Sunday Smatterings

Happy Sunday, y’all! Grab a cuppa and let’s chat.

I hope your week was wonderful. Mine wasn’t bad at all, I saw two dear friends IRL - in real life, one of them twice! Had a couple of lovely long phone call catch ups, too. The writing is going as well as can be expected for the second half of the second act. I truly believe books hinge on this moment. With all the outlining and planning, it’s what I like to call the push comes to shove moment when the protagonist has to make a choice that changes the course of the remaining story. Problem is, two of my characters made choices I wasn’t expecting. Yeah. To say things blew up is to put it mildly. I went through my seven stages of grief: this sucks; there’s no way I can make the deadline; I should send my editor a note and tell her I’m not going to make it; I might as well bag the whole book, it’s never going to work; I’ll never have a decent idea again; screw dry January, I’m having a glass of wine.

And then… a new possibility opened up. It does take the story in a slightly different direction, but things are working again.

My biggest issue is I know what the end is. I’m trying so hard not to telegraph it, I’ve almost handicapped myself, but I finally feel I’m at the point in the story that it’s okay for the reader to start getting an inkling of what’s happening. Makes my life so much easier. I normally have no idea what’s going to happen until this moment in the book, so it’s been a bit of a slog to try and get here. Had a nice 4k day Thursday and another on Friday, so the crisis is past and things are moving forward. No lamentable emails sent, either!

But yes, that means I didn’t make the whole month for Dry January. But I’ve made so many positive changes to my habits and well-being this month that I’m not fussed about it. I’ve designated the last two weeks wine-only. Good enough.

Onward! Time for the latest links…

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

A WORD ON WORDS is back for Season 4! We’ve already taped a whole slew of shows. Check out my co-host Mary Laura in Writing A Mural with Rebecca Makkai.

The single best thing you can do for your reading life. Shorthand: you don’t have to finish a book if you’re not enjoying it. And trust me, as hard as this is for many, myself included, it does up your reading happens quotient. I probably abandoned 20 books last year.

Hate Your Current Life? Start Waking Up Early. I’m trying... I’m trying... But… I also have been working on an entirely new schedule based on my Wolf Chronotype and my productivity is surging! More on that next week.

Could a Daily Poetry Podcast Save Your Mental Health? “Even if you don’t think you’re interested in poetry, a podcast that asks you to spend a few minutes sitting in thought is good for the mind and the body.”

Back to the Basics. Absolutely fabulous piece. Bullet Journaling has become the “in” thing, and I was so sad to read that some BuJo people have lost sight of what the experience is designed for. It’s a true allegory for how social media can wreck us. If you’re doing it for “them” you will never be happy. Do it for you.

Book Lover Arranges Her Huge Library of Novels Into Imaginative Scenes. Incredible! I especially like her wings.

Want to Know the Greatest Determining Factor of Your Success?  Hint: It's CONSISTENCY. Consistency is the key to life. To determination. To discipline. It’s all you need to become a success if everything you do.

How to Host a Soup Group. Who’s in? Might bring this idea to my supper club.

Build Productive Writing Habits: How to Write More in the Time You Have. "Priorities set the rhythm of your life." Another excellent piece.

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What I’m Reading:

INHERITANCE by Dani Shapiro

This was not the easiest book for me to read, if only for the amount of time spent on the aspects of infertility, but the spirit of it was so beautiful and pure. That Dani was able to write about her experiences at this moment in time, when DNA and ancestry databases are helping to solve crimes and helping families find their truths, it’s true serendipity. I think it will help a lot of people who are searching for their own identities. A must-read.

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That’s it for now. Snuggle your fur babies, start dreaming about summer vacation, buy yourself something nice (and by nice I don’t mean expensive, new pencils are nice!) and I’ll see you next Sunday.

peace and hugs,
J.T.

$1.99 ebook sale: ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, the first book in my Taylor Jackson series, is on sale for $1.99! Check out this heart-racing, fan favorite.

