It’s Friday, and you know what that means. Grab a cuppa, and let’s talk about what we’re reading!
It’s not only Friday but indie bookstore weekend!!! I highly encourage you to visit your local indie tomorrow and show your support — and if you can’t make it to them, give the closest a call. They will be happy to pre-order a certain big pink book for you (wink wink, nod nod 😜)
People, it has been a week. Every once in a while, I feel like those professors in the movies whose hair is sticking out in all directions, and they’re standing in their offices, staring at the stacks of books and piles of papers befuddled. I look at them and say — I see you, nutty professor, and I up your overwhelmed befuddlement with three doses of you missed a stack and what in the hell is happening in the world.
Yes. I got overwhelmed earlier this week. It happens. While I’d like to pretend I’m only writing my novel (hello, editor dear, if you’re reading, that *is* all I’m doing, nothing to see here) but there are some weeks that are the perfect storm, and that was the first half of this week. Short story edits, newsletters, blogs, blurb books, Joss stuff, backlist titles (boy do I have a fun surprise coming for YOU!) scandals (I pulled out in January) and debates(I disagree with this thesis)… there’s just not been enough time in the day. The stress gave me a happy little flare, so I lurched around for a couple of days, but that’s better. Might have been the cheese, who knows. The upside of the cheese: learned how to make asparagus properly at last, so que sera sera. (It’s the blanching…) Adding it to a Parmesan cream sauce… delightful.
Anyway. The good news is, the book is working!!! I made a bunch of changes and the next thing you know…words. Creepy, dark words. I am over the moon. I wrote all weekend, and it all finally started gelling. Got back to it in full force yesterday, and it’s been a great writing week.
I am reading an absolute blast of a book, SPLINTER EFFECT by Andrew Ludington. This is a rollicking adventure featuring a chrono-archeologist who is tasked with going back in time to save a famed menorah from ancient Rome. It is brilliant, has tons of historical context, a really cool sci-fi aspects with the time travel, and the main character, Rabbit, is really fun. And he has a nemesis, of course, a woman in the same field who keeps beating him to the goods. Combo quest, action, sci-fi, and I suspect a partnership is forming? Great book. If you like Indiana Jones, you’ll love this.
Next up is FIND ME IN CALIFORNIA by Kerry Lonsdale. I’ve been a huge fan of her work from day one, and I am so excited to have an advance copy of her latest! Kerry’s books have such soul, they are immersive character studies with gorgeous settings. One of my faves.
Hiding underneath the stack of books to my left is…drumroll please… a galley of Ruth Ware’s newest, ONE PERFECT COUPLE. I can’t tell you how loudly I cheered when I opened the package. Y’all know I’m a huge fan, and I’m super excited to chat with her again when she comes through Nashville for book tour in May! We had a blast last year.
My dad is a big Jack Carr fan, and his newest comes out in June. But ONLY THE DEAD, #6 in the series, is out in paperback… Hey dad, you can watch him talk with Barbara Peters at Poisoned Pen about it here…
Also, the wonderful Robert Dugoni was at the Pen this week chatting with Barbara. Man, if I lived in Scottsdale… But I live in Nashville which means I enjoy most of these online. You can learn so much about writing watching these interviews. Happily, Parnassus is going to start streaming select events as well - BRAVA!!!
—you won the A VERY BAD THING galley - please email or DM me your address!
I’m down to just a few copies so I’m going to pause AVBT giveaways for a bit, but this week, as a very special tribute to our indie stores, I will give a $25 giftcard to one of you to your favorite store - or one of mine. Leave a comment with your favorite indie bookseller so we can all learn about some great new places!
That’s it from me. How about you? Good week? Calmer than mine, I hope! I'd love to hear what you're reading this weekend. Any recommendations?
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I’m glad you are feeling better and the words are flowing. It’s been absolutely crazy week for me. My great aunt passed away last Saturday and the beginning of the week was stressful trying to get time off work and make travel arrangements to be at her service. I started an incredible pink book but haven’t been able to read much this week. Hopefully this weekend I’ll get some good reading time in.
I love Parnassus but I'd also like to shout out The Book & Cover in Chattanooga and Brave+Kind and Eagle Eye in Decatur (plus all the wonderful indie stores in Decatur).
SPLINTER EFFECT sounds really cool. I'll have to check that out.
I love Kerry Lonsdale and I didn't know she had a new book coming out. I just pre-ordered it!
I read THE BELOVED by JR Ward. Excellent as always. She recently had an event in Cincinnati (I think?)...Anyway her events look like a blast! Maybe one day...
I just finished FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry. I just LOVE all of her books!!
Good week for me as I wasn't sick, choking or tripping going up stairs...
I live in Nebraksa and it's the home of Arbor Day, which is this weekend. Unfortunately it's supposed to be rainy with a possibility of severe storms...boo.
Favorite indie book store is Dundee Book Co in Omaha.
