Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Leave It Better Than You Found It

A couple of my kids went out to our camp and left a bit of a mess.  I went into mom-mode and lectured that next time they should "leave it better than you found it."  Today as I watched the news, I couldn't help but think that maybe that should be a philosophy we all adopted.

What if every place we went, we left a bit better than we found it?  What if we helped where we could?  Donated what we could?  Even simply smiled when we passed by people on the street?  I learned years ago that something as simple as a smile can change someone's day...did I ever tell you that story?

I know that I write everything from romantic comedy, to sweet romance, to women's fiction-ish romances, to comedic mysteries.  (And thank you everyone who's read all the above!)  I think that maybe that Leave-It-Better-Than-You-Found philosophy might be my unifying theme.  As I thought about I realized that every character—from one of my earliest books, Bosom Buddies, to my most recent, Carry Her Heart—has somehow tried to do just that. The heroine in A Valley Ridge Christmas went so far as to put the philosophy down in words...I can't change the world, but I can try.

It sounds like a simple philosophy, but sometimes the most complex thoughts are hidden behind simplicity.  I think, in my small way, I've tried to live by this one, even if I hadn't put words to it.  From something as simple as the garden in the backyard, to something like my bit of Monday Glee, to the organizations I support.  I guess, when all is said and done, I hope that people say, it wasn't just my characters who tried to leave things better than they found it, it was me.

Holly


Monday, May 25, 2015

It Could Be More...but It Can't Be Less


Carry Her Heart   


I've been so excited that readers have embraced Carry Her Heart.  It's a story that's more than romance.  It's a woman's journey and romance.  So far 28 of its 29 reviews on Amazon have been 5 star.  

And here's what reviewers are saying:  

"Carry Her Heart is a beautiful story of love and friendship. And, Holly Jacobs' message of love is strong and touching." ~Lesa's Book Critiques 

"An unforgettable story of unconditional love...This is only the second book I have read by Holly Jacobs but I can tell you, she is now on my favorite author radar...She goes straight for your heart." —Fresh Fiction 

"Carry Her Heart is an emotional, slow burn, friends to lovers romance..." ~Harlequin Junkie 

"There are some books you open up and they just grip you from word one, this is one..." Literature Litehouse Reviews  

Thank you to everyone who's taken time to not only read my newest release, but to review it!  

Holly

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Throwback Thursday...Butterfly Garden

Throwback Thursday

Okay, so it's not much of a throwback...it's more of a Teaser!  LOL  But we started laying out the butterfly garden!   Hoping to have it done and mulched this weekend.  Carry Her Heart is the inspiration for it, so here goes:


"I’m looking at my milkweed plants. I gave them this entire back corner of my yard. They aren’t as pretty as a lot of my flowers, and they aren’t edible . . . at least by humans. They actually can burn if you get the sap on you, and if you inadvertently ingest any of the plant, it can make you sick. 

So why did I plant them? Because milkweed is the monarch butterfly’s only food. I read an article about how necessary it is to the species’ survival. 

People dug up most patches because they consider it a weed. That’s how I thought about them, but this year I had flowers and they were beautiful. Different, but stunning in their own right.

I think it will be fascinating to see the caterpillars munching away on the leaves. Monarch caterpillars eat something that’s poisonous, then curl up in a chrysalis and emerge as a butterfly. Frankly, the caterpillars are rather ugly, but they turn into something beautiful. Then they begin the process all over again.

The last generation of butterflies each season migrates to Mexico in the fall. Something that fragile looking can travel such a huge distance.

The butterflies will winter there, then fly back and start the process all over again. I saw a picture of a swarm of butterflies on a tree in Mexico. It was amazing.

Sometimes I think there’s a correlation between the monarchs and me. 

...Maybe we live our lives constantly becoming and rebecoming.
Maybe we’re always in the process of metamorphosing into something new."

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Teaser Tuesday, Carry Her Heart

#TeaserTuesday

I'll confess, I've always been fascinated by how people describe themselves.  There are so many options.  Your family title, your job, a belief, a hobby...  And what's even more interesting is how those definitions change and alter with time and new experiences.

One of the things I worked at as I wrote Carry Her Heart was watching Piper's description of herself change as time goes on.  She says:

But maybe people are like monarchs in more ways than that. 

