Book Stories: Nothing But Luck (it's free for St. Patrick's Day)

Nothing But Luck

One day I had an idea...and idea about a tiny grandma who cursed her family to bad weddings.  It made me laugh.  I wrote up up a proposal that ended up under my bed.  (Well, not literally under my bed, but tucked away.)  A few years later, I met an editor who asked if I had anything for her and I remembered some of my under-the-bed stories.

She was an editor for small niche publisher, Avalon Books.  They sold their books to primarily libraries.  She bought not just my WLVH Radio romances, but also my Everything But...series as well.  They were all lovely, hardback, library-bound volumes. I didn't make a ton of money, but those books introduced me to new readers...readers who fell in love with the main character, Nana Vancy.  The first three books are romances where Nana Vancy is trying to break that curse.  

After she broke the curse, there were three more books where she tried her hand at matchmaking with her two friends and sidekicks, the Silver Bells (Annabelle and Isabel...named after two of my grandmother "Nana's" friends).  Uh, she wasn't good at matchmaking.  And that's how the Everything But...series was born.  Just a casual conversation at a conference.


I thought that was it.  That I'd wrapped up the series.  I got word that Avalon was closing it's doors and a new publisher bought their backlist.  And that's when the series made a comeback.  Montlake books republished them all as ebooks...and last year they all came out as audiobooks! 


Well, to make a short story longer, to celebrate the Everything But... ebook release, I wanted to do something for readers.  So I wrote a trilogy of short stories. Nana Vancy has given up matchmaking people in the final book of the series, Everything But a Dog (those are my dogs on the cover!) and she's matchmaking pets to their new owners in the trio.  I tied them to holidays as well.  Nothing But Heart was a Christmas story.  Nothing But Love was a Valentine's story and Nothing But Luck...well, that's a St. Patrick's Day story and it's free for the next few days to celebrate one of my favorite holidays!  Yes, I have deep Irish roots and a mad love for Guinness.

So Sláinte!  

If you've read Nana Vancy before...thank you for making her one of my best-loved characters. Please pass on the free copy of Nothing But Luck to a friend.  If you haven't read her stories, pick up Nothing But Luck for yourself...and feel free to pass it on to friends!

Holly

(Nana Vancy cameos in
Christmas in Cupid , A Simple Heart and in Carry Her Heart.)  

Everything But... Daycares and Nursing Homes

Everything But a Mother is available on audio. 5 in the series down...1 to go! Nana Vancy and the Silverbells are volunteering at a daycare in a nursing home in this one.

I've been going to nursing homes for...well, for decades. My grandmother had Alzheimers and was in an amazing home a block away from the kids' school. We stopped every day. My youngest basically grew up in that nursing home. And that's one of my inspirations for adding a daycare center in my fictional nursing home in Everything But a Mother. Whenever my kids went into the home, they were rockstars. All the residents got so excited to see young faces in the building.

It's nice to see that my idea is catching on. PBS did a great what happens when a nursing home and a daycare share a building piece. The Everything But series are lighthearted romps, but even in my frothiest stories, you can find things I'm passionate about. From how society deals with our elderly, to healthy eating, to CSA's, to dual-flush toilets and compost piles, oh, and Heinlein, Tolkien and Trixie Belden...I touch on all of it!! I hope you'll check out the Everything But... books on audio. If you bought the Kindle version, you can buy the Audible edition on Amazon for $1.99.

Everything but a Groom - 5/2/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Bride - 5/9/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Wedding - 5/16/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Christmas Eve - 5/23/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Mother - 5/30/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Dog - 6/6/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

And while you're shopping don't forget my newest releases:

Confessions of a Party Crasher

I Waxed My Legs for This?

Able to Love Again

Not Precisely Pregnant

The Book

Same Time Next Summer

Can't Find NoBODY

My Award Winning Words of the Heart series 

Carry Her Heart

These Three Words

Hold Her Heart

When you're done reading (or listening) to a book, I'd so appreciate it if you'd leave a review!  As always, thanks so much!!  Keep an eye out...new Views of My Garden videos are in the works!

Holly

PS if you read down this far...I just gave some free books out to my newsletter subscribers (if you're not one yet, you can sign up here...I always have something new going on for subscribers) and I have a few left.  If you'd like one, send me an email at HollyJacobs1 (at) gmail (dot) com. First come, first serve!

Everything But... Audiobooks!

I wrote a series of short, sweet, fluffy romances for Avalon Books, a small publisher that mainly sold books to libraries.  The books got a new life when Montlake Romance bought Avalon's backlist.  Montlake published them as ebooks.  And now, they're coming out as audiobooks!  Yes, a bossy Hungarian grandmother who cursed her family to bad weddings is still moving!

The first three Everything But... audiobooks are available now on Amazon.  They'll be released on other sites over the next month.  Here are the dates and links!  You can preorder them now.

Everything but a Groom - 5/2/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Bride - 5/9/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Wedding - 5/16/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Christmas Eve - 5/23/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Mother - 5/30/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

Everything but a Dog - 6/6/2017

Amazon, Audible, BN and iTunes

And while you're shopping don't forget my newest releases:

Confessions of a Party Crasher

I Waxed My Legs for This?

Able to Love Again

Not Precisely Pregnant

The Book

Same Time Next Summer

Can't Find NoBODY

My Award Winning Words of the Heart series 

Carry Her Heart

These Three Words

Hold Her Heart

When you're done reading (or listening) to a book, I'd so appreciate it if you'd leave a review!  As always, thanks so much!!  Keep an eye out...new Views of My Garden videos are in the works!

Holly