Wednesday, April 27, 2022

On Grief

 

I started my writing career writing comedies (I Waxed My Legs for This? anyone?). When I began writing more emotional books, some readers were surprised...and I'm so thankful they stuck with me. There was so much to explore in these stories about being human. One I've come back to again and again is grief.

Loss. 

We all carry some grief over a loss with us. As a writer, I have the luxury of writing my way through my grief. One of my most autobiographical books is Briar Hill Road. I had a very close relationship with my mother-in-law. She was one of my best friends. (We used to joke that if my husband divorced me, I was getting her in the settlement. Thankfully, we never had to test that one!)  Losing her...well, it left a hole in all our lives. I wrote Briar Hill Road as my way to work through that loss. The story is fictional, but there are so many layers of my truth in it.

I wrote Just One Thing as another side of exploring loss and grief. It was a book I knew was different. I mean, most of the book took place on Mondays. (Yep, it was my homage to my Monday Glee.) And it was a story told in reverse, through flashbacks. I had someone close to me who dealt with depression. That feeling of helplessness in the face of their pain...this was my way of dealing with it. And though I suspected it would be a hard sell, I still felt driven to write it. My agent kept getting..."We love it but..." rejections. But eventually it found its home and went on to be my bestselling book to date. And I've received so many touching notes from readers who found some comfort in the story. I can't tell you how much that meant and means to me.

I understand that when I'm writing a book, I own it. It's my journey from Once Upon a Time to The End. But the minute I type the end, that story lives a life of its own. It might change under editorial revisions, but I still own those revisions. And then it goes to the readers. Sort of like a train. (I'm using train because a certain family member is crazy for them.) My book is a train and the reader is the passenger. They bring all their own baggage with them when the board and they pick their seat...each seat might have a slightly different view. They own the story at that point. Whenever their view moves them to send me a note...well, I treasure that. And when I hear that a book helped them deal with their grief...it means even more.


Homecoming is a different type of book on loss. Learning to let go and open yourself to something new.  It was part of my Hometown Hearts series. Each of the books dealt with some kind of loss. From giving a child up for adoption, to dementia, to losing a friend... The series dealt with community and how they can help us heal. Having someone else believe in you when you're at your lowest point makes a difference.

I like to think that though my books are fiction, they represent real life. From laughter to love to loss. The whole of it. And each one of those come into play to different degrees in each of my books.

My July release, Chances, deals with yet another kind of grief and loss. One tragic accident changes my heroine's life. Despite her grief, she finds a new path that gives her...well, another chance. It's available for preorder now. And I hope you'll check out these...and my newest release, A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery. 

Holly

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A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery
Kindle
iBooks
Kobo
Nook




Have you missed any of my Hometown Hearts series? Here's the list:


Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1




A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2





Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3



 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4


Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5





Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 


Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 





Something Unexpected: A Hometown Hearts short story 
Amazon

A Hometown Christmas: Hometown Hearts #8
Kindle 
Nook
AppleBooks
Kobo



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3 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:46 PM

    Holly, recognizing bits of authors in their books is part of what makes the books so enjoyable. I love best the books in which I can detect the author's personality. That's part of what I loved about A View to a Kiln, having followed your adventures in pottery for several years. JV

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    1. HollyJacobs5:46 AM

      JV,

      Thank you so much. There really is a lot of my life in my fiction. I hope that those very real emotion add reality to the stories. And I'll confess, conversely, my fiction influences me real life. I wrote about pottery in Just One Thing. I described the heroine working with clay. It awakened a real desire to work with it myself...leading to the classes and now my own studio. I love that sort of circle. And thank you...I'm so glad you liked Harry's story!!

      Holly

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  2. JV10:15 PM

    Also, I know I've said it before, but "I Waxed My Legs for This?" is my all-time favorite title of any book. I can't remember where I first heard about the book, but I commented so many times about how much I loved the title and wished I could get the book. However, it was out of print. I talked about it so often that Kaelee found it in a used bookstore, bought it, and sent it to me from Canada. I loved the story, too, of course, and the memory reminds me of how much I miss being able to exchange cards, holiday greetings, and small gifts with her. She was a lovely person, and I miss her very much.

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