Sunday Smatterings

Happy Sunday, my lovely chickens! How's it going? It's exciting times here in the Ellison house. This week I had the pleasure of wearing my old, battered, torn, Harvard T-shirt— the T-shirt I wear for a particular special occasion.

Wearing Mah Finishing Shirt 

What's that, you ask? I FINISHED A NEW BOOK!!! ✨🎉🙌😎 My 19th novel. I can hardly believe it. This is the 19th time I've hauled that shirt out of the chest, and it worked again. I admit, it's tradition. This shirt is my lucky charm, seriously. If I'm not wearing it, I simply can't finish! There was much rejoicing and tears and queso post-finish. But. The very next day, I was back at it, editing my 18th novel, LIE TO ME, coming to your hot little hands September 5. 

No rest for the weary, folks. Even when you have the best job in the world.

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Okay, y'all, here's one of the most important things you'll read: fix the internet by writing good stuff and being nice to people. This is a wonderful, thought-provoking clarion call to get away from posts with only 140 characters, hostile trolls, and video ads that play unprovoked (WHY??) and back the days of thoughtful discourse, long blogs, and creative/independently-owned content.

Every time I read a post from Modern Mrs. Darcy (and look at her gorgeous photos), I take a deep breath and sigh. She always has a lovely thought with the pictures to match. This post is no different: 6 mini-resolutions keeping me healthy and happy and sane this spring. (ranunculus! 🌸)

Some food for thought for your money today: 7 Pieces of Financial Advice That Forever Changed My Life (the advice about the car is particularly insightful)

This is what I looked for when I hired #TheKerr: someone who knew different things from me. Together, we have a wider breadth of knowledge and skill set. Win.

If you need a good cry today, I give you 37 of the most heartbreakingly beautiful lines in literature. You're welcome. 😭

And if you need something to pick you up from the depths of sorrow from the previous post, here are a few mistitled books and pitches imagined for them (I mean, who could argue with Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Scone? I'd read that... if it were gluten-free.)

I swear to you, if you saw Jack Kerouac's house in St. Petersburg, FL, you would never believe he lived there (or maybe you would). In any case, it's up for sale—but fans are trying to turn it into a museum.
 

And closer to home:

Gardeners, I need your help! I'm doing something different in the gardening realm this year and would relish your expertise in the comments.

We debuted a new episode of A WORD ON WORDS this week! I talked to local author Robert Hicks about his poignant historical novel, THE ORPHAN MOTHER. 

Did you get the April newsletter this month? No? Sign up here, and get all whole inside scoop: fun news, exclusive contests (newsletter chickens got their own LIE TO ME ARC giveaway this month...), yummy recipes, and all kinds of tomfoolery. You even get a free ebook as a thank-you gift!

That's it from me! Y'all have a nice week, open the windows, put some flowers in a vase, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings (The Kerr Edition)

Hi, friends! It's me, The Kerr. Did you have a good week? It was a bit crazy in our neck of the woods. Between the RITA® nomination for FIELD OF GRAVES and THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE hitting #2 on both the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists, there was much hoopla here in Nashville! Top that off with warmer spring weather, and I'd have to give this week a 10.

Without further ado, here are your links for the week:

What I'm Eating

This week, I'm all about quick, flavorful proteins. Lately, I've been on a roasted chicken thighs kick (because you can get a big pack of boneless/skinless thighs at Costco for very little dough). I preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, sprinkle them with a spice rub, and roast for 40 minutes. Pair it with a salad or green vegetable and boom: instant healthy meal!

Variety is the spice of life, and I like use different spice rubs on my chicken. This week I used Primal Palate BBQ Rub. And whoa!!! Talk about a flavor explosion!

I wouldn't say this chicken tastes like BBQ. In fact, I noticed this rub has 11 herbs and spices . . . if you catch my drift. 

BTW, Primal Palate spices are the bomb. I use the Adobo Seasoning on everything—it's especially good on sautéed veggies (and bonus: these make great gifts for the cook in your life). 
 

What I'm Playing

I love Lady Gaga, and I don't care who knows it. When I need to motivate myself to get up and get moving, I play "Just Dance." Because who can't dance when listening to Lady Gaga!?
 

What I'm Reading

Confession: I'm not into "diet books," but I am trying to be more conscious about what I'm put in my body. This week I'm reading Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf, and I'm finding it pretty fascinating.

Robb talks about why we humans eat and crave food the way we do, and how we can become more conscious eaters who consume foods that our bodies can not only handle, but benefit from.

I've just started it, but I like it so far!
 

What I'm Watching

If, like blood types, we could be categorized with Humor Types, mine would be Tina Fey. On any given lunch break, I am probably watching 30 Rock. Because I am a sucker for smart and goofy physical comedy.

