Sunday Smatterings

Sunday Smatterings 12.10.17

Back on deadline go I. My priority at the moment is getting the revision of the new standalone done. As of this moment, you can look for this new book next September. If I get it revised in time, that is. It's title is TEAR ME APART. And oddly, it's already available for pre-order. That freaks me out a bit. I mean, it's NOT READY....

When I start feeling this kind of pressure, I take a deep breath, make myself a nice cup of tea, listen to a podcast or audiobook, pet the kitties, and then, sit back down at the computer and keep on trucking.

I tell Assistant Amy all the time, we aren't curing cancer here. What we do is try to entertain, to enlighten, even sometimes to educate, none of which is life threatening, for us, or for you. Remember that as you move through this month. Blessings abound. Kindness exists. Did you see the video of the man in California saving the baby rabbit from the fires? It shattered me for almost an hour. And the response shattered me again when the internet came alive with recriminations on how he'd condemned the bunny's family to death by interfering with nature. [Update: our hero confirmed the bunny's family followed their matriarch out of the flames...]

This season, be the man who felt so strongly about seeing another's suffering he braved the flames of a massive fire to save a wild rabbit, not the one who attacks this act of kindness. The world will thank you.   


Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Crime Fiction novels make excellent travel guides. I completely agree. I've traveled Nashville and DC with Sam, and the entire world with Nicholas. 
 

The 11 Best Holiday Foods In Literature — From Treacle Tarts To Snow Candy. Which one do you want to make?? I pick snow candy.
 

Andy Weir: By the Book. In which Mr. Weir admits he hasn't read a huge book in the sci-fi canon... but, um, he's excused because he's writing fabulous books.
 

17 best debut novels by women in 2017. Stock your TBR and support women writers, y'all! 
 

Wellbeing enhanced more by travel than by objects, study finds. Intriguing. This study says that people are more content when they feel strong emotional pull toward a special place rather than a special object, like photographs or a wedding ring. Do you agree? 
 

Formerly conjoined twins sent home five months after surgery. So amazingly cool! That we have the technology, the doctors, the skill to accomplish this feat is such a blessing. 
 

And of course, the video that left me in a puddle. I have a fondness for wildlife. 


And closer to home:

Today's Sunday Reads: EVERYTHING WE KEEP by Kerry Lonsdale.  This one kept me on the edge of my seat, whipping through pages until the bitter end. As a matter of fact, I stayed up until 2 in the morning to read. Snatch this one up! And if you're a Kindle Unlimited member, lucky you—you can read it for free.


That's it from me! Be good to each other, make a small donation to your local animal shelter (in the form of money, towels, newspapers, anything) take a deep breath, and we'll talk again soon.

xo,
J.T.

J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of thJoss Walkere literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Her titles have been optioned for television and published in twenty-eight countries.

J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she is hard at work on her next novel.