Thursday, January 30, 2020

Quiet

The house is quiet.

Weirdly quiet.

It's generally filled with Himself, various kids and dogs.

Himself is in Disney with some of the kids. I was supposed to be there, too, but even though I've ditched the crutches (YAY!!) I'm not up to a Disney trip. At least not the way my family does Disney...I've Fitbitted that in the past. It's generally at least a 20,000+ day. Yep, my swiss cheese thigh and I bowed out. And since Ella passed away, I'm here in this eerily quiet house.

I'm working on a new book and the main character is suddenly alone. And I think I understand the silence closing in on her better than I did when I started her story. I was trying to remember a time when I was all alone in a house for any extended period and came up blank. Most of the time, I'm cramming my work into the quiet minutes between the crazy ones. This week, I have a string of quiet minutes. And I'm hermit enough to enjoy the change of pace. For me it's a treat, but for my character...  Looking at a lifetime of those quiet minutes is a daunting task.

So I'm filling these quiet minutes by cooking food I love and Himself isn't such a fan of. (I made a banging cream of chicken and tortillini soup...mmm.) I'm working on the book I mentioned and in the studio, and I'm trying to finish this last Sanderson's Stormlight book (Dude, 1,200 pages?). I think I'm fortunate that I love solitude. LOL

How about you? Chaos or quiet? Or like me, do you enjoy a healthy mix of both?

Holly

PS Himself tried out the newest Star Wars ride yesterday and said it was amazing!

PPS. I hope you'll check out my new series!

OUT NOW: Crib Notes

Preorder: A Special Kind of Different
Kobo

Preorder: Homecoming
Amazon
iBooks
Nook
Kobo

The rest of the Hometown Hearts series will be coming soon.
Suddenly a Father will be out in September of 2020 and
Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Something Perfect in 2021!

ON SALE THIS WEEK at Amazon:

Just One Thing
First Everything But trilogy







Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Creating

So, I've been slowed down now for a month and a half. First on crutches and now limping along without crutches but with daily step limits.

So I've binge watched some tv and read almost 3,000 pages of Brian Sanderson's Stormlight Archives.

ANNNNND, I've been creating. I'm back at working on a new book. And I have a new release, Crib Notes! (If you haven't checked it out yet, I hope you will!) Plus, I've done a bunch of painting. And now that I'm getting back in the studio, I'm doing some tile work for the new studio...which now has a name. Holly'sWoods Studio! LOL (I have way too much fun with my life.) To be honest, I can't imagine a life without creating. It gives me glee.

Ray Bradbury said, "In my later years, I have looked in the mirror each day and found a happy person staring back. Occasionally I wonder why I can be so happy. The answer is that every day of my life I've worked only for myself and for the joy that comes from writing and creating. The image in my mirror is not optimistic, but the result of optimal behavior."

Yes. I get what you're saying, Ray. Ultimately every book I write or piece of ceramics I create is for my own glee. But beyond that, especially with my books, there's an element of creating for you, too. Basically, I create for my own enjoyment, then I let it go and give it to you, the reader (well, hopefully you are a reader! LOL). As I read Sanderson's books, I feel as if I'm getting to know a bit about him and his world-view. But I might be totally wrong. What he intended as a writer and what I take away as a reader are two entirely different things. And that's the way it is with creations. We give up all rights to interpreting our creations when we set them free. It's up to each reader or viewer what they take from it.

But I hope as you read my books you find pieces of me in each. Sometimes they're blatant things. For instance, I worked with teen moms for years, which my heroine in Crib Notes does. (I talk about it here.) But sometimes the pieces of myself are less concrete. I hope that tucked up in each creation you can find pieces of my glee, of my wonder, or my optimism.  

Creating.

It's really kept me sane since I've been laid up. 

I hope you have your own creative outlets. Like Ray Bradbury said, I think it leads to a happier life!

Holly


PS Here's some of my creation specials out this month:

OUT NOW: Crib Notes

Preorder: A Special Kind of Different
Kobo

Preorder: Homecoming
Amazon
iBooks
Nook
Kobo

The rest of the Hometown Hearts series will be coming soon.
Suddenly a Father will be out in September of 2020 and
Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Something Perfect in 2021!

