Hollyworld

2008-01-29T09:25:00.000-05:00

I still can't get this blog to let users comment...sigh. But I'm blogging here. Come over and visit and say hi! I miss you all!

Holly

2008-01-22T09:55:00.001-05:00

Ella Fitzgerald...or why am I such a pushover?

So, here's how it went two years ago.

"Mom, can we get another dog?" (Our Old English Mastiff had passed away.)

"No. I don't want any more dogs."

"Mom, can we get another dog?"

"No."

"Mom, can we get another dog?"

"No."

"Mom, can we get another dog?"

"No."

"Mom, can we just go look?"

"Fine. But we're just looking."

That's how we got Ethel Merman Fuhrmann.

Now, two years later:

"Mom, Ethel's lonely. Can we get another dog?"
"No."
"Mom, look at the dog on the adopt-a-pet show on tv. Can we get it?"

"No."

"Look at the ads in the paper. Can we get another dog?"

"No."
"Maybe I'll just call and get some information."
"You can call, but we're not getting it."

"It's a labradoodle. Four months old. I got directions."

"That was a waste of time. We're not getting another dog."

And this is how we came to get Ella Fitzgerald Fuhrmann last night.

Sheesh.

I'm such a pushover.

Holly

2008-01-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

2008 Travels

Last year I played hermit and didn't go to any conferences. And while it was wonderful, I found I missed seeing my friends and I missed getting a chance to meet and hang out with readers. So, this year, I'm back on the conference bandwagon.

March...I'll be in NYC for NINC's conference. This one doesn't have a booksigning, but hey, I'm seeing musicals and promise to give you all an update! Wicked (again!), Jersey Boys and Little Mermaid. I'm sure the fact I'm slipping something Disney into a work trip doesn't suprise anyone who knows me! I'll let you know how the shows are. Oh, I will be buying a new Wicked t-shirt. I bought the Defying Gravity one last time I was there. I love the song and the sentiment. Uh, the words Defying Gravity fall right over my ...well, hoo-haws. I've had four kids, there's no defying gravity left in the girls. It's sort of false advertising. LOL So I'm buying the straight up Wicked t-shirt. That pretty much says it all! LOL

April--RT Bookclub's annual conference in Pittsburgh. There's information at http://www.romantictimes.com/. If you're in the Pittsburgh area, I'd love to see you there!
Romantic Time's Convention's Giant Bookfair (more than 200 authors) Saturday 4-19-08 from 11-2 at the Hilton Hotel, 600 Commonwealth Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
I'm doing a Series Romance panel that Friday with writers Anna DeStefano and Amanda McIntyre, as well as Harlequin VP, Randall Toye.

May--Northeast Ohio's RWA Conference. http://www.neorwa.com/ I'll be doing a workshop there with Susan Gable that Friday night. I'm not sure what it's called yet, but whenever Susan and I get together good-times ensue.

July--I'm heading to San Francisco for RWA's National Conference. I'll be rooming with Nancy Warren. We both started writing for Harlequin about the same time, and we'll both be getting our 25 book pin from Harlequin because we've both written...well, 25 books!
BOOKSIGNING: Wednesday 7-30-08 at 5:30 at the San Francisco Marriott.
Nancy and I will be doing a workshop there called, Our Writing May Be Art...but our kids need braces. It's about balancing the art of writing with the business side of things.
And Tanya Michaels/Michna and I are doing a workshop called CONFESSIONS OF SERIES KILLERS: Weathering Line Closings and Other Career Changes. Not that we really kill anyone--it's series killing, not serial! LOL Between the two of us, a lot of lines we wrote for folded, and yet we're still writing. So, this one is about overcoming obstacles to writing.

That's where I'll be. Hope to see some of you at one place or another!

Holly

2008-01-15T14:49:00.000-05:00

The good news about Everything But a Groom keeps rolling in. Today, I heard it won a Reviewers' Choice Award!!

Now, I know you're just itching to ask what I'm going to do to celebrate. Well, I'm going to bundle up in my work coat, go outside and...load the wood box. Yes, lifestyles of the rich and famous 'R me. LOL

Holly

2008-01-08T15:22:00.001-05:00

Everything but a Groom in its 2nd printing!!!!

Well, for those of you who've emailed me to say you were having trouble buying EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM...it's because they sold out of the 1st printing and it's going into its second printing!! I'm so jazzed.

This was a December Avalon Books release. They're hardback books that are mainly marketed to libraries. So thanks to all the libraries who've already bought their copies, and thanks to the individual readers who bought a copy for those shelves!

Holly

2008-01-02T17:53:00.000-05:00

My son is a huge comic fan...I thought he might be impressed my book, How to Catch a Groom, had been turned into a Manga. Alas, he was not. But serisously, I'm jazzed!

I guess it just means, Moms can't be cool, no matter what. SIGH. LOL!!

By the way...HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Holly

2007-12-30T06:58:00.000-05:00

There was a nice article about me in the Erie Times News today. You can view it online at http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071230/NEWS02/712300417

I can't believe tomorrow's New Year's Eve...wishing you all the best new year yet!

Holly

www.HollyJacobs.com, RT Bookclub Award Nominee for The House on Briar Hill Road
EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM, Avalon Books, 12/07
EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE, Avalon Books, 8/08
SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER, Harlequin Superromance, 8/08
THE PTA MOM trilogy, Harlequin American Romance, starting 10/08

2007-12-28T09:25:00.001-05:00

Today just gets better and better....

Lesa Holstine wrote a review of Everything But a Groom that's been picked up by USAToday.com!!
http://tinyurl.com/29zux2

My thanks so Lesa, and thanks all of you for the congrats about The House on Briar Hill Road being up for an RT Bookclub Award!!

Hall

http://www.hollyjacobs.com/, RT Bookclub Award Nominee for The House on Briar Hill RoadEVERYTHING BUT A GROOM, Avalon Books, 12/07EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE, Avalon Books, 8/08SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER, Harlequin Superromance, 8/08THE PTA MOM trilogy, Harlequin American Romance, starting 10/08

2007-12-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

Romantic Times Bookclub just announced their annual award nominations, and October's THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD, was up for Best Everlasting Love of 2007! It's great news to end the year on.

Speaking of ending the year...just wanted to wish all of you a Happy New Year!!

Holly

2007-12-18T16:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I got an early Christmas present today...
titles for my PTA Mom trilogy that starts next October for Harlequin American Romance.

(I just did a nice little drum roll on my desk for you... LOL)

Once Upon a Thanksgiving
Once Upon a Christmas
Once Upon a Valentine's Day

My regular readers will remember my other Once Upon trilogy...Once Upon a Princess, Once Upon a Prince, and Once Upon a King. They were set here in Erie, and this new series is as well. This time, there's no royalty in sight...just three very overworked, PTA volunteering single moms! Of course, I need to finish writing them if they're to hit the shelves next year for their holidays! So, I'm back to work. But before I go, let me wish you all a marvelous holiday!! Thanks for your friendship and support!

Holly

2007-12-17T09:25:00.001-05:00

Holly's December Newsletter

What Happens when a Hungarian grandma curses her own family to wedding disasters? She spends an entire trilogy trying to undo her curse. Check out the first book of a new trilogy, Everything But a Groom, the first book in my Everything But...series.

What are people saying?

"Charming..." Publisher Weekly

"...it seems too good to be true, and too good to pass up Jacobs' very sweet tale of love." ~Marie Hatton, Booklist (starred review)

"...a sweet and charming love story awash with fun and humor." RT BookReviews 4 Stars

"Brilliantly funny Holly Jacobs hooks us with another best seller waiting to happen; EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM." ~CataRomance

"This lighthearted story is the perfect quick read that will warm the coldest winter night. EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM is a guaranteed keeper." ~ Diana Risso, RRT

Watch for Everything But a Bride, 8/08 and Everything But a Wedding, 12/08.

By now, my regular readers know the drill. Avalon Books are hardback and library bound, which means they're expensive. If you want to order them (and I know so many of you do...thanks for that) they're available online at Barnes and Noble and at Amazon. But you can save money and help build my library contacts if you ask your local library to order a copy!

_________________________________
OCTOBER RELEASES:

THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD, is still available at eHarlequin.com.as well as other online bookstores. And if you're someone who invested in Amazon's new Kindle eReader, it's available in that format. As well in most other eBook formats.

My free online short story, The Moments, is still running at eHarlequin.com. Make sure you check it out. It's tied to the book, though I've been assured you can read the book first then the story, or vice versa, without ruining the other for yourself.

*********Cindy Carlson read The House on Briar Hill Road and wrote a lovely song, On Briar Hill, in its honor. She's graciously allowed me to post it here.On Briar Hill, copyright Cindy Carlson.
*********

Once Upon a Prince, En Busca De Su Princesa: (Looking For His Princess) will also be released in October as a US Spanish reprint. And last holiday season's DASHING THROUGH THE MALL, is available in a hardback, large print reprint (library bound) either at your local bookstore, or online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

CONTEST:

There's a new contest on my website...check it out and enter!

I'm so looking forward to the holiday season. My son arrived home from college and we'll have him here for a month, and my eldest is coming home for a week at Christmas. We'll have a houseful, but I'm so looking forward to it! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and that the new year is filled with joy!

~Holly

http://www.hollyjacobs.com/

EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM, Avalon Books, 12/07

EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE, Avalon Books, 8/08

SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER, Harlequin Superromance, 8/08

THE PTA MOM trilogy, Harlequin American Romance, starting 10/08

2007-12-06T08:49:00.000-05:00

I make a practice of "pimping" for friends. I love talking about their books, and giving shouts out for their accomplishments. Today's pimp is for a good friend, and fellow writer, Susan Gable. She and her husband, who's had more than ten years working as the head IT guy for a local Erie coporation that runs a local Erie tv station, as well as other stations throughout the country, have started a new business, www.PCWebDoc.com.

The cool thing about their computer business is they can fix your computer...even if you don't live in Erie. They can connect with your computer over the internet, and fix it while you watch. Wow, I love technology!

Since it snowed about a foot of snow here yesterday (and I spent more than three hours snowblowing and shoveling), the whole they-do-it-online-so-you-don't-have-to-drive-your-PC-anywhere, is a huge plus!!

If you live in Erie, you've seen their ads running on tv. Let me just give another friend-brag and say my buddy, Susan wrote them. Yes, she's a romance writer by day, and a script writer by night! Everytime I see one on, I smile!

Anyway, this was my friend pimp of the day. LOL

Hope wherever you live, you're warm! Me, I'm staying next to the fireplace today!

Holly

2007-11-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

Gearing up...

