3.27.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, Chickens!

Hope you're having a lovely Sunday, and if you're celebrating Easter that it's a happy and blessed day. Are you enjoying the advent of spring? I, for one, am so happy to see budding trees and brilliantly green grass again. Just pumps the life back into you after a long winter.

Also, before we talk links, I have to tell you something:

Thank you so much for all the kind words, reviews, and well wishes for NO ONE KNOWS!

It's truly daunting to send a book out into the world—because after I write it, it's no longer mine. It's yours (as it should be!). It amazes me to see how the words I pour onto the page affect readers in a unique way; nobody reads the same book, really. So I appreciate the feedback; I want to make sure I'm doing my job as the storyteller. 

If you took time to purchase, review (either way! I like to learn from the negative ones, too), Facebook, tweet, or sent anything surrounding the book, I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

Speaking of which: Thunderclap supporters, listen up!

I have a special thank-you gift for you: the original ending to NO ONE KNOWS. If you'd like to read it, email Amy (amy@jtellison.com). She'll send it out in the next couple of weeks, when you've had a chance to read the book. I'll be curious to see what you think!

I'm winding down the my campaign blitz for this book. TONIGHT I'll be on Second Sunday Crime with Libby Hellmann at 6 pm CST, chatting about the book. Listen in! It'll be a fun time!

Also, I do have to share one bit of news: Bookbub named NO ONE KNOWS as one of 10 New Thrillers to Read This Spring, which always makes me so excited!

Alright, would you like some links? Here you go.

 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

There's a lot that goes into titling a book: more than you'd think. Here's an insider scoop on how authors and publishers (finally) land on a book title.

These are 10 foods from literature you can actually make.

And here are 5 tips to lead a happy life.

This is a library. In the shape of a book!

Creativity is not an accident: it's earned. And speaking of creativity: is solitude a key element to its success?

Whole Foods has committed to replace its chickens, bred to gain weight rapidly, with slower-growing breeds by 2024. 

These bookshelves look like Pantone color swatches. I want them. I want them.

These 12 dogs are mesmerized by books, and it is one of the cutest things ever.

These are the best umbrellas for bookworms. 

 

And closer to home:

On the Tao this week, I shared some of the nonfiction pieces I wrote for the release of NO ONE KNOWS. I wrote 1/4 of a novel just about the book itself!

Are you on Instagram? I've been picking up my Instagram game lately, and I really like it as a social medium (pretty pictures! shiny!). If you're on Instagram, you can follow me here. I post both pictures and words (because... I don't know if you know this, but I love words).

That's it from me! Thank you again for all your support, enjoy your Easter, and hopefully some springlike weather, and we'll chat again soon.

Xoxo,
J.T.

3.24.16 - In Which I Talk NO ONE KNOWS with Lots of Fine People

Every author knows that with the birth of a book comes marketing. After all, we have to tell you the book exists so you can read it!

But y'all. I wrote a lot of things for NO ONE KNOWS. Like, a lot. 

Like 20,000 words worth. Like 1/4 of a novel's worth.

And I wrote about all kinds of things! How I wrote a new kind of book. How happy I am we Nashville writers have a "room of our own," so to speak. What my superpower of choice would be and what my favorite TV shows are. The crazy dream that featured both my husband and Harlan Coben that gave me the idea to write NO ONE KNOWS.

I've included snippets from some of the pieces that have run. You can follow the links to read the pieces in their entirety. I hope you enjoy them!

________

From SIBA's Lady Banks newsletter: "The Southern Bookstore"

A few nights ago, I attended a signing at the wonderful Parnassus Books in Nashville. The signing author was Ariel Lawhon, who was launching her brilliant story chronicling the doomed flight of the Hindenburg, Flight of Dreams. As Ariel and I hugged and kissed hello, bookseller extraordinaire Bill Long-Innes smiled benevolently and asked, “Do you guys have a writer tribe? It seems like Nashville authors really make an effort to support one another. I wonder if any other cities have such a tight knit group?”

Ariel and I nodded, because we do have a tribe here in Nashville.

From my Reddit AMA:

If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

Hardest question ever. You have to decide between wanting ultimate knowledge or ultimate power. I think I'd like to be able to control time. It's the one resource I don't seem to ever have enough of.