I have to really limit my Indie bookstore day purchases this year. So my one bookstore this year iwill be Book Bound Books in Blairsville, Georgia. It’s owned by my 2nd cousin. They opened in 2021 and last year after only two years in business she expanded into a bigger space! I’ve yet to visit in person but hope to sometime this year.
I think I need to pick your brain about how you get so much reading in! I feel like I'm perpetually fighting to fit it in and it's taking me weeks (if not months!) to finish anything.
It was A WEEK here too. I was out of town with the boys for soccer last weekend, got home on Sunday -- ten minutes before Cliff left for Dallas for work until Wednesday, my middle son woke up with pinkeye Tuesday, and our daughter had oral surgery this morning, which we got home from not too long ago.
Deep breaths.
I’m sitting here slowly sipping coffee and a late simple, home cooked omelet while the boys jump on a neighbor’s trampoline, she rests, and I sip coffee, thankful that even in the chaos there’s been such bright spots and practices this week. (Even finished Wolf Hall!)
We’ve got a weekend of rest and recovery ahead of us, in which I hope to swing by Landmark in Downtown Franklin or maybe zoom up and brave Green Hills weekend traffic at Parnassus!
Mysterious Galaxy (San Diego, CA) is not local to me, but Kiersten White introduced it to me, and I cannot praise their customer service highly enough. https://www.mystgalaxy.com
I hope next week is just another boring week for you and that your health is on the upside!
I read the pink book this week, and I posted on Instagram that A VERY BAD THING is A VERY GOOD THING to read. Preorder it now. Your future self will thank you for it. Obviously, I LOVED it, and I can't wait for everyone else to read it too. Everyone here already knows the premise but my take on it is when consequences from the past collides with the present chaos erupts. I love secrets and this book is riddled with them. Plus, there are some characters that I hope appear in another book.
The other book I read was DEAR WRITER, YOU NEED TO QUIT by Becca Syme. I needed this book as I keep trying to morph from an intuitive writer (pantser) to a plotter. I want to write faster and the fast writers I know plot. I thought I could transform my weakness into a strength, but Becca makes you question the premise. Should you become a plotter? (Or whatever is your weakness.) She argues that trying to change weakness is harder than bolstering your strengths. She also states that bolstering your strengths takes work. I haven't finished the book because I've needed to digest pieces of it and apply it to my writing. In March of 2020, I finished my WIP but hated the ending. I'd forced it because I could see the signs that everyone was coming home for an extended amount of time due to covid. Since then, I've struggled with writing good endings on my WIPs. I thought it was because my creative juices had dried up due to all the stresses of life from covid and after. But I've painstakingly learned that it was because I didn't fully know how to intuitively end the story. For that to happen, I had to study and study slam dunk endings of books I love, along with SAVE THE CAT beats. Yesterday, I rewrote the ending on my WIP and I'm happy with it. Because of Becca's book, I've realized that it is in the struggles that we become better...writers, creatives, etc. I'm also looking forward on how to strengthen my strengths and use them to my advantage. I hope y'all have a great weekend.
I'm so glad your book is coming together! That must be so exciting. I just pre-ordered "A Very Bad Thing." Part of the delight (other than anticipating a good book) is knowing that I will forget that I ordered it and be so thrilled when it shows up out of "nowhere" in September ;).
I just finished "The New Couple in 5B" last night and I LOVED it. Like, didn't want to do normal life stuff because the book is too awesome. I've got "There Should Have Been Eight" by Nalini Singh lined up to start next, and am also listening to "This Must Be the Place" by Jami Nato. I'm about a third of the way through "It Happened One Summer" by Tessa Bailey, which has been recommended so many times I finally gave in when I found it for fifty cents at a library rack. It's been making me laugh a lot.
I'm a little north of Seattle and recommend Third Place Books, which is a local chain. It's wonderful, fun to visit, and sells both new and used.
My favorite local independent bookstore is Gathering Volumes bookstore in Perrysburg, Ohio. The do a fabulous job with a a lot of author events. Thank you for the opportunity. God bless you.
I’m glad you are feeling better and the words are flowing. It’s been absolutely crazy week for me. My great aunt passed away last Saturday and the beginning of the week was stressful trying to get time off work and make travel arrangements to be at her service. I started an incredible pink book but haven’t been able to read much this week. Hopefully this weekend I’ll get some good reading time in.
I love Parnassus but I'd also like to shout out The Book & Cover in Chattanooga and Brave+Kind and Eagle Eye in Decatur (plus all the wonderful indie stores in Decatur).
BookWorks in Albuquerque, NM is my fav. The Splinter Effect is right up my alley. Love the thought of time travel and archeology. Thank you.
SPLINTER EFFECT sounds really cool. I'll have to check that out.
I love Kerry Lonsdale and I didn't know she had a new book coming out. I just pre-ordered it!
I read THE BELOVED by JR Ward. Excellent as always. She recently had an event in Cincinnati (I think?)...Anyway her events look like a blast! Maybe one day...
I just finished FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry. I just LOVE all of her books!!
Good week for me as I wasn't sick, choking or tripping going up stairs...