Wow, it's almost the end of November. They year's really flown by. I'm starting to gear up for Christmas...all the kids will be home, and that's a huge treat! I'm also gearing up for the release of the first book in a new Avalon series, Everything But a Groom. I've got to confess, I adore the cover!

Avalon Books' primary markets are libraries. The book's not out until the end of December, but you can request that your local library order it now. And I know a number of you order your own copies. They'll be available online at Amazon and B&N on December 24. But in the meantime, I updated my My SPACE page. I hope you'll check it out. And if you're on MY SPACE, I'd love to be your friend!

I've also started a new holiday contest. Information about entering is on my homepage.

The reviews for Everything But a Groom have been great so far:

"Charming..." Publisher Weekly

"...it seems too good to be true, and too good to pass up Jacobs' very sweet tale of love." ~Marie Hatton, Booklist (starred review)

"...a sweet and charming love story awash with fun and humor." RT BookReviews 4 Stars

"Brilliantly funny Holly Jacobs hooks us with another best seller waiting to happen; EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM." ~CataRomance

"This lighthearted story is the perfect quick read that will warm the coldest winter night. EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM is a guaranteed keeper." ~ Diana Risso, RRT

As always, thanks for sticking with me! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season...whatever holiday you celebrate!

Holly

2007-11-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

And the Winner Is......

Yes, this is late. I've been trying to finish a book. But finally, I drew the winning name for my October Contest (the pink beaded, cancer awareness bracelet) and Gina's the winner!! Congratulations, Gina. I'll be contacting you privately.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

I'll be signing copies of The House on Briar Hill Road in Erie, PA at the Barnes and Noble on Peach Street from 2-4, next Saturday, the 17th! Hope to see some of you there!

I've got updates for my website (including adding Gina as the October winner), but I'm having some technical difficulty, so keep an eye out...they're coming!

I'm just finishing up the first book in next year's PTA Mom trilogy for Harlequin American. I'm so enjoying the characters...I hope you all will as well! Writing about PTA moms isn't a huge stretch for me. As some (most?) of you know, I have four kids. I've done my stints volunteering at the kids' schools. It's fun just writing about it about Samantha, Michelle and Carly's committee, rather than having to volunteer for it myself!

Last year's anthology DASHING THROUGH THE MALL is out this month as a hardback, large print edition here in the US this month, and it's also out in Poland!

And for my friends in Australia, HERE WITH ME is out in a Christmas Gift anthology there!

Hope you all are having a great fall! Erie has already had it's first snow...and I'm sure it won't be its last!

Holly

2007-10-24T08:17:00.000-04:00

I'm guestblogging today at The Pink Heart Society! Come on over and say hi!

And I've been decorating for fall. A good friend (and fantastic author) Cheryl St. John blogged about her pumpkin planting, and I gave it a shot. The first picture is my mum filled pumpkin, and the other is a shot of the house. It's hard to make out the decorations, but my mum filled pumpkin is on the right. And see those corn stalks? They're from our garden! (The corn was great, and the stalks look nice in the front.) Anyway, thanks Cheryl!

Holly

2007-10-21T07:55:00.000-04:00

Today, I'm guestblogging...stop in and say hi!! http://authorsoundrelations.blogspot.com/

Holly

2007-10-18T10:33:00.001-04:00

Erie, PA Signing

Hey, all! I will be signing copies of The House on Briar Hill Road on Saturday, October 20, from 2-4 pm at Borders Express (inside the Millcreek Mall, Erie PA). Hope I see some of you there!!

Holly

2007-10-15T08:41:00.000-04:00

I got the most lovely gift this weekend. A reader who'd read The House on Briar Hill Road wrote a song based on the book. I've never loaded a song to my website before, but it seems to be working. You can find it at http://www.hollyjacobs.com/THOBHR.html. The link's about halfway down the page, right over the eHarlequin banner. I've gotten some cool gifts in the past, but this is one of the coolest!

Holly

2007-10-12T09:33:00.000-04:00

I'm a guest today on the Romance Bandits Blog. Stop in and visit...they're a lot of fun. And there's a prize up for grabs.

Uh, I'm not sure why you all can't post right now. I must have done something, but I don't know what. I'll try and fix it next week, but in the meantime, feel free to keep emailing me at Holly (at) HollysBooks.com.

Holly

2007-10-02T10:49:00.000-04:00

Erie, PA

So many of my books have been set in Erie. Ellen Degeneris (I love her show!) is currently taking submissions from cities who would like her to visit. Come visit Erie for yourself at her site! Want to find out more? Visit me at Perry Square.

Hey, it's getting eErie at Ellen's. That's sort of appropriate, since it's Halloween's month!

Holly

2007-10-01T11:56:00.000-04:00

New chapter, new game

My fourth chapter of The Moments is available this week at: The Moments.

And the ladies at eHarlequin.com have started a brand new game. Can you guess who their mystery author is?? (It's not me...I'm playing, too!)

Holly

2007-09-27T09:34:00.001-04:00

October Newsletter

I know it's not quite October, but this Saturday, September 29, Erie Author, Susan Gable, and I will be doing a workshop at the Erie Bookstore from 2-4, "Where Reality and Fiction Collide." This is an apt workshop for me, since my October release, THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD, deals with breast cancer, a disease that took my mother-in-law from us in 2004. If you're in Erie, I hope you'll join Susan and I at the Erie Bookstore!

OCTOBER RELEASES:

My first Harlequin Everlasting Love release, THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD, came out a week early...it's on the shelves now. You can find it at your local bookstore, or at your favorite online bookstore.

REVIEWS:

"Holly Jacobs is known for her heart warming, light and breezy, stories with a shot of humor added in. With The House on Briar Hill Road, she has proven that she also can write serious, tug-at-your-heart and make-you-cry stories. ...The House on Briar Hill Road is a must-read for everyone." © Kelley A. Hartsell, July 2007. All rights reserved. Kwips and Kritiques

"THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD is a fascinating relationship drama that is a serious take on When Harry Met Sally even though they met much younger as preadolescents enjoying Halloween. ...what makes Holly Jacobs' contemporary a delightful read is the author avoids turning the story line into a melodramatic soap opera... This is a strong character driven drama in which the romance enhances the relationships." ~Harriet Klausner

"Holly Jacobs' The House on Briar Hill Road (4) is extremely affecting and honest, and Brian and Hayden's complicated relationship is handled very well." —Catherine Witmer. Romantic Times

"With her first foray from the lighter romantic comedy for which she's well known into the deeper waters of a highly emotional, family drama, love-of-a-lifetime romance, Holly Jacobs proves she's got the chops to do more than make you laugh – she'll tug at your heartstrings, give you a lump in your throat, and bring a tear to your eye. She'll prove that happily-ever-afters require work, that family is more a matter of heart than DNA, and that love can last a lifetime.The House on Briar Hill Road is Jacob's finest work. Don't miss it!" ~Award Winning Author, Susan Gable

MORE OCTOBER RELEASES:

My free online short story, The Moments, is still running at eHarlequin.com. Make sure you check it out. It's tied to the book, though I've been assured you can read the book first then the story, or vice versa, without ruining the other for yourself.

Once Upon a Prince, En Busca De Su Princesa: (Looking For His Princess) will also be released in October as a US Spanish reprint. And last holiday season's DASHING THROUGH THE MALL, is available in a hardback, large print reprint either at your local bookstore, or online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

CONTEST:

There's a new contest on my website...check it out and enter!

As always, thanks everyone for all the support. It's been a crazy fall here. My son started college, so we're adjusting to a different dynamic in the house. And we just got back from Disney World. Now, truly, I love the place (almost) as much as the rest of the family, but seriously, it's not a restful vacation! I'm still trying to recoup from it! Hope your fall is going well!

~Holly

2007-09-10T06:52:00.000-04:00

Some weeks I love Mondays...this is one of them!

Today I have a free online short story, The Moments, starting at eHarlequin.com. It's tied to my first Everlasting Love release, THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD, on October 1st, which is a book about the Conway family. About their ups and downs...about their pulling together and sadly, about them falling apart.

I was thrilled when I was afforded a chance to do the The Moments. It features the main characters' of the book daughter, Livie. At the end of THOBHR, Livie said, "My mother always said life was made up of the small moments and it was punctuated by the big ones." I knew that sentence had to be the theme of her story. But how to present a broad scope to her romance in a short story? It was a challenge, and really pushed me as a writer. But I think the story shows those moments. You can find it at https://www.eharlequin.com/article.html?articleId=1299

I hope you'll check it out!

Holly

2007-09-03T14:14:00.000-04:00

August Contest Winners

Hope you all are having a great Labor Day! We had a huge picnic out at our camp yesterday. But before anyone arrived, my husband and I had to cut down the tree that had fallen on the cottage. Yes, excitement is my middle name!! LOL

Speaking of exciting...my short story on eHarlequin starts next Monday! I'll give you all a shout with the link when it's out. But in the meantime, here are the winners of my August contest...Jodi and Carol both won copies of one of my backlist books, and Sharon, won an advance copy of The House on Briar Hill Road! Ladies, I've send you all a private email. And to everyone who didn't win...watch for a very special contest starting soon!

Holly

2007-08-31T08:06:00.000-04:00

Romantic Times ad November '07

2007-08-11T07:14:00.000-04:00

Many of my books have gone overseas, which means I have a number of copies of my books in foreign languages. If your library would like some, send me an email and let me know which languages you're looking for...if I've got them, I'll send them!

Sorry, this offer is for libraries only. But if you're a reader who'd like to read my books in a particular language, please have your local library contact me for you!

Holly

2007-07-20T08:01:00.000-04:00

CONTEST...CONTEST...WIN FREE BOOKS!

Send me an email at Holly (at) HollysBooks.com and ask to be added to my newsletter list between now and the end of August and be entered in a drawing for free books from my backlist. Two winners. And one lucky reader will received an advance copy of my October '07 release, THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD!

Holly

2007-07-15T10:48:00.000-04:00

Here With Me wins fourth award!!

Okay, by now you've discovered I love seeing my books recognized, but this is beyond exciting! Here With Me one a National Readers' Choice Award! The award ceremony was at RWA's conference in Dallas. I wasn't there, but Susan Gable, another Erie author, was and she's got it in her suitcase for me. So color me happy this Sunday!

