Trippin' with Holly and Susan's 100th Video!!

Yes, I have Monday Glee! Today Susan and I are celebrating our 100th Trippin' with Holly and Susan video! And we have you to thanks! Yes, you. Thanks for following our adventures. Thanks for climbing in the backseat and pitching in for gas by picking up our books! Just thank you!!

You can help us out by sending more questions or topics you'd like us to chat about in our second 100 videos!

Hope you all have Monday Glee and that you come along for our upcoming Trippin' adventures!

Holly

October Sales:

Salespalooza!!
Are there any you've missed? Now's the time to get them!

Hold Her Heart: https://amzn.to/31bbYKP

Steamed, Maid in LA Book 1: https://amzn.to/2olr0Af
Dusted, Maid in LA Book 2: https://amzn.to/2AVmniR
Spruced Up, Maid in LA Book 3: https://amzn.to/2MozA9i
Swept Up, Maid in LA Book 4: https://amzn.to/2LRuPWT
Polished Off, Maid in LA Book 5: https://amzn.to/2OtOptY
Once Upon a Thanksgiving, PTA Book 1: https://amzn.to/35fit2k
Once Upon a Christmas, PTA Book 2: https://amzn.to/2LS7TH4
Once Upon a Valentine's PTA Book 3: https://amzn.to/2nowNEF

Trippin' with Holly and Susan—12

Erie is Eriesistible! It's the setting in so many of my books, but more than that...it's home! Come see why we love it so much in today's trip!

Holly

PS. Carry Her Heart is on sale, along with the 2nd book in the series, These Three Words.

Polished Off

And don't forget my new release Polished Off: A Maid in LA Mystery is out! Check out Quincy's newest adventure!

Join in the fun at:

Amazon

B&N

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

Kobo

Radish Fiction

iBooks

B&N

Google Play

Audible

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!

Erie, PA...a city of romance!!

Carry Her Heart, April 2015

Amazon revealed its list of the 20 most romance buying cities in the US this week and Erie was on it!!  Now, I don't want to claim all the credit...but I write romance and most of my books have been set in Erie.  Coincidence???

I've written romances (the full list is here) from comedy to drama, with mystery and a women's fiction element set here in Erie. More than 2.6 million copies of those books have sold worldwide. 

So why do I set so many in or around Erie?  What makes Erie so special?  

I put together some of my favorite reasons:

1. I guess the first answer that comes to mind is Lake Erie.  We have Presque Isle peninsula and some of the best sunsets in the world right here!  And at the mouth of the peninsula, there's TREC!

Holly, Ethel and Ella

2. There's also the fact that we're a city with a small town attitude.  I love that I can walk in my neighborhood and have people who call out hellos or wave.  There's a certain house on our walk where the couple is known to run out with dog bones for Ethel and Ella.  Needless to say they walk very slowly past it every day.  They are optimistic dogs!

Bayfront

3. The arts! Warner Theater, Erie Broadway Series, the Erie Playhouse, the Erie Art Museum, Lake Erie Ballet, the Erie Philharmonic...

4. Sports! Now, I am not known as a sports nut, but I happen to live with a bunch of nuts (some even love sports)!  So I know we have Erie Otters, Seawolves, Explosion and Bayhawks.  And in Erie, there's a huge following for college and high school sports.

Under the sports heading, I want to give a shout-out to Erie Otter player, Darren Raddysh.  We have a young fan in our family and Darren has gone out of his way to kind to him.  He might not have been born in Erie, but he is an example of the kind of people who call Erie home...people who as far as I'm concerned are why Erie is so special. 

Niagara

5.  How about our growing bay front?? It now houses our Convention Center, our Blasco Library (I'll be talking there with Susan Gable on Valentine's Day at 11 am) and the Brig Niagara and the Maritime Museum! 

6. Waldemeer.  For years my kids, along with generations of school children, have had school picnics there.  Area businesses hold company picnic there. It's a park that you can walk through without paying for a ticket.  But you can buy ride-a-ramas or individual ride tickets.  And seriously, the view of the peninsula and lake from the top of the ferris wheel are some of the best in town!

7. Peach Street...shopping, Millcreek Mall, indoor water parks, lots of hotels and restaurants.

8. Wineries...lots of local wineries!  Lake Erie Wineries.  

9. Recently a lot of breweries, too!  They've just started a Lake Erie Ale Trail!


10. And while not Erie proper, I need to mention the cities and towns around Erie.  When I say I set a book in Erie, sometimes it's actually in a neighboring town or a fictional town just over Erie's border.  We have so much history and beautiful farmland her in Western PA.  There's a growing 'local' movement that I'm so happy to support!  Places like Smith Farms just outside town are a great place to buy eggs, meat and produce.  

