Sunday Smatterings

Hello, friends, welcome to Sunday...and Happy Mother's Day! As a mother of cats myself, I look forward to a day of being waited on by my fur girls. (Ah... Well, a woman can dream...) 

Settle down and pick up your cuppa. We've got some links to read.

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

I want to be rich, and I'm not sorry. Fabulous piece — I’m right there with you, Jessica Knoll. No apologies needed for being a woman who works hard to achieve financial independence and freedom.

The birth of a book reviewer, by Debbie Haupt. A very cool essay about how a wonderful reviewer got in the game.

Which books made you a reader? These three authors have some surprising answers. I loved this! Including Lisa Ko, who was a guest on A WORD ON WORDS. 

Researchers train spider to jump on command. Can you imagine? Equal parts mystifying and terrifying...

Read the 100 List for PBS' Great American Read. Are your favorites on the list? Mine are!

A heartwarming moment with wild gorillas. Amazing. Can you imagine doing this? The baseball cap escapade made me tear up.

Every library has a story to tell. These three books about library history look super interesting. Could there be a nerdier subject? No. Do I care? Absolutely not.

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And closer to home:

We made an audiobook! If you've been under a rock, you'll be thrilled to hear that the 13 stories from DEAD ENDS have been brought to life in audiobook. They're a killer way to pass the time as you drive, do the dishes, or run in the park (especially running—these stories are creepy as hell...). Our narrator, Courtney Parker, did a PHENOMENAL job, and I think you'll love it!

Click on your favorite retailer to get your copy:

Amazon  |  Audible  |  iTunes  | Libro.fm
 

And my story from this collection, Catwood, is available for sale as a single ebook! Just FYI for you...

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That's it from me! Hope y'all have a great week. And tune into the newsletter Wednesday—I have some big news for you... Wait, you're not on the newsletter? Well, click here and we'll take care of that for you.

xo,
J.T.

This Is the Home Library I Aspire To

Everything about this is gorgeous: the cherry wood, the huge window, two floors of books. I'd be in heaven, how about you?

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Sunday Smatterings

Welcome to a beautiful May Sunday, gentle readers.

Grab a hot cup of tea, and kick up your feet. Let's read some good stuff together.

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Advice to Writers: You've Got to Work It Over. Excellent advice from my writing hero Ernest Hemingway.

Go Medieval and Attach a Book to Your Belt. Just go read it. You'll understand...

26 Crime Writing Poets. Oh hell yeah! Did you know poetry was my first love?

Want to earn more as a book author? A male name will help. This story is starting to get old...

Do librarians read all day? Do writers write all day? 🤔

25 Foreign Words and Their Hilarious Meanings. I particularly enjoy #8...

How Fairy Tales Help Us Continue to Think Smarter and Harder. “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be very intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”  –Albert Einstein

On Analog Social Media. "The resulting analog social media tended to prove significantly more satisfying and rewarding than the addictive experiences offered through screens by the algorithmic attention economy.

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And closer to home:

You need to listen to this Harlequin Audiobook Sampler. If you love audiobooks, then this will be your jam. Featuring wonderfully told tales written by Mary Kubica, Christina Dodd, Hannah Mary McKinnon, Amy Lloyd, and me! 

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That's it from me! Y'all have a great week, buy some $8 grocery store flowers and put them in a Mason jar, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

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Sunday Smatterings

Hello, chickens, happy Mother's Day! Hope y'all had a good week.

As you may have heard, Catherine and I headed to New York to start writing Brit #5 (it's called THE BLOOD CABAL—how cool is that?). We ate lots of great food, had the best visit with our fabulous publisher, Gallery Books, complete with champagne and cupcakes (honestly, book people are the best). We had a grand ol' time getting into Nicholas and Mike's next adventure, and I can't wait to dive headfirst into fleshing this beauty out. I also managed lunches with my Mira folk, too. LIE TO ME World domination plans continue.

And thanks for all of your well wishes—I'm feeling a bit better after being under the weather all week, though I still sound like Lauren Bacall. Oh well, there are worse things...

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

People Are Adding “And Then The Murders Began” To Famous Book Openings, And It’s Impossible Not To Laugh. This is sheer brilliance.
 

When You're Obsessive. A short ode from The Passive Guy.
 

Digital Detox: Is It Right for You? Y'all know about my annual social media fast around Lent. Sometimes a detox resets your perspective and revamps the way you work. For me, this is nothing short of magical.
 

Smartphones Are the New Cigarettes. Because we all suffer from second-hand tech. We really do.
 

Two Million Stars on the Move. Space is pretty freaking cool.
 

Quiz! Can You Guess the Classic Book by These Extremely Vague Descriptions? Because we all need a Buzzfeed quiz to make us question our intelligence.
 

12 Unforgettable Forests in Literature. Because who doesn't want to escape into the woods sometimes?
 

Libraries We Wouldn't Mind Getting Locked Into. For those who would rather escape into a place with air-conditioning and a bathroom.
 

Some of the Most Amusing—and Mortifying—Messages People Have Sent to the WRONG Number. 😂😂😂

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And closer to home:

A WORD ON WORDS With Helen Ellis. I'm not sure if I've ever laughed more in an interview! Helen Ellis is a powerhouse, y'all, and it's time she become a household name. In our delightful chat, Helen and I talk about living as a Southerner in "the Ultimate North," whether the New York or South is a more sinister place, when it's okay not to be nice, and why Maybelline lipstick may be the world's most frightening fashion accessory. 
 

What I'm Into (May 2017). These are 5 things I'm seriously grooving on this month.
 

Daily Tao ☯ 5.8.17. Don't forget—I'm blogging (nearly) every day! Follow my New York adventures with Catherine, starting with May 8. 

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***Bonus Section: BIG NEWS!***

Bargains! There's a new page on JTEllison.com called Bargains (an original name, I know!), where all sorts of fun goodies will live: free and discounted books, contests of all stripes, etc. We'll let you know when new things pop up on the Bargains page, but check back sometimes to see the loot you can get on a discount.

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That's it from me! Happy Mother's Day to all, especially you who are furbaby mommies like me, enjoy some spring sunshine, take an extra long walk or two, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.