Holly

2007-07-10T07:47:00.000-04:00

Watching Movies With Your Eyes Closed

Here's the thing...I write books that have happily-ever-after. I want to know that the characters I created–characters I've spent months with and are so very real to me–get that happy ending. I like that in the books I read as well, and I like that in movies. I want movies that give me a happily-ever-after (HEA). But I live with family members who enjoy other movies. For instance, my son loved Kill Bill. I watched Quentin Tarantino interviews with him in preparation. He's such an interesting man and a gifted storyteller. (I talk with my hands, so does he. I figure, if we ever met and had a conversation, it would be a boxing match! LOL) Of course, all the blood-and-guts had me squinting my eyes. But his storytelling...it was flawless. I love his out-of-sequence way of presenting the story. But watching movies with your eyes closed is tough. Partway through the second movie, I leaned over and whispered, "I don't want her to kill Bill. I want them to live happily-ever-after with him and raise their daughter." He looked at me with teenaged disgust and said, "Did you see the movie's title?" SIGH.

Last night, I watch Pan's Labyrinth. It was a great movie. I hardly even noticed the subtitles, because I was so caught up in the storytelling. But here's the thing...there were blood-and-gut moments, and I discovered that while watching movies with your eyes closed is tough...watching movies that are subtitled with your eyes closed is tougher!!

Yes, I do branch out from my HEA's in both my reading and movies. But I always come home to a place where crap does happen, but I know, when I close the book, I'll leave the characters in a good place.

How about you?? What are you reading and watching this summer?

Holly

2007-06-27T15:49:00.000-04:00

Last year's HERE WITH ME won the Golden Quill Award for best Traditional Romance!

There's a certain symmetry to the win. You see, my first Silhouette Romance ever, Do You Hear What I Hear, won the Golden Quill in 2002. It was the first award I ever won. Here With Me, was my last Silhouette Romance, now has one as well. Yes, there's a certain sweet symmetry in that.

Holly

2007-06-19T06:58:00.000-04:00

Moving South

I’ve had four lovely children, and with each one I’ve noticed the urge to move south only increases. Not in an actual, let’s-move-to-Orlando sort of way. We’re a few more years away from retirement, after all. No, I’m not thinking about relocating my household there, but it seems as if certain body parts are quite willing to begin the trip south without me, and the thought it terrifying.

You see, I loved my grandma. She was a woman who began doing a "man’s" job during WWII, and worked at the factory until she retired. My grandfather divorced her when he returned from the war, leaving her to singlehandedly raise my mother. Oh, my grandmother was an occasionally gruff to the point of rude woman, but she was an amazingly strong one. There are many of her qualities I hope to attain as I grow older, but that southernly migration isn’t one of them. You see, my grandmother was also endowed with...well, endowed. As her endowments began to move south, she just hoisted them up with additional support. But as she got older, she found those girders and trusses to be cumbersome, and eventually stopped. But this left her with a huge southernly endowment and no way to contain it. So being an enterprising sort of woman, used to solving problems on her own, she...well, she began tucking ‘them’ into her pant’s waistband. She also began tucking tissues in her waistband, which is how I discovered her new, well, to put it in Star Trek terms, containment field. She had a cold, went for a tissue, and...well, there they were in all their tucked in glory.

And now, as I’m getting older and things are beginning their southernly migration, I’m left in fear of the day they reach their final destination. You see, I’m not endowed with those particular qualities of my grandmother. No matter how southernly mine move, I’ll never be able to harness things in a waistband. I think I’m probably going to have to stick to conventional containment fields. My kids are relieved! LOL

Whenever I hear about older people moving south, I think of my grandmother! So, what sort of aging issues do you worry about??

Holly

2007-06-05T14:03:00.000-04:00

Last year's, HERE WITH ME, won a Write Touch Readers' Choice Award!

Holly

2007-06-03T15:17:00.001-04:00

My lovely friend, Kate Walker, is celebrating the release of her fiftieth book! Join the party at http://kate-walker.blogspot.com/! ~Holly

2007-06-03T13:26:00.000-04:00

I'll confess, Conan O'Brien is on my Top Friends list on My Space, even though...well, I don't really know him. And though it's rare that I make it through an entire episode of his show, I do enjoy it. And when I tell you I don't stay awake through his whole show, I'm not saying that he puts me to sleep. Actually, the truth is, I frequently TRY and stay awake to see it all the way through. But I don't think it comes as a shock to anyone that Conan's on a bit late at night, so I'm pretty sure that no one's shocked that people do occasionally fall asleep watching him. I'm betting I'm not the only one. But, I guess if I were him, I wouldn't want people admitting they fell asleep watching my show. So, let's forget I mentioned it!!?? But, hey, if you're sleeping, but you've got a particular show on during the ratings sweeps, does it count? Yes, it's an if-a-tree-falls-in-the-woods sort of question.

Okay, maybe it's a good thing that Conan and I aren't great friends, even though he's on my top friends section, because after confessing he puts me to sleep, we probably wouldn't be friends any longer! And that would be a shame! LOL

If you're on My Space, come visit me at http://www.myspace.com/authorhollyjacobs. You're welcome to be my friend, even if we've never met. And while you're there, say Hi to Conan as well! LOL

Is there anyone famous on your friend's list?

Holly

2007-05-17T15:17:00.000-04:00

Hola! Me alegro que el primer libro en mi triología real, El Juego De La Princesa, (The Princesa Game) Harlequin Jazmin, está siendo traducido a Español aquí en Los Estados Unidos. Estará disponible en las librerías en junio, pero puedes conseguirlo en mayo a eHarlequin.com. Espero que le gustes la historia de Parker y Jace!

Parker Dillon, también conocido como La Princesa Marie Anna Parker Mickovich Dillonetti of Eliason, vino a Erie, PA para ir a la universidad en el anonimato. Encuentra que le gusta ser solamente Parker Dillon, así que al Terminal al carrera, no vuelve a casa. En lugar de volver a casa, abre un cafetería junto sus dos amigos, Shey Carlson y Cara Phillips. El reinado de su familia todo marcha bien y Parker es feliz con la vida que lleva hasta que su padre le cancela su cuenta corriente. Ahora trabaja en Monarch’s para ganarse la vida. Las cosas empeoran todavía más cuando su padre le envía un no muy querido prometido para llevarla a casa. No quiere nada del príncipe. Lo que realmente le ha llamado la atención es el investigador privado que ha contratado su padre para vigilarla.

La vida de Jace O’Donnell es un verdadero caos. Su hermana se está divorciando y se ha trasladado con sus hijos gemelos de 13 años, Bobby y Amanda. Se supone que Jace está siguiendo a una princesa “fugitiva” mientras sus sobrinos, quienes han decidido pasar las vacaciones de verano aprendiendo a ser detectivos, le persiguen. Y por si esto fuera poco, la princesa es la mujer más bella que jamás ha conocido. Si no fuera de la familia real, el la conquistaría. Pero su experiencia familiar le ha enseñado que las relaciones con distintas clases sociales nunca funcionan y por ello intenta mantener las distancias aunque es un trabajo muy duro ya que todo lo que él quiere es envolver esta desobediente princesa con sus brazos.

Dos personas con un pasado diferente descubren que lo único importante que los une…es que se aman!

**********************************************************************************

And for those who don't read Spanish and are interested, the note says:

Dear Reader,

Hello! I'm excited that my the first book in my royalty trilogy, El Juego De La Princesa, (The Princess Game) Harlequin Jazmin, is being translated into Spanish here in the US. It's available on the shelves in June, but you can get it in May at eHarlequin.com. I hope you enjoy Parker and Jace's story!

Holly

El Juego De La Princesa, (The Princess Game) Harlequin Jazmin

Parker Dillon, aka Princess Marie Anna Parker Mickovich Dillonetti of Eliason, came to Erie, PA to go to college in blessed anonymity. She finds she likes being just plain old Parker Dillon, so even after college ends she doesn’t return home. She opens a coffeehouse and with her two college friends, Shey Carlson and Cara Phillips instead. Monarch’s and Titles are doing well and Parker is happy with her life, until her father cuts off her access to her trust. Now she’s working at Monarch’s to earn a living. Things get even worse when her father sends her unwanted royal fiancé to bring her home. She wants nothing to do with the prince, but she does like the looks of the private investigator her father's hired to watch her.

Jace O’Donnell’s life is chaos. His sister is getting a divorce and has moved in with her 13 year old twins, Bobby and Amanda. He’s supposed to be trailing a runaway princess, and while he’s at it, he’s being trailed by his niece and nephew who have decided to spend their summer vacation learning to be detectives. To make matters worse, the princess is the most gorgeous woman he’s ever met. If she wasn’t royal he’d make a play for her. But Jace has learned from family experience that crossing the class-line never works, so he tries to keep his distance. But keeping his distance proves hard, since all he really wants to do is wrap this wayward princess in his arms.

Two people from different backgrounds find they have all that matters in common...they have love!

2007-05-16T08:17:00.000-04:00

I feel as if I lost a pair of good friends. The Gilmore Girls had their last episode last night, and now they're gone.

The show had a rough time after its brilliant creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino left, but she'd done such a great job creating such believable characters, I hung on until this last episode. I'm going to miss my weekly visits to Stars Hollow. I'm going to miss Kirk and the quirky townsfolk. Miss Patty, Sookie, Taylor. I'm going to miss the repressed, but deep-down loving Emily and Richard. I'll miss uptight Paris and drummer mom, Lane.

I'm going to miss visiting Luke's diner. Sometimes I swear I could smell the coffee. And I'm betting I'm not the only viewer who sometimes wished I could try the pancakes.

But mainly, I'm going to miss Lorelai and Rory. I have three daughters, and I'd like to think we have their kind of relationship. That mother-daughter bond that weathers the good times and bad. I think it's what all moms hope for...that our daughters will grow up and become our best friends.

Thankfully, I still have the DVDs. I can revisit Stars Hollow any time I like. But it won't be quite the same watching reruns. Still, I'm sure I'll check in from time to time, just for a taste of home. To listen to the rapid-fire dialogue that makes me smile. To smell the coffee at Luke's.

Goodbye, Gilmore Girls.

Holly

2007-05-15T13:55:00.000-04:00

HERE WITH ME (my last Silhouette Romance ever...sigh) won the Colorado Award of Excellence! Just got the call and I'm still Snoopy Dancing.

Here's the thing, writing is very solitary. Sometimes you hear from readers, which is always lovely, but most days, you hang out by yourself, with just those characters in your head for company (well, and Ethel Merman! LOL). It's nice to get some positive feedback.

Maybe I'll celebrate today. It's beautiful here in PA. Must be near eighty, but it's windy enough not to be too hot. Still, it's perfect ice cream weather! That's the perfect celebration. Have I mentioned Blue Moon ice cream here? There's this little ice cream store on Parade Street here in Erie. It makes this neon blue ice cream. I've never totally identified the flavor. Think fruity mixed with sweet tarts! If you're ever in town, do head down Parade Street and try a cone. We like to take ours a few more blocks to the dock. There's something so nice about walking along the bayfront, watching the boats, and the sun sink behind the peninsula on the other side of the bay!

