Book Stories...Old Books

Three of my older books are up for sale this week.

Cinderella Wore Tennis Shoes
Bosom Buddies

Laugh Lines

All three are some of the first books I wrote. Yes, they're old. They're frothy. (Someone used that word in a review, and I've loved it for my sweet comedies. I think it really fit.)

So these are not my Romance+ novels, bit emotional stories like Just One Thing, Briar Hill Road or Hold Her Heart. They're light, fun (I hope) stories that helped me grow as a writer. I hope if you read one, you think, yeah that was cute, but it wasn't what Holly writes now.  Here's the thing, if my writing was still like that, I'd be doing something wrong. LOL

So here are three stories about each...er, story.

Cinderella Wore Tennis Shoes was me trying to twist a classic runaway bride story into something of my own. The publisher named it Side by Side...I went back to my original title with the new edition.  I liked mine better. 

Bosom Buddies also had a different title...Baby, It's You. That was a little better, but frankly, Bosom Buddies made me happy.  You see, before I was a writer, I worked with lactating moms. And the opening scene in this book is an homage to that.  The editor read that opening scene, called me as she cracked up and said, "I'm buying this one, but I'll call you back when I finish."  That gave me glee!

Finally, Laugh Lines. I thought a romantic comedy about a comedian had some merit. It turns out, stand up is different than comedy in a book.  Still, I was pleased with the result.  I was not overly thrilled with the cover however. (Publishers consider covers, titles and blurbs marketing and keep the final say-so on them.) When you look at it, please realize that this is sooo much better than the first one. That first version was a giant pole in the middle of a stage. Yep, it looked like a stripper pole. So really, the mic in the middle of a stage was a better choice, but still it's somewhat lacking.  It doesn't say romantic comedy, does it?  It didn't seem to matter much when these were books meant for libraries, but now that people are looking at them as ebooks, it's kind of sad.  

So there you are, three old stories. I hope you see glimpses of the writer I am now in those early books. And I really hope you get a sense of my unbridled joy over what I was doing. I grew up in books and the idea of writing them...it still gives me glee this many years later. 

Thank you everyone who's picked up my books! I am so lucky to have so many readers who stood by me as my writing grew and matured.

Holly

PS As always, you can find my ebooks, paperbacks, hardbacks, audiobooks and available through Kindle Unlimited.  They're also available in a lot of other languages. I hope there's something for all of you!

Find my books at:

Amazon

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Radish Fiction

iBooks

B&N

Google Play

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BAM

In Erie, you can find my books on the shelf at Werner Books! Stop in, check them out and tell them I said hi!

Happy Valentine's!!

February Release View this email in your browser Today is Shrove Tuesday.  Here in Northwestern PA, we celebrate with Fast Naught Kuchen.  I was up early making ours, then went delivering!  Hope you're doing something fun today! And I hope you have something special and fun planned for Valentine's Day!!  I think we're going to an RV show.  Yeah, I know, you're not surprised that a romance author would do something so over-the-top romantic for the big day!  Speaking of fun:

Just in time for Valentine's!!  I have a new release—an anthology of previously published short stories—and two of my bestselling, award winning books are on sale!   My new release is a collection of my previously published short stories and a novella.  I know everyone's busy and sometimes you don't have time for a full novel.  I'm hoping on a day like that, you'll reach for :  Short Stories for the Overworked and Under-Read.  And on Sale: My Award-Winning book, Carry Her Heart, is on sale for 99¢.  Also on sale...my WLVH Radio series!  These were some of my earliest books.  But they were a good time!  Oh, and a bit of an Easter Egg, the dog in Night Calls was inspired by our Old English Mastiff at the time! Pickup Lines Lovehandles Night Calls Laugh Lines And I didn't forget my friends on the other side of the pond! In the UK NEW RELEASE:  Short Stories for the Overworked and Under-Read  ON SALE:  Just One Thing on sale for 99¢. Wish you all a very Happy Valentine's!  Thank you everyone who's picked up a copy of These Three Words! I've so appreciated all the lovely comments and reviews! And keep and eye out in March, one of my early, classic romances is finally coming out as an eBook! Watch for A Day Late and a Bride Short! (It's available for pre-order now.)  It's a modern day MOC (marriage-of-convenience). Holly

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

Excerpt:

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

Hope you enjoy!

Holly

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