Please go watch it. The end.
 

Dog of the Week

This week's award goes to my greyhound, Crockett, who loves the bed so much that he refuses to leave it . . . even after the bed is made. He is a goofball. 

That's it from me! Go forth and cook some chicken, pat a dog, stop to smell the roses, and we'll chat again soon.

Warmly,
The Kerr

3 Ways an Author Assistant Can Help You Stay Sane

(Written by my own assistant, Amy, otherwise known as "The Kerr." Because nicknames are fun.)

I've had the privilege (and infinite pleasure!) of working with J.T. for two years, and I'd say we have a pretty good relationship. Sure, our Type-A personalities jive (confession: our first bonding moment was a joke about nesting folders—yes, we are nerds). But maybe there's a little more to maintaining a good working relationship than a shared love of hyper-organization.

The "author assistant" job title is still fairly new. In the past ten years, along with the rise social media and brand presence on the Internetz, authors have worn more hats than ever before—honestly, a more appropriate term for author these days would be Chief Content Officer of their own small businesses.

As I discussed the last time I was here, the crux of my job is increase the amount of time J.T. has to write. I've noticed a few ways we author assistants can successfully make that happen.
 

1. Anticipate

I've been in the book business for the better part of a decade, so I'm pretty familiar with the life cycle of a book, from the murky idea stage to the pure ecstasy of holding the finished product in your hands.

But you know what? 

There are a. lot. of. steps. in making a book come to life. So many that it's easy to forget a few, even if you've done it a frillion times.

Publishing is the ultimate plate-spinning job. At any given moment, J.T. is writing a book, editing another, and promoting yet another, so it's crucial we keep all the plates a-spinning, even when we're tired.

How do we do it? We, fellow author assistant, can anticipate.

It's crucial to anticipate every part of the book-making process because books aren't created in a vacuum. Authors, project editors, managing editors, copy editors, proofreaders, production managers, cover artists, printers, shippers, sales people, distributors, store owners: it takes a huge network of folks to pull everything together by release date. Any snag in the process means that someone else down the line is delayed in doing their job, which results in a Lucy-and-Ethel-at-the-Chocolate-Factory kind of moment. 

This is the opposite of what you want in book-making.

And in order to anticipate properly, J.T. and I are constantly referring to our workflows.

Y'all. Workflows have saved my hide more than once. Not even kidding.

When we decided workflows would be part of our lives, J.T. and I sat down and outlined our mosts common tasks: book tasks, weekly business tasks, monthly business tasks. At our staff meeting each week, we review where we are in each workflow and adjust accordingly (they're great accountability tools, for sure).

Workflows ensure we're on the right track. They take the guesswork out of where we need to go. And they help us decide how to pace ourselves and how to fill our calendars so we're not running around with our hair on fire. 
 

2. Delegate

Before I showed up, J.T. did everything by herself: write books, edit books, promote books, schedule interviews, design newsletters, curate social media, coordinate travel, and more. She wrote twelve books doing all the things before she handed off some of it to me.

When did she sleep? I don't know. It still blows my mind.

And J.T. is good at everything—I'm serious. I'm not just saying this because she's going to read it later. She has a Midas-like touch, and she is just good at stuff.

But just because she's good at something doesn't mean she should be doing it.

Delegation is a tricky thing. It takes trust to do it well, and I'm grateful to have hers (again, Type-A girl understands it's not easy to relinquish control). Because in order to make this work, in order for me to have a job, in order for J.T. to have more writing time, she has to let go of some things. I've taken over the design work and the website. I coordinate media inquiries and her appearances.

Would it be easier for J.T. to answer one of those media inquiries herself? Sure. But that could lead her down the rabbit hole of "Oh, this will just take a minute" and an hour later find herself on Wikipedia reading about Vlad the Impaler (Has this happened? I'll never tell...). 

Bottom line: when everyone is clear on what the author's job is and what the assistant's job is, and sticks to it, the machine runs more smoothly.
 

3. (over) Communicate

At some point, you've probably wished for the ability to read minds. (and other times have been grateful no one can!)

Human beings are wired differently, and we've all had different experiences. What's obvious to some wouldn't occur to others in a million years.

The foundation of any good relationship is communication, ensuring both parties are on the same wavelength, and that includes author and author assistant. On a weekly basis, I guarantee J.T. and I will have at least one "Who's on First" moment because someone is only partially explaining what's going on in her head. When this happens, the other will say "USE YOUR WORDS!" as a nicer code for:

For the small things, for the big things, for the things you don't understand, or even for the ones you do—say something. It's better than saying nothing and being confused.  