Wishing you all your own Snoopy Dances, and some ice cream!

Holly

2007-05-02T07:51:00.000-04:00

El juego de la princesa is the bestselling Spanish language book on eHarlequin today!

Holly

2007-05-01T07:22:00.000-04:00

Having a Son

I was the mother of two daughters when I gave birth to my son, but I'd grown up with brothers, so I thought I was prepared.

I was wrong.

I should have had a clue that he was going to be a tad bit more difficult when I recalled my brothers' youths...but I remembered my brothers from a sister's perspective, and just remembered they were pains and not much else.

But even without that, I should have guessed he was going to be difficult when two years went by without him sleeping even one time through the night. Not once. Still, I blithely assumed once he slept through the night, I had it made.

Now he's a teen and I realize I was wrong. I haven't seen his bedroom floor in months. I can't remember what color the carpet is. I walk by his bedroom and can't resist sneaking a peak, hoping the floor has miraculously reappeared, but no. I found the shirt I remember him wearing on Christmas, two months of clothes from the pizza shop he works at, shoes, ski equipment, and last summer's golf equipment. But no carpet. Oh, and there's wrappers from the Easter candy his aunt sent over...or maybe they're wrappers from Halloween. Who knows.

Gently, I close the door and wonder what color the carpet is. He's going away to college in a few short months, and I know I'll find the carpet then. His younger sister is jonesing over the room and can't wait until he moves out so she can move in. She'll find the carpet and tell me what color it is. And she'll feel the walls need painted to coordinate, and she'll probably need new bedding and accessories.

Boys are different than girls. They don't care about what color the carpet is, or the walls for that matter. My son might drive me crazy...but I'm going to miss him like crazy when he goes. No one to watch geeky shows with, no one who'll eat whatever I cook and think it's good. He's grown. My job is done. Now when he doesn't sleep a night through, it's by choice, because he is a night owl, and he no longer needs me to stay up with him. He graduates at the end of this month, then leaves for Europe with his oldest sister. A few months later, he leaves for college.

Yes, boys are different than girls. And as much as I long to know what color that bedroom carpet is, I know I'm going to miss mine like crazy.

Holly

2007-04-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

Doing a Snoopy Dance!

And since I have no dancing abilities, it's a scary sight to behold. But anyway, I'm dancing because I just heard last year's Here With Me, the last book in my Perry Square series, is a National Readers' Choice Award Finalist!

Now, before you think the news has given me a swollen head, know that I spent yesterday stripping seventeen year old (I know the date because it was penciled in under the paper) wallpaper from the bathroom walls. Painting tomorrow. Plus I've just finished washing all the windows, putting in the screens, and doing dishes. Yep, no swollen head, just a bad Snoopy Dance! LOL

Holly

2007-04-18T08:44:00.000-04:00

Stars

Tomorrow night I'm going to see Man of La Mancha. I'll confess, I'm excited. Okay, so the musical is a bit more operatic than I normally prefer, but I love the underlying messages. Reach for the stars. See the world as beautiful and it will become more beautiful. And I guess, they're philosophies I've always tried to live by.

Writing, for instance. When I decided to try to write a book, that was truly reaching for the stars. I'd always been a big reader, but writing a book is a whole other ball of wax. And I had more than one fall on my journey...I imagine there are more falls in store for me. But I pick myself up and try again. That's all we can do. The only other option is not to try... Not much of an option.

And seeing the world as a beautiful place... if we could all embrace that point of view, think how much nicer the world would be. A smile here, a kind word there. One of my favorite things is writing nice notes. When someone does something exceptional, I don't just thank them in person, I put it in writing.

One of my favorite nice not stories is about a security check point at the St. Louis airport. I have a metal plate in my leg, and make airport buzzers go off. So I begin and end most trips with being frisked by the security staff. Most checkpoints are okay, the people are professional and to the point. But the checkpoint in St. Louis had some of the nicest people. They went out of their way to make the experience painless for me. And as the lady was frisking me, I watched the guys are the x-ray machine. A little old man was a couple people back in their line, and to be honest, his carry-on bag weighed as much as he did. So, one of the security guys came out, helped the two ladies in front of the old man put their bags on the belt, then helped the old man. It was a nice way to help the gentleman without calling attention to him. I was so impressed by this group's genuine kindness that I wrote a note to the airport. And I got the nicest note back from their department head. Uh, I don't think security gets a lot of nice notes. LOL Maybe, the next time someone is nice to you, send a note. It might brighten their day.

Wow, all that from Man of La Mancha! LOL Think of me tomorrow night a very happy Broadway junkie!

Holly

2007-04-06T06:35:00.000-04:00

The WRONG Holly Jacobs

Rumor has it that a certain professor feels I'm the wrong Holly Jacobs.

Okay, you're scratching your head. Let me back up. For a classroom assignment, a professor told his class to write an obituary, then assigned them a person to write it about and assured them that they could find enough info on Google to do write their obit. A girl named Kristi was assigned...Holly Jacobs. She googled the name and...there I was. 96 out of the first 100 entries were about me. And Kristi wrote my obit. I died on Lake Erie in March. Now, she didn't mention how I died on the lake, but I'm sure I was doing something exciting. March...on the lake. Hmm. I was probably ice fishing and caught a whale of a fish. Now, you probably think I'm going to say the fish pulled me in, but no. I was so excited about that fish that I did one of my goofy, Snoopy dances of joy...on ice. I slipped, hit my head and died. Sad, isn't it? I digress.

Anyway, Kristi wrote a lovely obit. Talked about my tragic death, the family I left behind (and would someone please tell my son, I forgive him for leaving so many clothes on the floor that I haven't seen his carpet in months), and the books I've written, and was about to write. It was nice to see my life summed up by someone else. She turned it in to the professor, and he gave it back without a grade. When Kristi asked about it, he told her, "You've got the wrong Holly Jacobs."

Now, I'll confess, I've always felt like the right Holly Jacobs. But maybe I was wrong. So I called someone who should know... my mom. She assured me that after being in labor for thirty-eight hours with me, she was positive I was the right Holly Jacobs. I asked my husband, he asked if I wasn't the right Holly, did he have to pay alimony? Then he asked, what's the other Holly look like? Oh, yeah, I married a funny man. Friends and children assured me of my rightness. And of course, my dog, Ethel Merman, thinks I'm the right one. But I wasn't right enough for Kristi's professor.

I feel guilty. As if the ten years of my writing life haven't been quite enough to make me the right Holly Jacobs. That maybe I should have worked harder, written more, done something else in order to be the right Holly Jacobs. But alas, I didn't, and poor Kristi has to pay the price for my slacking with a gradeless obituary. SIGH.

Poor Kristi, I was the wrong Holly Jacobs.

My poor mom, who was in labor for an absurd amount of time in order to bring...the wrong Holly into the world.

My poor husband...okay, so he's not going to be poor if he can get away without paying alimony and the other Holly's better looking.

My poor kids, maybe that other Holly would have been a better mother? Maybe she wouldn't have nagged my son about those dirty clothes on the floor?

Poor Ethel Merman, she still thinks I'm the right Holly, but she's a dog, and not overly bright, so what does she know?

And that poor professor, who, if he met me might find he liked me and even if I wasn't the right Holly Jacobs, I was certainly worth of an obituary.

Geesh. Talk about questioning your existence.

Holly
The wrong Holly Jacobs.

2007-03-29T08:11:00.000-04:00

Spring Cold

Today we're going to talk about something serious...very serious. Having a cold in the spring. There's nothing worse. In the winter, when you have the sniffles, you can curl up on the couch under the quilt with a box of tissues, a cup of tea and a stack of chickflicks at hand. You can make a huge pot of chicken noodle soup. You can revel in your cold, and enjoy pampering yourself.

However, when you have a cold in the spring and, after months of a temperature under thirty degrees, the temp is in the fifties, the sun is shining and every fiber of your being wants to be outside, hiding under that quilt is less than appealing. As a matter of fact, it's so less-than, that you don't. You go outside and work, regardless of the fact you're at the tissue-every-five-minutes stage of your cold. You simply stuff your pocket with a hefty supply and work through it, trying to convince yourself that this cold isn't THAT bad. Of course, when a neighbor walks by with a small child, who shrieks when she spots your brilliant red nose, your watery eyes and I'm-sick-and-couldn't-be-bothered-with-styling hair...well, it's hard to overlook the fact that it is in fact THAT bad, and you have to admit that having a cold in the spring sucks.

Wishing you a cold-free spring, and if that doesn't work, wishing you lotion tissues stuffed in your pocket as you do your yard work!

Holly--capable of scaring small children today with my current cold induced looks!

2007-03-21T10:18:00.000-04:00

It's spring!!

It's still cold here, but rumor (okay, not rumor, the weatherman) has it that we've got warmer weather blowing our way. I can't wait. I want to be outside...want to work in the yard and enjoy the sun. Hope whever you are, spring has sprung in reality, not just on the calendar!

Holly

2007-03-13T07:02:00.000-04:00

Favorite Things...

Everyone has probably seen Julie Andrews singing to the Von Trapp kids about her favorite things...rain drops on roses, kitten's whiskers.

I've been thinking about things that make me happy. Of course, my family and friends come first, but discounting people (not that I discount them, but we're talking about things LOL), what sort of things just make you smile?

This weekend a bought a whole new set of bedding...new sheets, new blankets. I've got to confess, there's something totally smile-worthy about getting into a bed made up with crisp, brand new sheets. Same day I bought a new cofeemaker. Another smile worthy thing. Getting up in the morning to find a pot of coffee waiting for me...ahhhh.

Okay, so those are geeky favorite things, but this one's even geekier...my new Dyson. Cleaning the carpets and floors, which I do daily (see previous posts about Ethel the dog, manufacturer of lots of hair) and finding the canister full...well, it's probably my geekiest delight, but there it is. I love my Dyson. LOL

If you'll note the little slideshow in the previous post, you'll find another geeky glee...I love puttering with that kind of stuff!

Today, it's supposed to get up to sixty degrees...got to confess, that makes me happy, too! LOL

Holly

2007-03-09T19:21:00.000-05:00

2007-03-05T06:26:00.000-05:00

CONTEST...

No, it's not mine, but the prize might rank as better than mine. Oh, I know you all love my prizes, but Harlequin's offering a week at a resort. Check it out!

I'd love to hear that one of you won!

Happy Monday, btw! It was a long weekend here. There was a tourney at my daughter's school. We started our Saturday out working it, then watched her bball game, then were back again that night to work the Fun Night. It wasn't a very hermitty day, but it was lovely!