About the book:

When a local girl falls prey to a sadistic serial killer, Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her lover, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, find themselves in a joint investigation pursuing a vicious murderer. The Southern Strangler is slaughtering his way through the Southeast, leaving a gruesome memento at each crime scene—the prior victim's severed hand.

Ambitious TV reporter Whitney Connolly is certain the Southern Strangler is her ticket out of Nashville; she's got a scoop that could break the case. She has no idea how close to this story she really is—or what it will cost her.

As the killer spirals out of control, everyone involved must face a horrible truth—that the purest evil is born of private lies.

Download the eBook

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Sunday Smatterings

Happy Sunday, y’all! I hope today’s Smatterings finds you well. I know many of you are snowed in, and we finally had some nasty weather in Nashvegas, too. A good day to stay inside by the fire, drinking cocoa, reading books, and chasing some cool links!

It was a long week, but a good one. I crossed 50k on the book, finalized pages for my editor to include as an excerpt in the upcoming mass market of LIE TO ME, and have started plotting out what my year looks like.

Thing is, time is ticking away and this deadline is drawing nigh, so I’m trying to get everything else off my plate so all I have to do is think about the book. It’s amazing how hard it is to focus solely on a single project. My mind is always cooking up new ideas, and I have a hard time turning it off.

To that end, today I will be working on my “mental inventory.” I came across this concept on Ryder Carrol’s Bullet Journal blog, and it’s a real help for moments like this, when I need to completely clear my mental plate. I’ve been dumping all extraneous thoughts into my notebooks and journaling app, and once I’ve offloaded everything, I will begin the official “deadline push”. All book, all the time. So bear with me if I’m slow responding to things for the next few weeks.

Oh, also, Ryder’s new book about Bullet Journaling is out. I’ve got it on my list. Even though I’ve been BuJo-ing for several years, I am hearing great things about new tips and tricks in the book itself.

With all the appropriate disclaimers now in place, let’s take a look at the latest links!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

Woman Transforms Rotting Tree In Her Yard Into Charming Neighborhood Library. This is incredible! What a wonderful repurpose of a living entity. It brought me to tears. A few years ago, I had to cut down a river birch in my yard and cried…but my FIL turned bowls for me. Which was lovely, and I still have. Apparently I was a dryad in a past life.

How to read 200 books a year. The irony of this was I found the article on Twitter…but it’s so true. More time spent reading will fill your soul in ways social media won’t.

Holly Black Explains Our Fascination with Faeries. I was so happy to see Holly speak in Nashville last week. She was funny and charming and loves her fans. Her new book is fantastic, too.

The Best Daphne Du Maurier Books. Excellent piece! I added a couple of books to my list from this.

The Most Anticipated Crime Shows of 2019 - Previewing the Best New TV Series of the Year. Which ones are you planning to watch?

Discovery in skeleton's teeth reveals role of Medieval women in art. This is so incredible. The idea that women weren’t artists, writers, etc. is so silly. Nice to see some indisputable truth to dispel the nonsense.

A Love Letter To Books That Tell You How They End. “There’s something very artful and skillful about books that can tell you the ending and still accomplish the suspension of disbelief necessary to keep you pulled into the story.”

How to Keep Your Book Relevant After Its Release. Good things to consider! The publishing industry has shifted exponentially into long tail economics. No book shall be left behind — and that is a VERY good thing!

She says clumsy, I say charming. THE STRANGER INSIDE is coming….

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What I’m Reading:

THE WICKED KING (The Folk Of The Air Book 2) by Holly Black

I had to break out my queens to celebrate the latest installment from Holly Black. You’ll understand when you read it. This story is wonderful, tricky, intense, and without one lagging moment. It’s a superb second book in the series. I can’t wait for next September for the third book!

If you haven’t read it yet, start with THE CRUEL PRINCE and thank me later.

