Daily Tao ☯ 5.17.17

Lousy day for concentration, as I’m sure y’all felt too. I spent most of the morning getting the folks settled. Had a nice trip into town, even treated myself to a rare latte, and came back raring to go. But it was not to be. I needed to do a spot of research, and the next thing I knew, I'd lost an hour.

Here's the thing about research. It creates black holes of interesting information that lead to galaxies far, far away from what you really need for your story. I tucked five or six articles away for future work and dragged my brain back to my current story, only to find it just wasn't happening. I was starting to get mad at myself until I realized I’d somehow disabled my Freedom. Argh! No wonder I was lost in internet space.

What's Freedom? It’s the program I use to keep my Internet turned off so I can’t get distracted, and it really does work. I use it because if I don’t, I really can end up in another galaxy online.

These hours aren’t really lost, if you look at it from the writer’s perspective. You never know what little tidbit, story, or picture will spark an idea that turns into the next novel. But you also have to be careful you don’t spend ALL your time on the “research”.

I’m going to cut myself some slack, since I haven’t really stopped moving for a few weeks now, and I probably need a day off. I’ll be back at it tomorrow with vigor (she says, hopeful!)

In the meantime, for fun, I give you a little something I stumbled across whilst in the black hole… it really is quite literary, if you think about it...

Sweet dreams!

Daily Tao ☯ 5.16.17

Greeting, salutations, and warm hellos from the great mountainous west! Lovely flight out this morning (outside of the dope who kept kicking my chair—worry not, I unleashed my inner librarian on him!)  

I got a lot of work done, and it was fun work. First, transcribing some notes, then dumping scenes onto the page without worrying about where they go or being linear with the story. A big part of my natural resistance is the desire to write in a totally literal fashion, from A to B to C to D. When I’m outlining, though, the only way I can make it work is to dump out all the scenes that are in my head, and THEN try to put them into some semblance of order. So far, so good!

Tomorrow we have to stock up on groceries, because… drumroll please… there is going to be a snowstorm. A BIG storm. The latest Winter Storm Watch has us possibly getting 1-2… FEET. Do you have any idea what kinds of happy dancing I’m doing? 

So tomorrow is stocking up, and tomorrow night it starts to snow, and it’s not supposed to let up until Friday. I’m going to snuggle down in what might just be one a monstrous blizzard, take my cough medicine, drink lots of Earl Grey, and, so long as the power stays on, write my tail off. (Just took my last antibiotic but I'm still coughing, dang it!)

Found out today LIE TO ME is a Buzz Book at BEA, which is totally cool. I'm starting to see the book cover pop up across social media, which is at once exciting and terrifying, because it means it no longer belongs to me, and is now yours, to do with as you will. Love it, hate it, recommend it, burn it... the book is officially out of my hands. (But wow, I hope you love it!)

Sweet dreams, and Go Preds!

Daily Tao ☯ 5.15.17

I’m feeling a wee bit cheetah-ish today. I’ve been going going going since I woke up, and have only now sat down to eat, have a glass of wine, and catch my breath (and do my daily Tao). I had to cancel a dentist appointment this morning, because who wants to lie in the dentist’s chair when you’re not feeling 100 percent? All of my calls and appointments rang long today, and staff with Amy was truncated because there was just too much to cover. But! I capped off the day with a super fun Skype call with a library in New Jersey. There’s really nothing better than talking to book people. What fun!

Why the rush today? Because I’m back on a plane tomorrow afternoon, heading west to see my parents, who I haven’t seen since February. That’s way too long. We talked about me rescheduling, but to be honest, the idea of having some mom and dad time—i.e.: mom and dad taking care of me time—that’s too enticing to pass up. I will get good sleep, good food, and lots of chill time to write. Just what the doctor ordered. I rarely allow myself to be mothered and fathered, but I sense it’s exactly what I need. 

I’m looking forward to the quiet of the flight to really dig in to the new book, too. I love to fly. I love that I have no obligation to talk to anyone, that I can turn inward and focus solely on my words. I get some of my best writing done on planes. Tomorrow, it will be character building and outlining. Maybe a little classical on the headphones to really block out the world. Bliss!

I once heard a (possibly urban legend) story about an author on a desperately close deadline who booked a round trip flight to Australia (or Singapore?), wrote all the way there and all the way back, and met the deadline. Not sure if it's true, but I applaud the sentiment. 

Sweet dreams!

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.

Daily Tao ☯ 5.12.17

Home again, home again, jiggity jig! And let me tell you, I have a couple of very happy cats who’ve been alternately running around in joyful leaps or purring on my lap. Always nice to be wanted, right?

So New York was a monstrous success all the way around. Catherine and I pulled together a solid story and characters for THE BLOOD CABAL. Next week I will take everything we did and put it into a cohesive narrative so we can get this puppy outlined fully. We have the first 6 chapters already set, and wow, this one is so cool! 

Thursday was full from start to finish. Several hours of plotting with CC, then lunch with my publisher and editor at MIRA, which was a blast. I admit, I rather enjoy sitting in a dark wood paneled New York steakhouse plotting world domination. I had a lobster Cobb salad that was divine, too. We are all getting excited for LIE TO ME, and BEA is right around the corner!

I spent part of the afternoon reading a blurb book, then we met up with Catherine for dinner, which was a hoot. Mexican food in New York is interesting, to say the least. I asked for queso and the waiter was confused. Enough said. But the tacos were yummy!

And then we had second dinner with a dear friend who we haven’t seen in months, and that made the trip for us. A long walk back to the hotel, a little blood orange and lemon basil sorbet for dessert, and a well-earned glass of wine topped off a very pleasant evening. I stayed up half the night reading the book I was blurbing—I will absolutely share links when this one comes out. It’s great. 

The flight home was uneventful, happily, outside of the woman who spilled her double vodka on my bag (she was having a VERY bad day). Warm cuddles with the kitties more than made up for that. Tonight, it’s a quick supper party with friends, and then, my dears, I collapse. My doctor (who was my first call upon landing) kindly called in some antibiotics, so this sick puppy should be feeling better in no time. 

Sweet dreams!