I live in Nebraksa and it's the home of Arbor Day, which is this weekend. Unfortunately it's supposed to be rainy with a possibility of severe storms...boo.
Favorite indie book store is Dundee Book Co in Omaha.
Would love to see Once Upon A Crime bookstore in Minneapolis receive a giftcard. : )
I have to really limit my Indie bookstore day purchases this year. So my one bookstore this year iwill be Book Bound Books in Blairsville, Georgia. It’s owned by my 2nd cousin. They opened in 2021 and last year after only two years in business she expanded into a bigger space! I’ve yet to visit in person but hope to sometime this year.
Happy Friday! I will be signing books at a new local(ish) bookstore tomorrow -- looking forward to it!
I think I need to pick your brain about how you get so much reading in! I feel like I'm perpetually fighting to fit it in and it's taking me weeks (if not months!) to finish anything.
Oh, I can't wait to read a certain pink book.🤗🤗🩷
It was A WEEK here too. I was out of town with the boys for soccer last weekend, got home on Sunday -- ten minutes before Cliff left for Dallas for work until Wednesday, my middle son woke up with pinkeye Tuesday, and our daughter had oral surgery this morning, which we got home from not too long ago.
Deep breaths.
I’m sitting here slowly sipping coffee and a late simple, home cooked omelet while the boys jump on a neighbor’s trampoline, she rests, and I sip coffee, thankful that even in the chaos there’s been such bright spots and practices this week. (Even finished Wolf Hall!)
We’ve got a weekend of rest and recovery ahead of us, in which I hope to swing by Landmark in Downtown Franklin or maybe zoom up and brave Green Hills weekend traffic at Parnassus!
Mysterious Galaxy (San Diego, CA) is not local to me, but Kiersten White introduced it to me, and I cannot praise their customer service highly enough. https://www.mystgalaxy.com
This week’s list:
The Book of Thorns by Hester Fox
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella
Loteria by Cynthia Pelayo
The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni
A Very Bad Thing by J T Ellison
I hope next week is just another boring week for you and that your health is on the upside!
I read the pink book this week, and I posted on Instagram that A VERY BAD THING is A VERY GOOD THING to read. Preorder it now. Your future self will thank you for it. Obviously, I LOVED it, and I can't wait for everyone else to read it too. Everyone here already knows the premise but my take on it is when consequences from the past collides with the present chaos erupts. I love secrets and this book is riddled with them. Plus, there are some characters that I hope appear in another book.
The other book I read was DEAR WRITER, YOU NEED TO QUIT by Becca Syme. I needed this book as I keep trying to morph from an intuitive writer (pantser) to a plotter. I want to write faster and the fast writers I know plot. I thought I could transform my weakness into a strength, but Becca makes you question the premise. Should you become a plotter? (Or whatever is your weakness.) She argues that trying to change weakness is harder than bolstering your strengths. She also states that bolstering your strengths takes work. I haven't finished the book because I've needed to digest pieces of it and apply it to my writing. In March of 2020, I finished my WIP but hated the ending. I'd forced it because I could see the signs that everyone was coming home for an extended amount of time due to covid. Since then, I've struggled with writing good endings on my WIPs. I thought it was because my creative juices had dried up due to all the stresses of life from covid and after. But I've painstakingly learned that it was because I didn't fully know how to intuitively end the story. For that to happen, I had to study and study slam dunk endings of books I love, along with SAVE THE CAT beats. Yesterday, I rewrote the ending on my WIP and I'm happy with it. Because of Becca's book, I've realized that it is in the struggles that we become better...writers, creatives, etc. I'm also looking forward on how to strengthen my strengths and use them to my advantage. I hope y'all have a great weekend.
I'm so glad your book is coming together! That must be so exciting. I just pre-ordered "A Very Bad Thing." Part of the delight (other than anticipating a good book) is knowing that I will forget that I ordered it and be so thrilled when it shows up out of "nowhere" in September ;).
I just finished "The New Couple in 5B" last night and I LOVED it. Like, didn't want to do normal life stuff because the book is too awesome. I've got "There Should Have Been Eight" by Nalini Singh lined up to start next, and am also listening to "This Must Be the Place" by Jami Nato. I'm about a third of the way through "It Happened One Summer" by Tessa Bailey, which has been recommended so many times I finally gave in when I found it for fifty cents at a library rack. It's been making me laugh a lot.
I'm a little north of Seattle and recommend Third Place Books, which is a local chain. It's wonderful, fun to visit, and sells both new and used.
A big shout-out to Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC! I met you there years ago and hope you will come back again!
My favorite local independent bookstore is Gathering Volumes bookstore in Perrysburg, Ohio. The do a fabulous job with a a lot of author events. Thank you for the opportunity. God bless you.
Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, WI is my favorite!
The end of Mercury Retrograde + a full moon. Glad to go into the weekend with some calmer vibes. (Yeah, I said what I said! LOL)
My favorite bookstore is Fabled in Waco, Texas