Move Over Trixie Belden!!

If you've read my Maid in LA series, you know of my love of Trixie Belden. I named characters after Trixie and Honey! I grew up reading her books. I shared them with neighbors and spread the love. My poor copies have duct tape holding together the bindings—a visual sign of how much they were loved.

Well, as of last night, it's official, I don't just love Trixie, I now write those cozy mysteries...and I SOLVE MYSTERIES.

Yes, that's right, move over Trixie. I solved the mystery.  Technically two mysteries.

You see, one of my grandmothers was adopted.  Rumor has it, her adoptive father was her biological father. I found a copy of her birth certificate and it had her birth mother's name. The father was listed as someone other than her adoptive father, but it was a close mix of his name, so I was pretty sure adoptive dad and birth dad were the same man.

But how about her biological mother?

I found a girl with the name on the birth certificate. Right age. She was close enough to my grandmother's birth place that it seemed she seemed like a likely candidate. So I researched her and my grandmother's adoptive (maybe birth) father.

Everything lined up, but still, it was a guess.

Until last night. I found DNA matches between me and my great-grandfather's family tree. Cousins.  I kept searching and found a few of them.

And tonight, I found DNA matches to my possible great-grandmother's family tree. She wasn't just possible. She is my grandmother's mother.

Move over Trixie and Quincy Mac, and Markie Walkowicz!!  I'm a detective.

So much of my family tree has been a mystery. And while I know that family is more than blood, there was a huge question about the people who came before me. Their journeys led to me. Slowly, I'm unraveling those mysteries. Slowly I've discovered where they came from...where I came from.

And with those discoveries, I can reiterate what I've always known...family isn't blood, it's those people in your life that matters. 

I know my mom's favorite person in the world was her grandmother. And her grandmother wasn't related by blood.  Mom would talk about how her grandmother was always there for her and how much she missed her, even decades later. They were true family.

As a writer I love these stories I've discovered. I have doctors and sharecroppers in my tree. I have people with titles, and people who drank themselves to death (literally, a relative was drunk and froze to death), but also as I writer, I know what counts...the people who love you and the people you love. Whether there's a blood connection or not, they are our true family!

Holly

Check out this summer's comedy-palooza!

The Makeover
How to Catch a Groom
How to Hunt a Husband

Heading to the beach...a new release, some romance and a few dead bodies!

A new release is always exciting, even if the new release is just a boxed set of three of your older releases. Yesterday, my 2nd annual Beach Read Bundle came out.  I spent a lot of time with the-powers-that-be trying to decide which books to include.  I wanted light, frothy read that readers could take on their summer vacations.  And I love that they priced it at less than the cost of two books.  Three for less than two.  That means even if you've read one of the books, it still pays to buy the bundle for the other two. (I'm feeling all mathy!)

So which books are in this year's limited time boxed set? It doesn't really take a detective to figure it out.  LOL

First up is the first Maid in LA book, Steamed.  I'll be honest, these stories have some of my all time favorite reviews.  LOL  The 5th Maid in LA book, Polished Off, comes out in June, so this one seemed like a great way to introduce LA's favorite Maid to new readers.

Which led us to choosing Can't Find NoBODY for the second book.  Yes, it includes both my love of Mondays, a bit of glee and a disappearing body.  Think a Weekend at Bernie's romance.  This one's a nice cross between cozy mystery and romance.

Which led to the third story...Confessions of a Party Crasher.  The heroine's lost her job and comes home...to a crazy mother who turns her into an inadvertent party crasher.  This is a romantic comedy, but I love that it has a serious message... sometimes what you think you want isn't what you want at all!

What I really want is for all of you to have a wonderful summer.  I hope you get to visit a nearby beach (and take me...or rather one of my books along).  You can bet I'll be on Presque Isle for some beautiful Erie sunsets. (I took this pic last year...it truly is gorgeous out there!)