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That’s it for now. I hope this week brings you joy, and peace, and lots of great books. I’ll see you next Sunday.

peace and hugs,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Happy Sunday, y’all! I hope your weekend is going well. Saw a favorite author Friday at Parnassus (Holly Black), and had a lovely dinner with Assistant Leigh, and now I’m playing catch-up after a busy week juggling multiple projects. My 2019 reading has gotten off to a glorious start, but the writing isn’t as smooth. I’ve been laying down words, just not in the morning like I want. I’ve had my brain on too many things. That’s the way it goes sometimes when you make changes at the beginning of the month. I’ve discovered the lovely new notebook might be better for journaling and my Habana bullet journal feels more comfortable for daily tasks and to dos and meeting notes. I’ve got them both on my desk now, and I’ll figure it out AFTER the draft is done.

I know myself well enough to recognize when to back away from something that’s causing trouble. It’s hard to make such a big shift whilst trying to draft a book. This is the traditional moment in January when new habits fall to the wayside, so I hate to be a cliche. I am still going strong on Dry January. I haven’t done as well with writing in the morning, working in the afternoon, but that will shift this week, I hope!

It’s amazing how we try to build new habits, but our brains have such muscle memory that it’s hard to make too many changes at once. Plasticity in neuroscience is a relatively new discovery, so maybe I can give myself a wee break. So long as the words get done, that’s all that matters. Doing them in an ideal manner, that’s where the new habits come in.

Oh, and we watched Avengers: Infinity War at last. I loved seeing the Marvel multi-verse come together, and can’t wait to see what they cook up next. Very cool.

Let’s take a look at the latest links!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

The Real Book Spy’s 2019 Reading Guide: Every Thriller We Know About So Far. Ryan has put together quite an extensive list ! So great to see THE LAST SECOND (3/26/19) and GOOD GIRLS LIE (9/3/19) there.

Independent bookstores are growing — and Instagram helped. “There’s also a thriving — and growing — community of book lovers on Instagram who use the platform to share their love of reading, connect with other bookworms, and support their local independent stores.” Trust me when I say my book list is growing…

I'm still terrible at yoga, 14 years after I started – so what's got me hooked? I loved this piece, mostly because I, too, am not the best at my practice. Physical limitations (I have 3 screws in my left shoulder) mean there are certain poses I will never be able to do, and I modify a ton more. Chaturanga will always be a bitch. But it’s a great lesson – you don’t have to be good to do yoga. You don’t have to be flexible. Athletic. Bendy. It’s about showing up. It’s about moving your body. It’s about connecting with yourself. That’s the hardest part of all, and the reason people quit. Not because of the physical stuff.

Winter Horoscopes for Writers. LOVE. Everything this says about my sign (I’m a Taurus) feels right on. My husband as well. What does it say for you?

Digital Fads Like the ‘Twinning’ App Are Almost Always Bad for Your Privacy.  “The Popsugar leak should also serve as a reminder that there’s always a risk involved when you share information online, even with a brand you know for a fun, care-free purpose.”

How to Configure Your iPhone to Work for You, Not Against You. This goes into the how but also the why. A thorough guide!

9 Podcasts That Are Basically A Book Club You Can Enjoy At Home By Yourself. Awesome stuff here!!!I need to extend my listening day dramatically. I wish I could listen and write at the same time!

Here's How Much it Would Cost to Build Hogwarts in Real Life. Let’s just nip down to the bank for a loan, shall we?

New light sculpture by Design Bridge and Gali May Lucas highlights our obsession with staring at screens. This was both illuminating (see what I did there?) and sad. It’s what I see every time I’m out at night, and it breaks my heart. I know we all need an instant line in to our world, but it’s also really cool to see people NOT checking their phones. I admit I always take note of the diners around me to see if they’re on their phones or not.

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What I’m Reading:

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

This book spoke to me on a number of levels. I grew up in the mountains, well away from the nearest town, and understand the joy and pain of isolation. But… that’s where our similarities end.