ON SALE THIS WEEK at Amazon:

Just One Thing
First Everything But trilogy






Sunday, January 12, 2020

My Avant-Garde Past in Books.

I have an avant-garde past...it influences a lot of what I write.

I worked with breastfeeding moms for years. My first speaking gigs were talking about breastfeeding to medical people and colleges. My most memorable talk was a university psych class at 8am on a Monday morning. I doubted the kids would be really excited about asking questions (I so prefer doing talks with audience participation) so I asked them to write their questions/comments on index cards (Hey Susan, I used index cards!). One of their first questions I read was, "Does the size of the breast matter?" I should mention I talk with my hands. So I did a little palm-up hand motion, as if weighing breasts without thinking about what I was doing. I should also mention that the front row consisted of huge, football-looking guys. As I realized what I'd done, I started to laugh and the football team cracked up. Pretty soon the entire class was laughing with us. The rest of the talk went very smoothly. LOL I added a breastfeeding baby to Bosom Buddies. It was one of my earliest sales and started with an absurd breastfeeding situation. I really thought I'd gone over the top and considered cutting it, but in the end I left it in. I'm glad I did because the editor called after reading it and said, "I just died laughing. I'm buying the book, but let me finish reading it before we talk." If I wrote the book today, I'd have written it differently, but I still love this early example of my work. I love that early works are still out there for readers to find, but I hope they all go on to read more current books. My writing has grown. And truly, if it hasn't, I should find another job.

Speaking of jobs, I volunteered at my kids' grade school for years. I was on the school board (school board president one year), worked with PTA and for a number of years I planned and ran the kids' games at our annual Feather Party.  Those experiences influenced my PTA Mom Trilogy. I really loved getting to focus on the balancing act all parents have to do. There's a bonus story in the bundle because truly, I loved those years on PTA and I loved giving PTA moms a shout-out in the stories! It was fun to go back to Erie Elementary.

Speaking of Erie schools, for years I worked with the Erie School District's teen parenting program. Once a year I went in to talk to the kids in the program. There were three of us who were core speakers, with others joining us on occasion. Deb talked about programs available to the girls. Craig talked with a male perspective. I talked about parenting. The teachers who worked in the program at the different district high schools were amazing. This volunteer gig is definitely part of the first book in my Hometown Hearts series, Crib Notes. The book is about a teacher who runs...a teen parenting program, of course. She finds herself pregnant and dumped. So while she is an adult, her journey echoes the journeys of the girls she's worked with for years. And it turns out no matter how old or young you are, there are a lot of similarities in being unexpectedly pregnant and on your own. A lot.

The second book in the Hometown Hearts series, A Special Kind of Different (out in March and available for preorder) has a very special character. Here's my Dear Reader letter that tells how a neighbor inspired that :

Dear Reader,
 
My family had a very special neighbor, Tiffany. My kids and their friends accepted her without question. She didn't verbalize much, but she always had a smile and an utter fascination with watches. One day my kids and their friends came running to the house to get me because a group of strangers were picking on Tiff. We went outside and with a few mom-threats on my part, they left. In that moment, the kids showed not just compassion, but they showed that they knew that different isn't something to be afraid of or mocked...it's special. I was so very proud of all of them!
 
In this second book in my Hometown Hearts series. I introduce the Sunrise Foundation, whose goal is to help exceptional people lead exceptional lives. Instead of locating the story in Erie, I used the fictional neighboring town of Whedon—the setting forCrib Notes—because Erie already has an organization that helps our special residents,The Gertrude A. Barber National Institute.They do such wonderful work.
 
In this story, Anna and Liam both believe that they know what's best for Liam's brother, Colm. In the end it's Colm who teaches them an important life lesson--that you need to stand up for what you want and love!

A Special Kind of Different is a book that's...well, special for me as the writer, and hopefully for you as the reader!

One last story...

My biological father left when I was a toddler. I never met him until I was in my thirties.  That idea of a parent giving up a child came up in Carry Her Heart. I wrote the story from the mother-who-gave-up-the-baby's perspective. And then followed up with the story of that daughter finding her biological mother in Hold Her Heart.  No, not my story really, but stories that echo my stories. (They're on sale this week on Amazon.)