From Parnassus Books' Musing blog:

And I’m fascinated by choices. I’d like to think I have a pretty steady moral compass, so when someone does something unethical, or criminal, I’m always aghast. And then I want to sit them down and find out why. What drove you to that decision? Was it easier to cheat? Weren’t you worried about how it would look? You weren’t afraid of going to jail? The idea that our society is split in two — law-abiders and criminals — makes novels like mine come to life. I love Nashville as the palette for this kind of story, too. The juxtapositions in this town are fabulous.

From Criminal Element:

Way back in 2010, I had a dream. My husband and I were attending a wedding weekend at the Opryland Hotel. He was with the guys, I was with the girls, and, as such, hopelessly bored—because when I’m not with him, I’m always unsettled. So, I went to find him.

I texted him and said, “Come meet me for a drink.” He didn’t reply, but a waiter came into the bar with a gin and tonic. Knowing it was from him, I smiled and sent another text. He still didn’t reply. When I finished the drink, I got directions to where the boys were meeting. I was worried.

As I stepped outside, Harlan Coben was there.

From Southern Writers Magazine's Suite T blog:

This week sees the release of my very first standalone novel.

When a writer changes gears and moves into new territory, it’s scary, both for the author and for the readers. Will the story hold up? Will it make sense? Will I, the author, get drummed out on my ear when people start to read it? Will the twists work?

All kinds of terrible scenarios come to mind, made worse by this book’s (very) long journey to publication.

And speaking of Southern Writers...

In honor of NO ONE KNOWS, I'm giving away a signed copy of WHAT LIES BEHIND. (so you'll have something to read after you finish NO ONE KNOWS!)

Click here to enter!

3.22.16 - NO ONE KNOWS is on sale today!

Five years to make. ZERO more days to wait!!!

After five years, five titles, and eighteen drafts, I couldn't be more thrilled that NO ONE KNOWS finally gets into your hands today. I hope y'all enjoy it!

Here's where you can get it:
 

Buy the Print Book

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
BOOKS-A-MILLION
INDIEBOUND
SIMON & SCHUSTER

Download the eBook

KINDLE
NOOK
iBOOKS
KOBO
GOOGLE PLAY

Listen to the Audiobook

AUDIBLE
BRILLIANCE

3.20.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hi, y'all!

Both J.T. and Amy here, super stoked and wondering how we finally got to our first big 2016 moment: it's release week for a little book you may have heard us mention once or twice. 

Still stumped? Well...

NO ONE KNOWS comes out this week!!!!!!!

We know, we know: we're a little beside ourselves. We'll be talking about the book quite a lot this week, so apologies for our excitement: between signings and interviews and chats and giveaways, we've been planning all kinds of fun for this week, and we want you guys to know about all the action. Rest assured, we'll return to our regularly scheduled program soon. 

But we're SO glad to share this week (ahem, five years in the making) with you!!!
 

And don't forget: the pre-order contest to win an iPad Mini is still going strong until Monday at 11:59 pm CST. So if you plan to buy the book, go ahead and do it, and send an email to Amy with your proof of purchase to put your hat in the ring.

Alright, alright, you came here for links, and links are what you'll get. So. Without further ado...

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Disney announced they're making a new Indiana Jones movie, slated for a 2019 release, and the Internet had all kinds of feelings about it.

Nashvillians! Have you heard about the newest endeavor of our lovely indie store, Parnassus Books? They just opened a bookmobile called Pegasus (Peggy for short), and it is the cutest thing ever! Wanna find out where Peggy is every day? Follow her Twitter feed!

Fans of The Walking Dead will be excited (or horrified) to hear that Universal Studios is bringing TWD experience to life!

The days of finding a mass market paperback edition of To Kill a Mockingbird (the cheap format used by schools nationwide) are numbered.

It's so satisfying to meet people who love what they do every day. The owner of an Athens, GA, bookstore is one of those people. This is such a great interview! Her enthusiasm is so infectious that we're determined to find our way to this bookstore someday.

Do you have trouble forcing yourself out of bed in the morning? We know: leaving a warm, cozy bed can be the hardest part of the day. But here are some tips on how to wake up—and get up—easier.

Remember Karen Hall's Dark Debts? Everyone in the book world thought this book was the start of Hall's great literary career—but she never wrote another book, only obsessing about Dark Debts' flaws. But Hall just rewrote the book for its 20th anniversary, and the New York Times did a fascinating profile about it.