This is a fascinating look at the lengths some people have to go to in order to become educated. Beautifully written, Tara Westover has a lovely command of language. Heartbreaking, inspiring, and frighteningly real. Have you read this yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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That’s it for now. Find a new author to binge on (may I suggest Holly Black?), send someone you haven’t talked to in a while a note, buy yourself a yoga mat and check out Yoga with Adriene on YouTube, I’ll see you next Sunday.

peace and hugs,
J.T.

Sunday Smatterings

Happy New Year and happy first Smatterings of 2019! I come to you today from Desk Central - people, I tell you, a good desk makes ALL the difference. I love it. I love having a single spot where all my work is happening (the office itself.) I love being able to slap down my notebook and write daily pages. I love the sense that this is my place, that when I enter the room, my creativity starts now. I’ve even been writing on the manuscript at the desk on the big computer instead of my laptop, which isn’t my usual MO. Change is good.

Speaking of change… I finished and posted the 2018 Annual Review Wednesday! It was a bear to get started, mostly because I was worried about revisiting some of the lows from the year, but in the end, I was able to chart some major positive changes from my year.

2019 is my Year of Joy, and I’ll tell you, I’m feeling very joyful right now. Be it this new desk, a fresh slate on the year, a new notebook, a haircut, being home with my kittens and a rainy Saturday of reading ahead, I don’t know, but I’ll take every ounce of happiness and joy I can get.

You’ve heard the phrase we make our own luck? I think we make our own joy, too.

What’s the one thing that will make you joyful today? Find it. See if it makes a difference in your week.

Oh, by the way, I’ll be on the ITW Thriller Roundtable this week discussing goal setting, should you want to follow along.

Now, on to the latest links!

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Here's what happened on the Internets this week: 

Ideas for Making and Reaching Your New Year’s Reading Resolutions. Great tips! I’m not much for resolutions, because I always break them, but more in tune with the overarching sense of making a difference long-term.

Why you should surround yourself with more books than you’ll ever have time to read. “Your overstuffed library isn’t a sign of failure or ignorance, it’s a badge of honor.” Amen. I’m prepared for the zombie apocalypse. Just in case.

This Is The Best Time Of Day To Clean. Listen to the monk! One of the best bits of advice I’ve ever heard - wash your bowl. When you’re done eating, wash your bowl. When you’re done with something, put it back in its place. This keeps the house tidy, and makes your day start off right.

Join Analog Social Media. An excellent resolution! In person interaction with people you want to engage with helps up the joy factor ten-fold.

Book Clubs Are Thriving In The Internet Era. I was just thinking about this today - every morning I receive so many emails from different sources talking about books. There is no shortage of material to discuss. Also, see analog social media, above.

5 Slightly Ridiculous Unsolved Mysteries of the Harry Potter Series. What fun! Though I will posit an answer to #2 - Dumbledore’s London Underground scar — he and Harry do end up in a version of King’s Cross Station…

The Big Thrill has a great interview about A THOUSAND DOORS. I’m so grateful to have the book featured in The Big Thrill! Have you read A THOUSAND DOORS yet?

Shiffrin Extends Winning Streak and Clinches 50th World Cup Victory. TEAR ME APART’s Mindy in action, ladies and gents! Mindy was based on Lindsey Vonn and Michaela is mentioned in the book!

Everyone Should Have a Winter Cooking Goal. What dish do you want to tackle? I want to master Coq au Vin!

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What I’m Reading:

DAISY JONES AND THE SIX
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

If you like music, you will LOVE this book about a tempestuous young singer and the band who launched her to stardom. The structure and multiple POVs give it the feel of a Rolling Stone interview. Very unique, very well written, and so good I immediately went to the store and grabbed THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO. Taylor Jenkins Reid is that good. (Available March 5, 2019.)

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That’s it for now. Pick your joy, make it happen, and find some time to see a friend in person this week. You’ll feel better for it! I’ll see you next Sunday.

peace and hugs,
J.T.