Holly

2007-03-02T06:47:00.000-05:00

And the winner is....Tracy and her dog, Nora! I'm sending Tracy a private note this morning. Thanks for making this contests such a huge success!

I'm planning a new contest in the near future. I'll be posting both here, and at the website, so keep checking back!

Holly

2007-02-28T16:17:00.000-05:00

It's the end of February...wow! One sixth of the year is over. I hope these first months have been wondeful, and that things only get better!

Here's my treat for you...a few weeks late fo Valentine's but still, it seems appropriate to post it in February. A few years ago, I was asked to do a story for eHarlequin.com. They gave me (and four other writers) a opening paragraph and asked us to write a short story around it. Mine, Kissing Cupid, is posted on Harlequin's UK site. Here's the link, and hope you enjoy!

Holly

2007-02-27T17:39:00.000-05:00

I've so appreciated all your letters, and the chance to "meet" the pets that give your lives such joy! Tomorrow's the last day for pet stories. I'll be drawing on the 1st of March for our winner. Thanks again everyone! This has been a fun contest...and such a fun way to launch my latest book, Laugh Lines. I hope you all will ask your library to order a copy...and check in on the 1st to see who our winner is!

Holly

My favorite pet is Bathsheba, my cat. We had to work so hard to save her when she was born. To get her to eat we had to blend pasta in a blender for her. THen we started mixing it with dry cat food and finally got her to eating cat food. Now she lays on me all the time and has refused to go outside like all the other cats. She is so beautiful. ~Jane

Thanks to someone else being very unkind and unthoughtful we have a wonderful cat.
Last Spring someone dropped off a cat at our home in the country.
He was half grown, housebroke and a beautiful Siamese.
He of course has taken over our hearts and our home. ~Christy

My favorite pet was a amozon parot named Chico. He had a few words he would say such as Chico is a pretty bird, he also expected a plate of food at meal time. ~Gail

2007-02-26T10:11:00.000-05:00

Recently, a number of you have asked about my fairy books. First off, thanks for remembering them, or discovering them! I wrote them for ImaJinn Books, and they've since gone into an e-version at Fictionwise.

Let's see, I've brought royalty to Erie, PA in my Perry Square Royal Invasion trilogy, so why not fairy godmothers? LOL You've probably figured out by now that I think Erie's got it all! LOL

You can read an excerpt from each of the books at both Fictionwise, and ImaJinn. You can also find out more about the books on my website. Mad About Max, Magic For Joy, Miracles for Nick, Fairly Human .

Oh, and yes, Janice asked, this was before I started using the pen name, Holly Jacobs. If you'll note the H and R in Fuhrmann, plus that double N at the end...well, let's just say I did a signing once where they put no vowels in my last name. I decided it might be better to try something else! LOL ~Holly

2007-02-21T12:42:00.000-05:00

2007-02-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Alrighty then...Laugh Lines is officially available online! And in honor of its release, I thought I'd introduce you to a friend. In Laugh Lines, Dani tries her hand at stand-up comedy. She finds she has a flair for it. I do a lot of public speaking, and I'll confess, I know the rush of totally owning an audience. Finding that rhythm of your talk, knowing when to add that little something that will make the audience laugh. It's intoxicating. Dani finds that same rush. As much as I suspect my rush is similar, I don't actually do stand-up. But I'd like to introduce you to Charlotte Maclay, who in addition to her writing, does do stand-up. Here she is...

I’m Charlotte Maclay and I am a ham!

Give me a microphone and an audience, and I’m doing the Snoopy dance. (Well, not literally, I might hurt myself, but you get what I mean.)

I have been speaking to audiences of all sizes and shapes since first grade. While 90% of the world is terrified by the thought of getting up in front of an audience to speak, I’m pushing everybody out of the way so I can get to the mike first.

Which makes it weird that I waited so late in life to become a stand-up comedienne. I mean, I can’t even stay awake late enough to watch Jay Leno much less perform at that hour.
However, I do perform fairly regularly for senior citizen groups, alumni organizations, women’s clubs and the like.

One of my most memorable gigs was at a retirement home where the average age of the audience was 92 ½. Those present who were not senile, deaf or napping in their chairs really enjoyed my routine.

The toughest gig for me is a stage performance where the audience is in the dark and I’m standing in a spotlight. I can’t see a soul. There’s no way to make eye contact. If I don’t get a laugh when I should, I can’t tell if the joke bombed or the audience decided to go out for a drink—and they’re not planning to come back.

Nowadays, I enjoy combining the story of my writing romance novels with my stand-up routine. The goal of my presentations and of my books is to leave my audience and my readers smiling.

Drop by my Web site www.CharlotteMaclay.com Click on the Lite Side and you’ll find jokes written by students in my recent online class, The Art of Writing Jokes. I think they’ll leave you smiling, too.

Charlotte Maclay
Make No Promises
Leisure Love Spell
Available now

Thanks, Char! Please, take a minute to go visit Char's site!

I'll confess, I so admire my character Dani, went chasing after her dreams! Especially a dream that involves really putting yourself on the line like that, standing center stage, under the spotlight! So what would you secretly want to try?

I hope you all will ask your libraries about ordering Laugh Lines. Thanks as always for your support!!

Holly

2007-02-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

More pets (the contest ends next week, so do send in your pet stories!):

My favorite pet is a little all grey cat who my son and I adopted from the Humane society.
What did it for us is that the poor little thing was hitting his head on the cage at the HS because he wanted to be petted so bad.
So we opened the cage and he just started purring and purring Matthew asked what’s his name Mom? I said Storm.
He said we have to get him.
I said I’ll call Dad.
Storm or Stormy looks like a Russian Blue he is all grey with green eyes.
He is real sweetie ~Beth

My favourite pet is our little 2 year old yorkshire terrier named precious.he is a real little darling. He is a member of our family and has all of us well trained to perform certain tasks for him. ~Linda

I lost my favorite pet last year. Skeeter was a wired-haired dachshund and my constant companion for 18 years. I really miss her. ~Kathy
Kathy, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know how bad it can hurt. We lost our Mastiff last year and still miss him. Sending hugs!

My favorite pet was a dear sweet Maltese named Angel. I had visited the local Humane Society and told them I was looking for a small lap dog. They said they would call me when they received one. When I received the call I rushed to the Humane Society. There was this precious little neglected Maltese. They told me the owner brought her because they were moving and couldn't take her. That was the best thing that could have happened to her. She immediately stole my heart and became a member of our family. She was around 5 years old, matted pink tinged hair, what looked like black coffee grinds in her ears and bad green teeth with horrible breath. I headed straight to the vet's office to get her shots and have her spayed and get her teeth cleaned. When they spayed her they found a bad infection in her uterus. They said I saved her life by bringing her in to be spayed. Then the next trip was to the groomers. She was a different baby when I picked her up. She was white, fluffy and! full of love. I was confused at why she didn't come when I called her name "Angel". I tried different names thinking maybe that wasn't really her name. I still had no luck. On day she was asleep next to clothes hamper in the hallway. I accidentally dropped the wooden lid with a loud bang. I noticed she didn't flinch. I dropped it again. Still no movement. Then I realized why she didn't come when I called her name. She was also deaf. It made me so mad to think of how the previous owners neglected and abused her. We think someone who wore a baseball cap abused her. The first time my husband came through the house with his ball cap on she ran up to him barking, growling and nipping at his leg. She reacted this way whenever anyone had a ball cap on. When they would take the hat off she would change back to the sweet loving baby she normally was. She lived to be 14 years old and was such a blessing to our family. Everyone that came over fell in love with her and wanted to take her home. We had to put her asleep 8 years ago and we still miss her so much.
~Crystal

My favorite pets are my two marmalade kittens - two identical sisters. I called them Fatso (she's twice the size of her sister) and Red. Fatso is very pushy, always climbing on top of you, begging scraps of food and attention. Red is very lady-like. She would stick around, making sure she is noticed but very dignified. Red is also very independent. She is the proverbial cat who walks alone. Fatso, when petted to her heart's content, scrunches to a little ball on the nearest available surface and can snooze for hours. I love them both to pieces. ;-) ~stasy

2007-02-14T09:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! I hope it’s a lovely day that you get to share with someone special! My youngest has a basketball game tonight (weather permitting), so no romantic dinner here, but we went out last week for an early celebration.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a new Holly Jacobs’ romance....

LAUGH LINESby Holly Jacobs
ISBN 0-8034-9814-4
Avalon Books, 2/07

Welcome back to Erie, PA! In LAUGH LINES, the disc jockeys from WLVH radio station are MCing at a local comedy club, Chuckles. And they prove that WLVH, where love is more than just a song, still has the magic touch...it follows them into the club and...
Dani Sinclair has moved home to Erie to be closer to her family and to tackle a new job as CEO at a Hamlin Texts. That first day, while trying to escape a killer-bug (running from a plain bug sounds stupid, but if you say killer-bug it makes sense) she literally bumps into Luke Miller, the owner of Chuckles, a comedy club. At Chuckles, Dani finds she’s got a talent for stand-up...and she’s standing a lot, except when she falls for Luke! Unfortunately their road to love is peppered with a few rotten tomatoes and prat falls, but like all true comics (and romantics) they keep trying until they get it right!

You can read an EXCERPT here.

By now, you all know the drill...this is an Avalon release, and the publisher’s main market is libraries. The books are hardback, library bound, so they’re pricey. If you ask your library to order it, you’re helping me out, Avalon out...and you get to read it! Win-win-win! LOL (Well, I hope you getting to read it is a win !)**********************************************************************

Also, last summer’s HERE WITH ME, was reprinted in a hardback, large print version. Again, very pricey, so if you’re calling your library to request Laugh Lines, maybe you could request this one as well? Here’s the info:HERE WITH METhorndike (Hardback/large print reprint), 1/17/07 ISBN:0786292253 ************************************************************************

CONTESTThere’s still time to enter the new contest. I’m giving away a copy of last year’s NIGHT CALLS, an Avalon release. It had an Old English Mastiff in it, based on ours, who passed away last January.

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BOOKS ON THE MOVE
More and more foreign readers are signing up for the newsletter...thanks! Here are some translations that are available now...Once Upon a Prince has a Czech and Polish translation 2/07. Do You Hear What I Hear? was a part of a French Anthology in December '06. Once Upon a Princess published in Germany 11/06 and in Poland January '07. Here With Me published in Spain 11/06 and as a Thorndike Largeprint Edition in January '07 . Once Upon a Princess has a Czech translation in January '07!