Here's what your favorite Harry Potter book says about you.

Can drinking wine before bed really help you lose weight!?

These are 27 things every book lover knows to be true.

And closer to home:
 

J.T. blogged about wanting to quit. It's a particularly poignant week for this post, really, considering NO ONE KNOWS took 5 years, 5 titles, and 18 drafts before it became the book you'll get your hands on Tuesday. Never give up, folks.

And if you'd like to say hi to J.T. this week, in person or virtually, head over to the Events page. You can see where she'll be (and, of course, we'll blast it all over Facebook and Twitter, so you're in the know).

Alright, peeps, that's it from us. J.T. is going to end her Lenten fast a bit early (you know, book launch and such), so you'll be hearing from her for the majority of the time from this week on. I (Amy) must say, it's been SO fun to chat and laugh with you guys over the break. J.T.'s right: she really does have the best readers. Thanks for welcoming me so warmly into the fold!

And we'll leave you with this:

Xoxo,
J.T. and Amy

3.17.16 - On Wanting to Quit

“I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over.
Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”

– Kurt Vonnegut

Not too long ago, I saw a writer quit. 

I’ve seen this happen before. And every time, I’m struck to the core, completely aghast.

You can’t help putting yourself in the author’s shoes, wondering what’s driving the decision. Money is always a huge component — if you’re not making money, it’s very hard to justify the time and effort you’re spending, but I don’t know a lot of authors who would stop writing if they weren’t getting paid. It’s part of our souls, something we’re compelled to do.

But for a writer to actually quit — there’s more to it than the living.

Is it fear of success? Of failure? Actual desperation and depression, a cry for help?

I don’t think you can ever fully know the reason a writer — an artist — decides to walk away from their art. It’s a heartbreaking decision, no matter how you cut it, both for the artist and for the fans.

I think the first time I saw a writer publicly quit was my debut year, when an author I followed religiously started to unravel. Here I was, on top of the world, unable to connect with this author’s struggles. I couldn’t imagine wanting to walk away, couldn’t imagine what had happened to spoil this glorious job. 

A decade later, I see the struggle that author was having all too clearly.

I’ve been though my own turmoils. I’ve lost faith in myself, I’ve lost faith in the industry. I too thought about quitting. I got myself stuck in the middle of a huge creative quagmire, when nothing was working and everything I touched seemed to blacken, curl up, and die. It wasn’t a fun time.

That’s when I read Julie Cameron’s THE ARTIST’S WAY and realized how ungracious I was being toward my gift. At the end of the 12 weeks, I’d found my voice again, and had the energy and faith to start over again.

So when I saw my writer friend quit, I reached out immediately. This is part of what I said:

No one, and I mean no one, is a successful author because of either conference attendance OR swag. The only thing that brings success is writing, more and more and more, getting better with each story finished and never giving up. Cultivate readers, not other writers. Treat your writing like the job it is. Invest in yourself: your brain energy, your reading, your awesomeness. Most importantly, get a book called THE ARTIST'S WAY by Julia Cameron. Do the work, religiously. I guarantee you'll feel differently about your career after. I did. And remember, we all go through this.
 

Let me emphasize one point: We all go through this. We do. We lose the forest for the trees and the words turn to muck and we can’t see a path, any path, that allows us to feel like a success.

And that’s okay.

You’re allowed to have fallow times. You’re allowed to walk away for a bit. The seesaw balancing act authors have to do now, coupling the business with the art, takes its toll. Hang up your laptop for a while. Walk away from your story. 

Use the time wisely. Walk. Meditate. Journal. Read. Develop a yoga practice. Volunteer. Adopt a pet. Do The Artist’s Way. But figure out what it is that’s really holding you back.

Be honest with yourself. Honesty is the only path out. Figure out if your expectations of your career are realistic, or if you’re just sitting back waiting for lightning to strike. 

If this is your path, you will find a way back to the page. Remember that everything happens for a reason. You may need to change genres. You may need to change agents. You may need to take more time off. 

But be gentle with yourself.

This is a big decision. And thankfully, it doesn’t have to be final.

In case you’re wondering, both writers I mentioned in this piece are still writing and publishing. They didn’t need to quit.

Like me, they simply needed a break.