Maybe we all repeatedly curl up in a chyrsalis and emerge as something else entirely.

I was a child; for that brief hour, I was a mother . . . then a nursing student, then a nurse, then a writer, then a . . . 

Maybe we live our lives constantly becoming and rebecoming.

Maybe we’re always in the process of metamorphosing into something new.

How do you describe yourself?

Holly

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Mother's Day!


Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Carry Her Heart, asks the question, what makes a mother? So I asked readers what makes their mother special...their answers were so touching. I drew a name and Kim, your mom will receive an autographed book.  Thank you everyone who shared their moms with me and allowed me to share a few excerpts with you!

Holly

Thursday, May 07, 2015

Mother's Day Giveaway


A MOTHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY...

Carry Her Heart is—in addition to being a romance—a story that asks, what makes a mother? I love that it's out j in time for Mother's Day! I wanted to do something fun to celebrate its release and decided to do something for all the moms out there.

Send me an email about your mom...what makes her special?

I'll draw one of the names and that mom will win a signed copy of Carry Her Heart, along with some other fun Mother's Day presents. Send them to: HollyJacobs1 (at) Gmail (dot) com

And please let me know if it's okay to quote your post either with your mom's name or anonymously if you prefer. I'll pull the winner's name on Mother's Day and post some of the quotes to celebrate that very special day!

Tuesday, May 05, 2015

A Day in a Writer's Life


Over the years a lot of people have asked what my day's look like. Someone just asked again. So today, I'll tell you. ‪#‎ADayInAWritersLife‬

3:30 am: Up & scribbling for WIP. "Can you imagine your heart bursting 'cause of too much love? It's like saying there's too much Christmas or too much ice cream." ‪#‎ADayInAWritersLife‬

5am: Woke up, fed dogs, made coffee, did some dishes. Checking email/social media. Starting 

5:45: Working & debating getting coffee or waiting for my dh to wake up & bring me some. I waited 

8 am #TeaserTuesday This seemed like a good #TT for Carry Her Heart  given I'm writing about #ADayInAWritersLife today!

8 am Had breakfast, read the paper, dressed, walked the dogs, 'd now 


8:48 am: The kids just left...the house is mine!    



9:05 Google Alerts just sent me a link to a new review I stopped working to read it. I was happy! 

10:30-1: Went to nursing home, took kids to dentist, went to bank & post office (Apr prizes mailed out) & lunch! 

1 pm:  

2:24 pm: Water-cooler break. Showing off two new covers. My August US and my Spanish May cover! #ADayInAWritersLife

Her Second Chance Family, Aug 2015

Once Upon a Princess in Spain, 5/15




















Carry Her Heart...out now!!

3:30 pm: Cleaned up two chapters and wrote new pages...and wrote new pages, some were based on my nighttime scribbles 

3:30 pm: Answering posts. Love hearing about Carry Her Heart. I hope readers how much those comments mean to writers!  

4 pm: Dh got home. Did a few chores. Had dinner (huge salads...yum). Leaving for a get-together now! 

5 pm: After dinner, checked on the garden (asparagus tomorrow!) and went to the get-together! 



7 pm: DH: Do you have room for ice cream?
Me: Is there such a thing as not enough room for it? 
 

7:30 pm: Watched the news and did some reading.  A few more chores.   

9:00 pm: Agents of Shield. One of my favorite shows!   
10 pm: Bedtime! And thus ends  ... in this writer's life.

Here's the thing, today I was out of the house a lot more than most days, so I kind of feel as if today's schedule was false advertising.  But  that's the thing with a big family...there is no such thing as a normal day.

  My life is a quiet one. I find such pleasure in spending time with my family.  I love reading, gardening and puttering around the house.  And I really love sitting in a quiet house and working on my next book.  My new WIP...well, it's obviously waking me up in the middle of the night.

Thanks so much for following my day and thank you so much to everyone who's picked up and read  Carry Her Heart already.  And a special thanks to everyone who's sent me a note about it, or reviewed!  Writing is so solitary...it's so nice to get that feedback!

What's on my calendar tomorrow??? Same thing...only without errands!

Holly