Just One Thing's German translation

There are more...so many more reasons I love Erie.  I've set books here for more than a decade now.  And I'm thrilled that copies have gone to more than twenty five countries now, including my newest German release of Just One Thing (which is set just outside Erie between Waterford and Union City) that just came out February 3rd!

We Love Erie on twitter  suggested using the hashtag #LoveInErie.  I think that just about says it all!  There's a lot of love in Erie, and a lot to love about Erie. 

Holly

Erie's Tourism Bureau's Secret Weapon...Holly Jacobs

I don't think I'm being too full of myself when I say I'm Erie's Tourism Bureau's secret weapon.  In fact, I'm so secret, even though I don't think they know about me at all. LOL

Lake Erie at Sunset

In the last few weeks, since my new trilogy started, I've heard from readers.  Readers who once lived in the region and are thrilled to be able to visit through the stories.  Readers who didn't know that Lake Erie has a wine region (it does! More on that in a minute).  And readers with questions about how much of my setting is real and how much is fictional.

I'll confess, I love having a chance to introduce readers to the southern shores of Lake Erie. And I get such glee knowing that it's not only readers throughout the US, but all over the world. Right now, for instance, I have a book out in Australia and one coming out in the UK this June.  That means readers in both countries will not only get a romance I hope they love, but they'll learn a bit about the Lake Erie Region.

Lake Erie Winery, Penn Shore

So, to set the record straight, Erie and North East, Pennsylvania are real.  Ripley and Buffalo , New York are real.  Valley Ridge, NY only exists in my mind.  Well, according to Robert Heinlein (Number of the Beast) that means it could be real somewhere, but for now, let's go on the premise that's it's fictional.

I know a few people who've stopped in Erie because of my books.  I'd love to see more of you visit.  So, if you're heading toward Western, PA this summer, here are a few links that will help you with your tour.

Let's start with wine! (Definitely let's start with wine.)  I had co much fun adding information about our wine region in the A Valley Ridge Wedding trilogy. I've visited wineries along the lake, from Ripley, NY, to North East, PA, all the way to Port Clinton, OH (hey, I had to do the research).  So start your trip by visiting Lake Erie Wine Country for info on our local wineries.

And then let's talk about Erie County's own natural wonder, Presque Isle Peninsula.  So many of my books have taken characters there...probably because it's one of my favorite places.  It's a State Park and a wonderful, unique place to visit!  I love going out for sunsets. But you can also go out on the lagoons in pontoon boats, or bring your own kayak or canoe.  There are trails to walk or bike, and of course you can go swimming!  Tom Ridge Environmental Center is at the start of the peninsula. It such a fun place to visit.

Speaking of fun on the peninsula, you can also visit Waldameer Park.  It's a family friendly amusement park on the lake.  The views from the ferris wheel is amazing, and the park's roller coaster flies over the road that leads to the peninsula.

Be sure to visit our tourism bureau at Visit Erie Pa.

I've been busy on Pinterest.  You can find a lot about the Erie area on my boards there.

Now, something else we're known for, though I haven't talked about about it much in my books, is the Brig Niagara.  This year, there's a ton of fun things going on in commemoration of the Battle of Lake Erie.  Perry 200 has a jam-packed schedule!

Brig Niagara.  It's been rebuilt and has it's own museum here in Erie.

 Of course, I hope you'll all visit the region through my stories, but if you're able, I hope you visit in person as well!  I know as a lifelong resident, I'm biased, but I do believe that Erie is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  I'm so thrilled that summer's here.  You can bet you'll find me out at the peninsula, watching a sunset or two.  Or maybe I'll be heading out to our cottage in the middle of Amish country where I'll be tramping up the creek and watching for deer, turkey and even some bears.  You might find me shopping at the Millcreek Mall, or taking a drive out to North East and Ripley, tasting and buying some wine.  And of course, I'll do some antiquing at local stores, and the occasional housesale.

I hope some of you visit and enjoy all our region has to offer...both in person, and through my books!  So far, I've had more than forty books out in more than twenty-five countries...most of which are set in or around Erie.  I'm hoping I'll have a chance to talk about it for years and years to come, because though I'm biased, I do love my town!

Holly...aka Erie's Tourism Bureau's Secret Weapon

PS In 2012 Amazon named Erie #14 on their list of the US's most romantic cities.  Hmmm....do you think has anything to do with all the romance novels that are set here???

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www.HollyJacobs.com 

EVERYTHING BUT A DOG,12/12 

YOU ARE INVITED..., 4/13 

APRIL SHOWERS, 5/13 

A WALK DOWN THE AISLE, 6/13

STEAMED: A Maid in LA Mystery, 8/13

A VALLEY RIDGE CHRISTMAS,  12/13