Or duplicating work. 😑

Or doing the wrong thing. 😡

Your author has limited time. Clearly say what you mean, and outline what you're working on or how to reach a goal. Everyone will thank you.
 

How do you maintain positive relationships, creative or otherwise? Any wisdom to share?

Sunday Smatterings (The Kerr Edition)

Happy Sunday, one and all! It's me, your friendly, neighborhood Kerr.

Did you have a good week? Have you gulped down THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE yet?

How was your week, Amy? Oh my week was fine, thanks for asking. When J.T. is in the zone, working hard on a new book, I get into a groove of my own. It helps to have a boss who believes in Deep Work, and allows me to turn off anything with notifications so I can concentrate for large chunks of time. It's a wonderful way to work, people. Silence is golden, in more ways than one.

I hope all of our Northeastern friends survived Snowpocalypse 2017! I have a friend in Pennsylvania who showed me a photo of his Jeep buried under a snow bank, and I almost cried for him—out of jealousy, because he couldn't go anywhere for days, and wouldn't that be glorious?! (if you're giving me the Stink Eye right now, I don't take it back—I'm an introvert for life).

ANYWAY.
 

What I'm Eating

Remember how I'm ridiculously lazy when it comes to food? Yeah, that didn't magically change this week.

The past few years, I've made an effort to replace refined sugars and starches with vegetables. Don't get me wrong, I love refined sugars and starches . . . vegetables just make me feel better. 

One of my easiest veggie swaps is spaghetti squash for traditional spaghetti noodles, because (a) it's nice to pretend I'm eating noodles and (b) I actually like the way spaghetti squash tastes (it's a bit sweet, which I don't mind in savory dishes).

For a quick meal, I'll preheat my oven to 375, grab a spaghetti squash, poke a bunch of holes in it, then stick it on a sheet pan to bake for 75 minutes. Then I let it cool, take the seeds out, and take the "spaghetti" strands out of the squash. While the squash is cooking, I brown some ground beef or Italian sausage, add a jar of pasta sauce (I like this Tuscan Pepper sauce for a bit of a kick). Combine spaghetti squash and meat sauce, and boom: lazy, healthy dinner.

Lazy healthy eater pro tip: I put down a bed of spinach, then scoop my "pasta" onto it to it because I, like Popeye, feel better when I eat spinach.
 

What I'm Playing

This week, what I'm "playing" is on my iPhone: the Alabama Shakes' album, Sound & Color. The title track especially is . . . wow. Talk about a song with texture. I played on loop for hours as I worked this week, and I didn't get tired of it. Not even once.
 

What I'm Reading

I went on a tear and added a bunch of stuff to my Kindle this week, but I've been too busy to start any of them (thanks, taxes 🙄). 

1. BEFORE THE FALL by Noah Hawley (J.T. freaked out about this book—this is usually a good sign)
2. YOU'LL GROW OUT OF IT by Jessi Klein (supposed to be funny—we'll see)
3. TEXTBOOK AMY KROUSE ROSENTHAL by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (RIP, wonderful lady)

I'll keep you apprised on my progress.
 

What I'm Watching

You guys. I tore through Season 3 of HALT AND CATCH FIRE. Tore. Through. It. As in, the last time we talked, I didn't even know Season 3 was on Netflix yet. 

AMC hardly goes wrong in their original scripted television (except for TURN, which is kind of a snoozefest). Armed with fresh, innovative story ideas, this beautiful network has given us MAD MEN, BREAKING BAD, and television's most-watched show when GAME OF THRONES isn't on (and for good reason), THE WALKING DEAD. All this from a network that, ten years ago, showed old movies and had just started airing a show about an ugly (hahahaha NOT) man named Don Draper.

Back to HACF: if you're nostalgic for the 80s, if you had a Commodore 64, if you remember what it was like to dream a world of technological possibility before such mind-blowing things like the website you're reading right now could have ever existed, if you want to see strong women in the tech world, if you want to see the different kinds of people and personalities that make up a microcosm of the corporate world, if you're a human with a pulse—you want to watch this show. 

Simply put, the story follows four people—a Steve Jobs-like visionary, a brilliant young coder, and two slightly beaten-and-broken-but-still-talented product engineers—as they navigate the burgeoning tech scene in the Silicon Prairie (yes, prairie) of Texas. The set designer and costumers did a brilliant job capturing the 80s details (oh the kitchens—they could be the backdrop of my own childhood memories). The show is fun and poignant and riveting, and begs viewers to ask themselves what the world could look like thirty years from today. Because the world we live in right now is so different than the world of HACF—but also much the same.

