost Mary Laura Philpott uncovers all kinds of gems in this episode of A WORD ON WORDS (psst, this kicks off a whole slew of Season 3 episodes! Stay tuned over the next few weeks for some killer all-star guests 🙌). #keepreading

And closer to home:

LIE TO ME is here NEXT WEEK.

so excited about LIE TO ME!!

Needless to say, I can't wait for you to get your hands on it!

Some lovely people have been featuring the book, bloggers you may want to put on your radar if you want some tip-top resources to your TBR pile. Many thanks to:

Haven't pre-ordered your copy yet? No worries.
Find your preferred format and favorite retailer here, and claim yours in a couple of clicks.

pre-order DEAD ENDS, available 9.28.17!

As you know, I have been stocking my indie press, Two Tales, with my own short stories exclusively. But no more! 

On September 28, we are releasing the first Two Tales Press Anthology — DEAD ENDS: Stories from the Gothic South — featuring 13 original stories by 13 incredible authors. It's a themed anthology, too! DEAD ENDS is now available for pre-order in ebook, paperback, and hardcover. I hope you love it—there's some amazing stuff in here for you. Here's the lineup of incredible authors:

  1. Jeff Abbott
  2. Helen Ellis
  3. Patti Callahan Henry
  4. Amanda Stevens
  5. Paige Crutcher
  6. Dana Chamblee Carpenter
  7. Laura Benedict
  8. Bryon Quertermous
  9. Dave White
  10. Lisa Morton
  11. David Bell
  12. J.T. Ellison
  13. Ariel Lawhon

Enjoy, y'all.

That's it from me! Y'all have a great week, enjoy the last vestiges of summer before we plunge into Pumpkin Spice mode, and I'll talk to you again soon.

xo,
J.T.

11.27.16 - Sunday Smatterings

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Sunday Smatterings 11.27.16

Hello, gentle readers! Have you had a nice holiday? Eat lots of yummy things? I hope you have, and that you got to make some memories with the people you love, to celebrate traditions and make new ones. We had a low-key celebration here, followed by a shift at my lovely indie, Parnassus Books, on Small Business Saturday.

Do me a favor and show some love to your local indie, would you? There's nothing like walking into a bookstore, browsing a shelf and finding something new to devour. Lots of work goes into putting that book into your hands, and indie booksellers inject a big dose of love into the mix that you don't get from the click of a mouse.

That's my two cents, anyway.
 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:


My friend Ariel Lawhon is one of the wisest people (and one of the most brilliant writers) I know. Her blog post this week is a must-read for anyone, regardless of age or profession. Simply wonderful advice.

Do you know where wine's from? We at The Wine Vixen didn't guess correctly... and we hadn't heard of the varietals that call the region home. See, chickens—learning lasts a lifetime!

Utterly captivating: "How Jack Reacher Was Built."

Quirk Books imagined a few Twitter rants from literary characters, and they are kind of spot on.

Y'all. Now's the time to sign up for Fresh Fiction's Limited-Edition Christmas box! They're chockfull of goodies every month, fellow bookworm. But there might be a special surprise from yours truly in the Christmas box... just sayin'.

The Oxford English Dictionary named its 2016 Word of the Year. Have you heard of it?

 


And closer to home:


Have you been pinching your pennies waiting for the FIELD OF GRAVES paperback? Your patience is about to be rewarded: it's finally coming out this Tuesday! Go here to snag your FIELD OF GRAVES paperback.

I had the best time with the ladies of XOXO After Dark, chatting about why we can't put down thrillers, road trip snacks, NO ONE KNOWS, and more. It doesn't get much more fun than this. Tune into our conversation while you run, while you laundry, while you're online shopping... whenever!

One of my favorite things to do is to peek behind the curtain, to see how other writers make the magic. In the spirit of the giving season, I've put all my tools on display, the things that make my business chug along. Whether you're a writer, a stay-at-home-mom, or a student looking for some productivity hacks, I've got you covered. My writing software, my research workflow, my favorite notebooks, pens, and pencils—I went full-nerd here. 🤓

 


That's it from me! Enjoy the post-Turkey lull, welcome December with open arms, buy a copy of FIELD OF GRAVES paperback for you and a friend, and we'll talk again soon!

xo,
J.T.