So please, pick up 

Holly Jacobs' 2018 Beach Read and let your friends know it's out. Remember it's only available until the end of summer.  And if you've read all three of those books, THANK YOU!!  Please consider checking out some of my other work at:

Amazon

Audible

BAM

Kobo

B&N

iBooks

Google Play

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

Thank you all for all your support.  
Keep an eye out.  I'm doing another cottage tour soon...we've been busy!  And even though I don't have any official classes this summer, I'm still busy.  So watch for more of my arting! And my friend Susan and I are doing a few videos for you soon. If you've subscribed to my blog, you won't miss any.  I'm posting our teaser.

And please, if you have a few moments, leave a review for any of my books you've read!
Have a great day...dare a say, a gleeful day? LOL

Holly

  

Earth Day

Turkey in the woods 

It's Earth Day!!

How did you celebrate?
I have dozens of new trees coming next week, that's going to be my big celebration even if it's a bit late.
To be honest, I try to make every day earth day! We compost and have an organic garden. I walk when I can, and if I can't, I combine my errands and make them one giant circle. I have a rain barrel and a dual flush toilet. (Yeah, I had a sweet scene between a hero and heroine as she installed a dual flush toilet. I thought my editor would make me change it, but she let it stay!)
So Thursday is my big celebration.
Today we went out to camp today, took a long hike (saw turkeys out and about) and I started to get my stuff out of storage and put on the walls now that the cottage is finished. It was like Christmas! I forgot I bought cool canisters at a house sale last year. And my tinware looks great on the shelves!

Canisters

Tinware (black & red)

Tinware (a green set from Sweden)

We have a lot of Erie antiques here at home and I started collecting Crawford County stuff for the cottage. I love this sign over the sink.

Finally, we moved the antique sewing machine upstairs. I'm going to use it as a desk at camp. It's hard to see my view through the screen, but it's going to be beautiful!

I put one of my antique, cast iron presses on the little nook over the stairs. The area still needs something, but I think this will stay there. I like the look.

Tomorrow I'm heading to school and then writing...I'm always writing. LOL I can't wait to tell you all about this WIP (work-in-progress). It's another cozy mystery. Have you checked out Maid in LA? The first four are out now, and the 5th is out in June! If you're in a mood for another cozy mystery, I also have Can't Find NoBODY. I do love this title!
Hope you had a lovely Earth Day and that next week is a great one!
Holly
PS My daughter got me this platter...more chickens. I don't collect chickens, no matter what she thinks! LOL

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

The Same but Different

When I walk, I spend a lot of time thinking.  So here's today's thought process...

When I wrote Just One Thing, my editor and I were discussing what I should write next and she said she wanted books that were the same, but different.  And thus my Romance + series, Words of the Heart (Carry Her Heart, These Three Words and Hold Her Heart) was born.  The stories were all centered on a woman's journey.  A journey that included romance but romance wasn't the reason for her journey, nor was it her ultimate destination.

So I was thinking about my current Romance + story...more on that sometime soon.  And that phrase same but different stuck in my head.

From there my mind jumped.  I've been updating my iPod with some new CD's and had just loaded Simba La La, a lovely CD that the Erie Art Museum put out.  And so that was on my mind as I walked.  A CD of songs from around the world...songs countless mothers have sung to their children.

I'd just been singing Grey Squirrel with one of my favorite one-year-olds the other day.  And as I walked, I felt a connection to all these other mothers from around the world.

And my circular thoughts led me back to that phrase, same but different.

I realized that I loved this little CD that was so very global because it emphasizes the sameness in all of us.  Mothers around the world love their children.  They sing to them.  They want to give them opportunities, peace and joy.  We're all the same but different.

I'd been talking to readers about the fact I write romantic comedies (Not Precisely Pregnant's out next month), Romance + stories (Words of the Heart), and cozy mysteries (Can't Find NoBODY) now.  It seems like a wide range of styles, but to be honest, every book I write is the same at its core...it's about love and family and the need we all have to belong.  They're all the same but different.

That need for love is universal, but if every love was the same, the romance genre would have one book.  She met him.  He met her.  They fell in love and lived happily ever after.  No, every relationship comes together differently.  So despite the fact love is universal, every love is different.  And that's why the romance genre is one of the most popular and enduring.  That's why my books have gone to more than twenty-five countries...where despite different cultures, readers can embrace the stories.  Because love is universal.