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UPCOMING RELEASES:

Once Upon a Princess is going to be available in the US and Canada in a Spanish translation...
El Juego De La Princesa: (The Princess Game) Harlequin Jazmin (Spanish), 6/07

And my first Harlequin Everlasting is just around the bend in October. This one is so very special...find out why on my website.The House on Briar Hill RoadHarlequin Everlasting Love, 10/07ISBN #978-0-373-65419-2

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Wow, after a very mild December, winter found Erie, PA in January...and keeps right on finding us. We’ve got snow and it’s freezing cold! I’m so looking forward to spring. But for now, I’ve got a fire going, I’m sitting on my couch, with Ethel Merrman, our new dog, and working...life’s not so bad, despite the snow!

As always, thanks for your continued support. You all helped make December’s Dashing Through the Mall, a great seller! I so appreciate it!

(PS for everyone in Erie, check out today’s paper! If you’re not in Erie...there’s an article about me on the front page! You can check it out at http://www.goerie.com/ if you’d like!)

Happy Valentine’s!

Holly

2007-02-13T19:39:00.000-05:00

Another celebrity cat. First Kate Walker's, now meet Cathie Linz's (see the previous post about her current releases)!

"The photo is of Whiskers, who is an official cover model -- he was on the cover of Dec 2006 RT!

This is his follow up photo for Valentine's Day (notice the teddy bear and heart in the background). Whiskers is five years old, and he's a rescue shelter cat that I got as a kitten. More photos are on my website (a cute one on top of my newsletter section shows him and his brother Rascal as kittens). Did I mention that Whiskers faithfully sat at my feet while I completed my new book BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY (coming out in October). The fact that the hot air duct was there and it was cold had nothing to do with his feline loyalty .

This is Whiskers brother Rascals (who lives up to his name every minute of every day!) "

You can visit Cathie and see more pics at http://www.cathielinz.com/.

Happy Valentine's!

Holly

2007-02-13T09:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's! Well, almost. I hope tomorrow's a lovely day for all of you. No romantic dates here. Our youngest has a basketball game. But, to be honest, I just enjoy hanging with my dh, so a bball game is as good a place as any.

For this week's blog, I thought what better time to discuss what I've been reading than Valentine's, especially when I've been reading so many of my friends' books lately!

Cheryl has been a great friend and mentor since I first started writing. I've always so loved her stories. The Lawman's Bride (Harlequin Historical Series) by Cheryl St.John was no exception.

Sophie is running from her past...straight into Clay's arm. Problem is, she's a criminal, he's the law. But maybe there's more to the story...and maybe all it will take is love to figure it out.
Cheryl St. John always tells gripping stories of the heart...and The Lawman's Bride is no exception. As a matter of fact, it's exceptional!
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Okay, here's something you might not have known about Cathy...her husband is my cosmic twin. Well, at least that's what she claims. It seems whenever the two of us are together, trouble ensues and she seems to feel we're both to blame, but truly, it's all his fault! LOL

Fully Engaged (Silhouette Intimate Moments) by Catherine Mann
Rick and Nola had a magic weekend together...then she left. Now she's back, and Rick's playing bodyguard. Protecting Nola makes him realize he can't let her go again.
Mann is an author who knows how to blend a fast-paced intrigue with true and heart-racing passion. A must read!

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There's a minature castle on my office shelf, and every time I look at it, I think of a good friend, Kate. I met her for the first time at a conference, but had been lucky to have known her for a long while before then online. At our lunch, her husband and I both used the word Lovely more than once, and since then, they've been my "lovely" friends. If you go back a few weeks on the blog, you can read about her cat, the world famous Sid!

The Italian's Forced Bride (Harlequin Presents) by Kate Walker
Alice has fallen in love, but realizes that Dom will never return her feelings, so she returns home to England...and discovers she's pregnant. Alice knows that he has to know the truth, but she's not really prepared for Dom's reation. A truly, "lovely" story of a love that was meant to be!

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Okay, here's a confession, she might be one of the biggest names in romance, but she's still a very sweet, down-to-earth lady. I was in a conference at Atlanta, on an escalator with a huge suitcase. Now, I don't think I've ever mentioned my bad leg here, but I have one, and it had been giving me grief. So, I did this hugely graceful stumble on that escalator. There at the bottom, was Nora Roberts, looking horrified, and ready to spring into action and catch me if I fell. Now, my suitcase in and of itself was a deadly weapon, so she was extremely brave because between the suitcase and me, we could have smooshed her! (And that is how the rumor that I almost killed Nora Roberts started...thanks Susan! LOL) You've got to love when someone you admire is as nice in person as you imagined!

Remember When by Nora Roberts
I 'm pretty sure everyone knows that Nora Roberts and JD Robb are one in the same woman...one of the best writers in modern times! Well, teaming these two sides together in one volume was brilliant! In the first story, Laine Tavish is trying to live down a less than reputable past, when trouble comes and finds her in small town Angel's Gap. It's up to Max Gannon to find out if she has anything to do with the missing jewels. What they find together is something worth more than the jewels. In the second part of the story, Max and Laine's granddaughter has written a book and told the story of the missing jewels, of Max and Laine. Now, death seems to be dogging her heels, and it's up to Eve Dallas to finally put things to right.
A brilliant, engrossing story!

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Cathie and I both write for Silhouette Romance and over the years have become friends. Not only is she a gifted writer, she's a heck of a lovely person!

Bad Girls Don't (Berkley Sensation) by Cathie Linz
Opposites may attract, but when Nathan and Skye come together it's more than attraction, and they're more than opposites. A belly dancer and a cop? Linz pulls of another magical story with a great central couple, quirky and inviting secondary characters and lots of laughter! A don't miss read!

Good Girls Do (Berkley Sensation) by Cathie Linz
Julia wants nothing more than a quiet, ordinary life, but when Luke comes back to town, it doesn't look as if Julia's going to achieve that particular goal. But maybe, getting a little shook up isn't all that bad??!!
Linz sparkles in this story that complete with a whacky small town, tons of laughs...and a great love story!

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's filled with love, friends...and good books!!

Holly

2007-02-13T09:02:00.000-05:00

Pets again!

I'm going to confess, I've enjoyed this contest so much more than the others I've had on the website. It's been great to see a more personal side of all of you. I've loved meeting your pets as well. My Ethel is curled up next to me on the couch as I do this week's blogs. It's been a year since we rescued her from the pound. We suspect she was abused. But over this last year, she's gone from skittish to cuddly.

Okay, another contest, favorite pet, entry:

I have had several unforgettable pets who, to my joy, have lived well beyond their life expectancies. My delight now is my English tortoise haired feline named 'Banshee'. Born a wild barn cat she has embraced the pampered indoor life. She runs to greet me at the door when I return. She 'answers' me when scolded for jumping on the table. (Very sassy!) If I am not feeling well she is at my side. Her cold nose prods mine if I do not rise early enough. She asks for very little. An ear scratch, food, water. Oh yes, please check..the BOX. In return she is a great comfort. ~Peggy

Only a couple more weeks to enter. I'll draw the winner on March 1!

Holly

2007-02-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

Oh, my gosh is it cold...right now, in Erie, PA it's a whopping zero. And my yard is buried in a couple feet of snow. I've spent the better part of the weekend helping shovel us out again, and again, and again. How long until spring? LOL

But there are some perks to all this snow. I don't feel guilty about hermiting in my house, working on the laptop on the couch, right in front of the fireplace, underneath my quilt! All that snow means, I'm getting my writing done at a record pace! Hope you all are warm wherever you are!

Oh, and I have two more foreign books out in February...Once Upon a Prince has a Czech and a Polish translation. I love having my books travel (someday I'm hoping to travel as far as they have!)...it gives me geeky glee! Plus, Here With Me is in a new hardcover, large print reprint from Thorndike, available at Amazon or Barnes and Noble online.

Okay, stay warm...find a good book to read. I just got Cheryl St. John's newest book, The Lawman's Bride, and Nancy Warren's Speed Dating calling my name!!

Holly

2007-02-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

Only a couple more weeks until Laugh Lines is on the shelf. And the favorite pet contest only has a few more weeks to go. Here are two more favorite pets....

We have this wonderful and adorable dog, Bogie. Bogie has a special personality, friendly and sweet. He is small, part Corgi and German Shepherd mix and is active, interested in people and has to know everything going on. He has become such a part of our family and has endeared himself to friends and neighbors so quickly.

My favorite pet was my cat, Pooh. I got him from a pet shop, not knowing he was too young to be taken away from his mother, I think he was scarred mentally for life! He hated everyone but me and would literally chase people out of the house. He must have had dozens of lives for all the death-defying acts he pulled -- he lived till he was 21 years old! There will never be another cat like him! ~Carol

2007-01-30T10:11:00.000-05:00

I know I have a number of libraries who read my newsletters and this list, which is why I'm posting here that Here With Me is available in a Hardback, Large Print version from Thorndike. I wouldn't suggest non-library readers run out and buy it...it's expensive. You can still find copies of the original mass market edition online at Amazon and B&N if you missed it first time around.

And, because a few of you asked, yes, I opened a My Space account. It's at http://www.myspace.com/authorhollyjacobs Feel free to stop there and visit!

As for what's up here...snow, snow and more snow! I'm watching it outside the window now, and realizing I'm going to have to go shovel again soon! Hope wherever you are it's warm!

Holly

2007-01-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

More Pet Posts....

Don't forget, send your "favorite pet" post to me at Holly@Hollysbooks.com, or post it in the comment section here, to be entered in the contest for a copy of Night Calls.

My favorite pet: Nora About two years ago we lost our 11yr old Rottie - the love of our life since she was a tiny pup. Not thinking I could ever love another the way I olved her, I shied away from getting a puppy. We heard about a senior girl rottie from a rescue we volunteered for. She needed a home badly. I thought I would not have to love her, just make her life better. Well, Nora has made our life better - mended our hearts and I love her more than anyhing - way more than I ever thought possible. ~ tracy

My favourite pet is a yorkshire terrier we named Gizmo.he is 10 years old,spoiled rotten and we love him tremendously.please enter me in contest. ~Linda

Alrighty....... My favorite pet would be my baby skipper. He's huge, he's a mutt, but he's the biggest baby you've ever seen. Skipper is so beautiful. He has one crystal blue eye and one brown. He loves to cuddle up to my feet no matter where i am. he's one of those dogs that just seem to know what i'm feeling. I tell him all my secrets (cause i know he won't tell). He's also the family gaurd dog, which seems so odd to me. He's such a loving baby, but when it comes to strangers, he's so protective over us all! he really is my best friend. I love that boy to death! he's been around for a lond while, 10yrs, and i'm very much afraid of losing him. No one wants to lose their best friend! But for now i'm gonna just keep on lovin' him and babying him. lol ~Amy

2007-01-23T11:32:00.000-05:00

Okay, a few more pet posts. (I'm giving away a hardback copy of last year's Night Calls to celebrate my new release, Laugh Lines) Speaking of pets, our dog, Ethel Merman, has a whole new trick to getting attention. She's become a cat burglar! Yes, I know, a dog who's a cat burglar, but there it is. She goes into stealth mode, stalking any unsuspecting item in the family room, then before you know it, she's gone...and so is the item. She loves socks. The plus side is, since she takes socks, the family have been better about not leaving them all over the house. The bad news is, if you don't take them off, she's not totally against taking them right off your foot! LOL And the last few days, discovered my dh's phone. Thankfully, she's not interested in damaging the items, she just wants to get your attention and play catch-the-dog.