Well, folks, that's all I've got for you. I hope your week is warmer, the flowers brighter, and your spirits higher. I'll talk to you soon.

xoxo,
The Kerr

Sunday Smatterings (The Kerr Edition)

Happy Sunday, one and all! Assistant Amy/The Kerr here (J.T. and the rest of the world call me The Kerr, so that's what I'll go by here).

How'd your week go? I don't know what happened, but mind kind of flew by. All of our Bradford pears are blooming now (!), which means spring isn't too far away! I'm excited. But not for humidity. Though I'm not going to focus on that for now.

If you've been under a rock and wondering Where is J.T.?!?!? don't worry, she's okay! She's just taking her annual social media sabbatical for Lent. And she's finishing up a book, which means she's super in the zone, which means you're stuck with me for the next six weeks. But if you've got an important message, let me know and I'll pass it along!

Alright—you're here for links, and I'm here to give you some. My format's a wee bit different than my boss's, so I hope you'll indulge me as I talk about my favorite things.

What I'm Eating

I am a lazy eater. I don't care. If I like something, I like it, and I don't mind eating the same thing over and over again. It's served me well throughout my life (especially as a broke college student—I miss you, college burritos . . . and college metabolism 🌯). 

Since I'm lazy, I usually make a big pot of something at the beginning of the week that becomes my work day lunches. This week, I'm all about this curry from Nom Nom Paleo (but I actually make it with this green curry paste—I like the heat!). I even double the amount of frozen veggies it calls for. It's an easy way to get tons of veggies quickly and easily. And as we know, I do like easy. 

What I'm Playing

I love a good quiz. I also love sitcoms. Ergo, I give you the "Can You Name These 25 Leading Ladies in Comedy since 1975?" quiz.

Sidenote: The Golden Girls is streaming on Hulu now, and I'm going back through the series. It's even funnier than I remembered as a kid . . . probably because I understand all the innuendos that whizzed over my head. 😂

What I'm Reading

Right now, I'm in the middle of Mario Puzo's The Godfather (yes—that Godfather).

Confession: I have a thing for mafia stories. I don't know why. Doesn't matter who they're about or where they're set—if there's some sort of "alternative economy" going on, I am all about it. The Sopranos, The Wire, Narcos: I love them all. I'm trying to savor my time between mafia TV shows, actually, so they last longer—I still have Boardwalk Empire and Ray Donovan on my lists.

I think what fascinates me the most about mafia groups is that the rules of engagement in these stories are super clear—there's a black-and-white world filled with loyalty and lines that you don't cross. Because when you cross them, you (or, at least, the viewer/reader) know exactly what's going to happen, and it's not going to end well. 

ANYWAY. The book is wonderfully written, shock, shock. I'm enjoying myself immensely.

What I'm Watching

You guys. Can we talk about This Is Us? 😭

This show. I haven't seen anything so wonderful on network television since Friday Night Lights. NBC really knows how to make a wonderfully written, emotionally complex drama, and This Is Us doesn't disappoint. There are so many different stories here, so many journeys represented onscreen. Ultimately, they all show us the importance of connection, how beautiful it is to know someone, how we can never really know another person fully, but what a gift it is to see in side their worlds. It shows what happens when we communicate well—and what happens when we don't. 

The details. This show is masterful at evoking emotion from the tiniest details, ones that seem mundane at first, like a split-second shot at cracker-jack-box toys. But in five minutes those toys have a story behind them that'll reduce you to a puddle of tears. Guaranteed.

AND! Perhaps the best thing about the show, perhaps the thing that demonstrates how wonderfully written and moving it is? Everybody is watching this show—and I do mean everybody. College kids. Young moms. PR executives. Hedge fund managers well into their seventies. And these are all people I've met personally. Old, young, male, female—this show resonates with all of them. And right now, I am thankful that there's something that crosses the gulf and unites us. It doesn't matter that it's "just a TV show"—this is the power of art at work, y'all. 

Okay, okay, I'll stop. It's clear I'm head over heels for this show. Give it a chance, just the first episode (the whole thing, mind you), and tell me what you think.
 

Dog of the Week

When it feels too good.. lol 😂

A post shared by Leo Greyhound (@leo.the.greyhound) on Feb 20, 2017 at 10:42am PST

I am a dog person through and though, and I have an especially soft heart for greyhounds. They're the sweetest, goofiest dogs, and I just think they're the bees knees. So this week I bring you one of my favorite InstaGreys, Leo! Someday, I wish I could be as relaxed as he is. 😂

Alright, kids, that's all I've got for you. Enjoy your week, go great The Devil's Triangle (which, as of this writing, is cheaper than the ebook on Amazon at $14.63!!!!), and I'll see you soon!

Warmly,
Amy/The Kerr