It's the same...but different.

And that was how my morning's walk went.  To be honest, it's how most of my walks go. One thought chases another.  Thinking about my work-in-progress intertwines with other things that are happening in my life.

So every walk, in essence is...the same but different!  LOL

Holly

PS. I'm still counting steps on my FitBit...today's thoughts were on a 5,000 step walk!  I'm halfway to the day's goal!

Can't find anything to read? Try Can't Find NoBODY!!

Happy New Years everyone!!  I hope you had a lovely holiday, surrounded by family, friends, love and of course Glee!! I've got a new (old) release for a new year!!  Can't find NoBODY!!  It was originally published as Found and Lost. I am so happy that this ebook version is going back to my title.  I mean, a disappearing dead body romance...could there be any better title than Can't Find NObody???  Nope.  I wrote this book for Harlequin's Flipside line...but the line was on its way out by the time the book came out, so this might be an older book, but there's a good chance it'll be new to you!  Here's more about it... ~~~ Fans of Holly Jacobs' bestselling Maid in LA Mysteries are in for another zany who-dunnit. This time there's a disappearing (and reappearing) dead body. As she hurries out the door on Monday morning, Markie Walkowicz trips over a body. A very dead body. She calls 911 from her closet, because what sane woman would stay on the porch with a dead body and a potential murderer hanging around? To make a bad Monday worse, the cop who shows up is Detective Zac Marshall--her longtime (former) friend. He announces there's nobody...uh, no body on her porch. Over the next few days that body in its orange and green plaid suit keeps turning up—but never sticks around long enough for Zac to see it. Will he have to hang around full-time before he believes her? Markie eventually admits that having Zac hang around isn't that bad. Even if she can't find no body, maybe she has found her somebody. Fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum and Jacobs' Quincy Mac are going to love her newest amateur detective, Markie Walkowicz, as she finds a bit of romance and maybe a certain dead body.   Read Can't Find NoBODY Reviews:   "Holly Jacobs' latest . . . is a delight. A darkly comic whodunit, it's her best book yet."  ~RT BOOKclub "Ms. Jacobs delivers a sweet love storyfilled with humor to enchant her readers . . . prepare to be thoroughly entertained."  ~Love Romances "Holly Jacobs is the master of humorous writing."  ~Writers Unlimited Reviewer "Holly Jacobs hits the laugh track again with this fabulously funny tale of love and mystery."  ~Romance Junkies ". . . an exceptionally humorous and delightful tale."  ~CataRomance Reviews

Last Newsletter's Winners and a New Drawing: Congrats to Kim, Crystal and Diane who won copies of Same Time Next Summer in my last newsletter drawing!  The response was overwhelming! Want to be a part of my newsletter fun??  You can sign up HERE.  This newsletter subscribers had a chance at autographed books.  Who knows what will happen next month?  Speaking of next month... Here's my new cover for my second release in 2017  Not Precisely Pregnant.  I pitched this romantic comedy to my editor as Shrek meets Pollyanna!  It features two reporters...one who covers hard hitting news stories and one who reports using the tagline Nice News Matters. To be honest, I do love nice news and think the world could use more of it!  It's out February 7th!  But you can preorder it now!!   My books World Travels: Carry Her Heart went going to Turkey. Dad Today, Groom Tomorrow went to Spain. Once Upon a King went to Portugal. A Valley Ridge Christmas went to France...for a second time. Ready, Willing and Abel? & Raising Cain are going to Spain. I love taking Erie, PA all over the world! I've got to confess, I love the idea that readers in other countries are reading about Erie! As always, thank you everyone for all your support!  2016 has been an amazing year!  September's Hold Her Heart has been on the bestseller list and the first book in the Words of the Heart series, Carry Her Heart, is a bestseller in Turkey.  And Just One Thing passed 100,000 books sold!  And I know that every one of those successes is because of you! So again, thank you! Happy New Years! Holly