Okay, here are a few more blog-readers' posts on their pets:

My favorite pet was our family dog, Casey, who passed away a year and a half ago. She was a big dog who had no idea how big she was. She was part Black Lab and was wonderful with our children. She never growled or snapped at them no matter how they tortured her. It was awful for all of us when she died but now we can look back at the good times. ~Maureen

My favorite pet was a cat named Bobby Socks. He was a realy neat cat and would actually knock at the door to be let in and out. He was sadly hit by a car and returned home injured. The vet said the only reason why he was alive was because of his love for us. ~Debby

My favorite pet is a cat (my cat is Muffin). I love the personality of a cat. ~Judy

Hope you all have a great week!

2007-01-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

Coupons...

I just got a big batch of fliers about Harlequin's new Everlasting Love line. My first book for them isn't until October of this year (The House on Briar Hill Rd.) Anyway, the fliers have two $1 off coupons, good for an entire year for any of the Everlasting Love books. If you'd like a few, send me a SASE (an indicate you want the fliers) to Holly Jacobs, PO Box 11102, Erie, PA 16514-1102, and I'll send some off to you!

Holly

2007-01-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

Excerpt:

Oh, there's an excerpt from next month's book, Laugh Lines, up on my website now!

Hope you enjoy!

Holly

2007-01-13T09:57:00.000-05:00

Pets

We're still talking about pets we have, pets we used to have...pets we love. (In case you missed the original post, I'm giving away a copy of Night Calls, which featured an Old English Mastiff modeled after our dog.) Here are a few of the posts...

"My favorite pet is my almost four-month-old salt & pepper female miniature schnauzer, “Pepper Too”. She’s a bundle of joy and energy. My 13 ½ year-old salt & pepper female miniature schnauzer, “Pepper”, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on October 19, 2006 – and her sister, “Heidi Jo”, my 14 ½ year-old black female miniature schnauzer joined her on December 2, 2006. " ~I Love Schnauzers

"My favorite pet is my 10 year old Maltese, Annie. I had her sire for 13 years and I am afraid that she is the last of the line. She is a very happy dog (my Granddog) and I love her to death!" ~Cheri

"A favourite pet is something difficult to decide. With 6 dogs, three large and three small and each with their own distinct personality, how does one pick one ? But I suppose our cross chow/bull terrier, Simba probably comes first to mind. Although he is a very heavily built dog with a massive head and jaws, he is the gentlest thing you could ever hope to find. He gets pulled around on his neck by the other two large dogs and licked to death by the smaller ones, but remain totally un-perturbed. I think he must be a distant relative of Ferdinand the Bull, because he also loves to sniff flowers. About the only thing that gets him going is snakes as them he attacks with ferocity." ~Carol

"My favorite pet is my Snoodle-part Schnauzer and part Poodle. His name is Sandy. He is blonde like me. He turned 15 in November but still looks and acts like he is a much younger dog. Whenver I take him to the vet he jumps up and down eager to see the Doctor who says "I can't believe he is this old." He is my best friend and travels with me wherever I go. It seems at times he can read my mind and know what I am going to do. He is the smartest dog I have ever owned. I thank God every night that he has let me have Sandy for this many years. I love him very much." ~Jackie

"My favorite pet now is Willie a hyper, book loving Jack Russell terrier. He keeps me busy and if I am reading a book and happen to lay it down where he can get at it-well, I can't tell you how many times I have had to go to a bookstore and finish reading that book. He shakes and bites the pages out of them. Doesn't bother a hardback, just the paperbacks. I guess he does that to see me chsse after him.He is an intelligent dog and very lovable but certainly different from the dogs I have had in the past (chihuahuas)." Joy

More posts to follow...keep sending them in! (See contest rules)

Holly

2007-01-09T08:19:00.000-05:00

Well, since we're talking about pets (see my current contest) and I've been getting emails from all of you (I'll start posting reader's pet's soon), I thought I'd kick off the pet posts with one about one of my favorite pets who isn't mine. He's Sid and he owns Harlequin author, Kate Walker (not the other way around LOL). I've heard Sid stories for years, and asked Kate (a brilliant writer and a lovely, lovely friend) to introduce Sid to all of you!

Holly

Kate Walker:

Sid is my cat. – well, one of four - I never intended to have four cats. Some years ago I had three and 3 is a nice number. There’s one for my lap and one for the BM’s – and one left over for any visitor who wants a lapwarmer. But cats decide who they’re going to live with. And one night we opened the door to let the cats in and in came Bob, Dylan, Spiffy – and Spiffy brought a friend with him. A handsome, big (very big) black and brown tabby who just about announced that he lived here and would I please show him where the food was. (Actually I don’t believe he said please – just 'Lemmme at the food!’)

And so Sid came into our lives. We tried to keep him out in the hope he would go home, but he just sat outside our patio doors and yelled and yelled and yelled. We couldn’t sleep. The neighbours couldn’t sleep and Sid was not moving. So we let him in. We tried to find his previous owners at the start - but then when we found that he had half his whiskers pulled out and air gun pellets in his stomach, we decided they weren’t worth looking for. We called him Sid because of an ancient radio comedy programme called Round the Horne which had a character named Rambling Sid Rumpo in it. Rambling Sid suited the wanderer. At first he was a rather pathetic creature. He was nervous and panicked if anyone went near him, he slept with his eyes open and twitched and moaned in his sleep. His head and his tail – a wonderful, thick, richly furred tail - stayed down. He didn’t even have enough spirit to lift his tail for the first five months he was with us.

But once he was secure in his chosen home, Rambling Sid turned into A Force in Fur. He lost the ‘Rambling’ part of his name and gained a knighthood. As TS Elliott says, cats have many names – and this is certainly true of The Force - his full title grew until it became Sir Sidney St John Willoughby Portly-Lummox ACOSB (A Cat of Superior Breeding). Anne McAllister has added to that by awarding him the honours of Earl of Hellions Bumpstead and Lord of Blubberhouses. (And for those of you who are laughing at those ridiculous names, I assure you they are real, genuine English village names the first in Essex, the second in North Yorkshire.)

Since his arrival Sid has become A Personality (note – I resisted the temptation to say A Purrsonality). He now regularly appears on my web site – where he often gets more fan mail than I do). He is the one who ensures total fairness in the choice of all the winners of my contests. I put all the names of the entrants on pieces of paper, top each one off with a cat crunchie and the one Sid eats first is the winner. If this was the 1600s and not the 2000s, he would probably get me accused of being a witch and having him as my familiar as he rarely leaves my side. He sleeps on my bed (well – he sleeps on me!). He sits on my lap, and if get up he follows me. And during the day, when I’m working, he sleeps on my desk, curled around the computer keyboard. He’s there now – dozing contentedly and occasionally reaching out a paw to pat my hand as I type. If I pause to think then he senses the silence, lifts his head and pushes it under my hand so that I have to stroke him. As an aid to thought it’s pretty good. He just wonders why it took us so long to realise this was where he belonged – he knew this was home from the moment he saw it.

The only fly in the ointment - or cat in the way of the firespot, is Dylan. Dylan and Sid will never be friends. So that’s Sid – or, as he’s usually known to my readers Sid The Cat. The capitals are important. In his mind, he’s The Cat and no one else gets a look in. Oh well, four cats is a very nice number - there's one for the BM's lap and two for anyone visitors. There's no room at all on my lap - that's Sid's territory and only his. ~Kate Walker (you can visit Sid and Kate--notice Sid came first--at "their" website or blog!)

2007-01-09T07:42:00.000-05:00

Fun Links

Here's a link for you to my friend's Lee's site. She's put up a post by me that you might enjoy! Plus, she has an awful lot of fun things going there. Her Tote Bags 'n Blogs is a fun site!

Oh, and speaking of fun, if you visit eHarlequin this month, they're debuting the new Everlasting Love line (I have a book out with them in October) with a buy one, get one half off special!

Holly

2007-01-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

Well, Once Upon a Princess was translated again...this time it's in Czech. I love it when the books travel. Are you from another country and looking for Harlequin Books? There are links on my link page to a number of them. If you know of another site in a country not listed, email me and I'll add it! Truly, it gives me such geeky glee to see them travel.

Speaking of geeky glee (and really most of the glee in my life is quite geeky), I got a Dyson vacuum the other day. If you read about my contest, you'll know we have a dog. Ethel Merrman, and boy does she shed. And boy, does the Dyson pick up that hair. It's amazing to watch. And I'll confess, I no longer say I'm vacuuming...I say I'm Dysoning. LOL Yep, geeky glee.

Holly

2007-01-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

There's a new contest on my website!!

My first contest in 2007 is designed to celebrate my February Avalon release, Laugh Lines. I'm giving away a hardback copy of my '06 Avalon release, Night Calls . It was story that featured a dog, Dudley. Dudley's based on our Old English Mastiff who passed away last year. They're both big, slimy and very sweet.

So, how do you enter? Just send me an email with "contest" in the header, and tell me about your favorite pet. I'll post excerpts on my blog, Hollyworld. Send me your email at Holly@HollysBook.com and I'll enter your name in a drawing. You'll also be signed up for my newsletters!

Oh, and other fun news...one of my first Silhouette Romances, Do You Hear What I Hear? is available in France as part of a holiday anthology, while Once Upon a Princess is visiting Poland this month.

Congratulations to Sue! She won the last contest...that little "Library" bag!

Happy 2007!

Holly

2007-01-01T08:02:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!

Is everyone making their resolutions? Me? I'm a firm believer in making ones I know I won't break. For instance, one year, I resolved to try a shot of tequila. I'd never done one, and it sounded like something everyone should try at least once. A friend's dad showed me the "cool" way of holding the shot glass, the lemon and the salt all in one hand, so you can toss it back in a fluid motion. I'm going to confess, that one shot was probably all I'll ever do (margaritas are much better than shots LOL), but hey, I accomplished my New Year goal!