I could go on. There's some element of me, my life, my questions about life in each of my books. None of my experiences are really autobiographical in my fiction. They're a starting point. A place to build off of. I twist my facts and turn them into something totally different and unique. I build characters who do things and see things differently than I do or would. They're uniquely themselves. Real people and real stories in a very fictional way. LOL

I hope you try out any new-to-you stories!

And a special thanks so everyone who picked up Crib Notes last week! After you've read it, I would really appreciate it if you left a review at your favorite online site!

Holly

Crib Notes:

A Special Kind of Different:

The rest of the Hometown Hearts series will be coming soon.
Homecoming and Suddenly a Father will be out in June and September of 2020 and
Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Something Perfect in 2021!

ON SALE THIS WEEK at Amazon:

Hold Her Heart
Just One Thing
First Everything But trilogy




Monday, January 06, 2020

January Newsletter

New Year. New Month. New Series!!

Yes, Hometown Hearts begins today with Crib Notes' release!

You can’t cheat at life…
You can’t cheat at love.

Eli Cartwright has her life all figured out—she has a career she loves and a sensible boyfriend. Then life tests her. She’s dumped, pregnant and totally lost. Then Zac Keller comes into her life. Is she ready for a new relationship?

Eli life isn’t going the way she thought it would, but maybe this is one test she can pass with flying colors.

Crib Notes, Hometown Hearts #1:
Reviews:
“Jacobs' characters display real warmth, and her touching story shows that family isn't always about blood relations." —RT Book Reviews

 “The hero’s quote...sums the book up beautifully. ‘Life happens. What truly defines us as people is how we handle what life throws at us.’" ~Lesa's Book Reviews

"Warning: Holly Jacobs (books) can cause sleep deprivation!"  —Writers Unlimited


A Special Kind of Different, Hometown Hearts #2
Is out in March and available for pre-order now!

For those who've been following my pottery studio saga, it's done!! Well, the builder's part is done. As soon as I'm off these crutches, my part begins! Shelves, a wheel, a kiln... Yeah, there's a lot still to do, but the shell is there!

Congrats to Pat and Margaret who December's drawing! I'll be doing more giveaways in 2020 so keep an eye on upcoming newsletters!

Susan and I have more Trippin' with Holly and Susan videos coming out. We did a bunch of vids on my couch because of my limited mobility right now. And since I'm trying to avoid trippin' we subtitled them, Sitting on Holly's Sofa. LOL You can find them all on YouTube and if you follow me there, they'll let you know whenever a new video is posted!

I hope that 2020 brings you nothing but glee...and a lot of good books!  Holly

Friday, January 03, 2020

Scallywampus

I'm still crutching around and trying to be a patient patient. It's not easy. But here's a quick trick I've found...when life goes all scallywampus, do one normal thing. For me, that's making the bed. Yep, every morning since I got out of the hospital, I hop around the bed and make it. It's something normal in my currently unnormal life.

I've also started to unload the dishwasher.  I never realized that my kitchen was set up perfectly for crutches, but it is. I can move things with ease down a counter to the proper cupboard. Scallywampus totally describes my life right now, so throwing in these little bits of normal makes a difference.

I've always been someone who likes a certain rhythm to their life. I like knowing what comes next. So finding ways to add some of my normal normal into my new normal helps.  I may not be walking 10,000 steps a day right now, but darned if the bed isn't made and the dishes put away.

And even if things are scallywampus, some things are still the same. I've got a new book coming out next week. Crib Notes.  My current situation is nothing like my heroine, Eli's, but she definitely is a character who has to adjust to a new normal. You see, Eli is a high school teacher who works with teen parents. And now that she's well passed thinking of becoming a parent herself, she finds herself pregnant, dumped and has a totally scallywampus life. LOL I think I'll take the messed up leg.

This is the first of my Hometown Hearts series.  Each book stands alone, but there are crossover characters and situations. The first two are available for preorder now:

Crib Notes:

A Special Kind of Different:

The rest will be coming soon.
Homecoming and Suddenly a Father will be out in 2020 and Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Something Perfect in 2021!

I'll confess, there's a bit of scallywampus in each!

Holly