I took two weeks off from writing over the holidays...something I rarely, if ever, do. Okay, so I'll confess, the longer I was away from the computer, the more I found myself coming up with new ideas. I firmly wouldn't allow myself to open my word processor, so I'd jot them down in a notebook, which is now filled with ideas and bits of dialogue. I'm chomping at the bit to get back to the writing tomorrow. Which leads me to this year's resolution...

I'd love to say I plan weekly dates with my dh. And if you consider our Saturday shopping trips together (which we do), I'd say we're good to go. But hey, it's New Year's...I'm going for something a bit more difficult. How about, a big fancy, all out date with him? We have a gift certificate for a very nice Italian restaurant. So, to lead off my ‘07, we'll get all gussied up and go out WITH NO KIDS! Yep, thinking that's doable. LOL Okay, and I'll add to that. After the holiday writing break, I'm inclined to think that the occasional writing day off might be good for me, so I'm resolving to cut myself some slack. This year, I'll take a day off now and again to just hang and have fun!

There you are, my resolutions are taking time to smell the roses and a date. Not too bad. Hope you all have figured out what you plan to resolve for ‘07, and that it's an amazing, wonderful year for everyone!

Holly

2006-12-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

So, my youngest, firmly believing in my cooking/baking abilities, decided she wanted to make a gingerbread house. Now, I've never made one, but found a recipe and templates for one in my magazine, and we set out to create a masterpiece.

Uh...this would be one of those cases when the best of intentions don't always make for succesful results.

The gingerbread turned out great. It produced rock hard pieces. The "glue" seemed less than adequate though. We tried, and did manage to get the the walls to stay up. The roof...well, not so much. After a long period of trying, I admitted defeat. My dh called and said save the house pieces and we'd all try again the next day. So youngest daughter and I scraped off the less than sticky glue and set the house aside.

Now, this is where I should mention my dog, Ethel Merman's favorite treat is gingersnaps. The spicier the better. Well, she sniffed out the house, and in a wolf chasing little pigs sort of thing, ate it. SIGH. Our gingerbread house was not to be. LOL I asked my youngest if she wanted to try again. She just snorted. That was the end of our gingerbread house making for the year. Maybe we'll try again next year.

Now, all this was slightly humiliating, but to add insult to injury, every show on the Food Network the next day featured...wait for it....wait for it...gingerbread houses. And I'm not talking the tiny cottage we attempted, I'm talking whole villages...people....animals. Some of the people said they spent more than 250 hours on them. And my dh kept skimming over to the shows, calling us to view the masterpieces. Grrr. Guess who's getting coal under the tree? LOL

Speaking of trees, and gingerbread...may you all have a wonderful holiday (whichever holiday you're celebrating this December)! May it be filled with family, friends, fun and lots of love!

Holly

(The gingerbread house at Walt Disney's Grand Floridian...this is not what ours looked like! LOL)

2006-12-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

Last July's Here With Me (cover to the far left) is being reprinted in January '07 by Thorndike. It's a large print/hardback edition and you can find it at Amazon.com.

I love when my books travel! Here With Me is also out in Spain!

Holly

2006-12-12T08:32:00.000-05:00

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful..." Okay, I might be in the Christmas spirit, but this isn't quite the right song, because today, it's everso beautiful out! The sun is shining and the temp is supposed to get near 50, which is very rare for Erie, PA in December. Last week, we had Lake Effect snow, and my fireplace was in use all day. Today, I'm thinking I'll be fine outside with just a sweatshirt! Love that.

But despite the unseasonable weather, I'm in the holiday mood! We put the Christmas tree up on Sunday, I've made five batches of hard candy and a slew of cookies. I love this time of year. And because I love giving gifts, I have a cool contest going on my website. Visit me at http://www.hollyjacobs.com/ and go to the contest link. I'm giving away a very cool, handcrafted purse. The material is bookshelves (it's hard to see in the picture) and is perfect for readers. I'll be drawing New Year's Day, so get your entry in now!

Happy Chanukah, to everyone who celebrates it!!

Holly

2006-12-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

Power-Shopping

Well, I did my own variation of Dashing Through the Mall on Saturday morning...I call it power-shopping. Now, truth be told, I hate to shop, but if I have to do it, I go in knowing what I need, get it, then escape as quickly as possible. My kids have all learned the fine art of power-shopping. Unfortunately, my husband has not. And to make matters worse, we were shopping for gifts that involved tools. Yes, I had to take my non-power-shopping husband into Sear's tool department, where row after row of Craftsman tools required that my he weigh their merit next to his own. So, power-shopping wasn't all that powerful. As a matter of fact, it pretty much came to a standstill in Sears. My daughter and I made short excursions into other departments, only to return to see if he was done...and find he wasn't. The good news is, the boys on our list he was tool shopping for will have a very nice Christmas morning!

Okay, now that I've totally ratted out my husband's tool obsession, I have to confess, there is one store in the mall that is my downfall. A store I can't manage to power-shop through. The bookstore! Our is a Borders Express with some of the nicest employees ever! I always go into the store, smile at them and set off with the best of power-shopping intentions. I find the book I want, and feeling smug in my power-shopping abilities, head toward the cash register and...a book calls to me. It demands I pick it up and admire the cover, check out the back blurb, maybe skim a few pages. I swear, it's like a siren's song, befuddling me to the point I forget all about power-shopping and the fact I hate shopping as they weave a spell and make me not only pick them up, but by them...a quantity of them. I used to read a book a day easily. But now that I write, I don't have as much time, so my speed has slowed down, but that hasn't slowed my purchasing. I have a TBR (to be read) pile that's growing on its own! Last time I went in for a couple presents, and ended up buying myself Norah Ephron's, I Feel Bad About My Neck. What a riot! I couldn't put it down.

Hope you all are making headway with your holiday preparations! Check back next week...I'm doing a little holiday contest (with give aways).

Holly

PS Another angle on shopping comes from Isabel Swift at http://www.isabelswift.blogspot.com/. Her November 30th blog.

2006-11-30T13:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I just got the official title for my October '07 release. It's The House on Briar Hill Road. It will be my first release for Harlequin's new Everlasting Love line.

I'll share more about the book soon.

Holly

2006-11-29T16:34:00.000-05:00

Just got the news that last summer's Silhouette Romance, Once Upon a Prince, won a Laurel Wreath Award! The other two books in the trilogy have also done well. Once Upon a Princess is a Holt Medallion Award Winner and a Reviewer's Choice winner, and Once Upon a King is a Golden Leaf Award Winner!

That's my day's happy news!

Holly

2006-11-26T13:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a great holiday! I adore Thanksgiving! I love turkey and stuffing. I love the whole family getting together. Most people like the family aspect, but I know that some people aren't so fond of the cooking aspect, but the truth is, I love to cook. A certain friend finds the fact I love hanging out in my kitchen rather suspect. The idea is foreign to her. She prefers her food from her favorite restaurant. I can't help it, I like cooking. I like fudging recipes, adding more of this and less of that. I love the smell as the food cooks. Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chicken Noodle Soup, fresh bread...they're all smells that warm a house! And of course, I don't mind the eating! LOL

I don't know that I realized how much of a cook I was until we had our kitchen renovated in the fall of 2004. We'd bought my husband's family home, a place of so many happy memories, but a house with the smallest kitchen in the history of kitchens. I mean, it was tiny. I used to say that you could spit and hit pretty much every surface, not that I spit in the kitchen, but you get an idea of how small it was. LOL One night, BA (before addition), I was baking. I leaned down to open the oven, and hit my butt on the counter behind me. I moaned that it was a symptom of the smallest kitchen in the world, but my husband–who likes to live dangerously on occasion–implied that it possibly wasn't the kitchen but the size of my butt. Hurmph. He thought he was quite amusing. Me? Not so much! LOL

Anyway, we added on a ten by twelve addition, with a huge island, tons of counter space. We connected it into the existing family room. What a great living space. It's gorgeous. But it didn't come easy. It was four months in the making. That's months, as in weeks and weeks of not cooking. Months of eating out. That's when I realized I was indeed a cook! It got to the point that I'd ask the kids where they wanted to eat out at and the only response was groans. Even McDonalds lost its magic.

After the kitchen was redone, I went on a cooking spree to end all cooking sprees. I invested in new cookbooks. I got a subscription to "Cooking Light." Yep. I was more of a cook than ever. On that note, tonight, being a bit turkeyed out, I'm making a pork roll, homemade sauerkraut (cooked in beer). I buy both the sauerkraut and pork at a local meat market. If you're ever in Erie, PA, try Urbaniak's meat market. It's got an old world feel, where the people know your name and take a great deal of pride in their business. Okay, back to the menu, sauerkraut, pork, mashed potatoes and apple crisp. We picked up a twenty pound bag of potatoes yesterday from a farm out by our camp, and the apples come from Fuhrman's Cider Mill, another Erie landmark. I'm not just someone who loves to cook, I'm someone who takes a great deal of pride in my hometown! I guess it's good that you learn that early on in my blogging!

While, I don't have pictures of Urbaniaks or Fuhrman's Cider Mill, I do have a number of pictures from Erie on my page. You can visit at http://www.hollyjacobs.com/PS.htm. And if you're looking for something new to try in the kitchen, buy some sauerkraut (I know, you can't get it at Urbaniak's, but try one of the refrigerated varieties in your neighborhood grocery store), toss it in your crock pot with a can of beer...doesn't matter what kind, whatever's your favorite. Cook it for at least two or three hours. The beer mellows the sourness. It's great with pork, or on hotdogs!

Hope you have a week filled with cooking, hometown pleasures and family! Of course, as a writer, I should probably also hope the week is filled with good books!

~Holly

2006-11-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Hollyworld, my online blogging home. Who am I? I'm author, Holly Jacobs. I write for Harlequin, Silhouette and Avalon Books. Of course, I'm not just a writer. I'm a wife, a mom, a daughter, a friend... I have a lot of hats.

So, why name my blog, Hollyworld? It all started at a conference a few years back. I was taking some new-to-the-conference-world friends around and told them not to be nervous...they were in Hollyworld. And in Hollyworld, there are only two types of people--those who know you and love you, and those who don't know you but will love you. LOL It became a bit of a joke. And every year, more friends join me in Hollyworld. I hope you will, too!

I plan to try and add a new post every week. What are we going to talk about? Books, kids, dogs...life in general! I have a book on the shelves now. Dashing Through the Mall. It's a Harlequin Anthology with pals Sherryl Woods and Darlene Gardner. I hope you'll check it out!

Thanks for dropping by! Come back again soon!

~Holly