Very cool news...

I'm in a new anthology with some of my (your) favorite authors!! 

When I was asked to take part in a book with some of my favorite authors, I jumped at the chance! It's out today! Yep, 8 books by bestselling authors for just $.99!! Draco’s Marriage Pact - Day Leclaire When a one night stand results in a secret baby, can enemies become lovers by creating a marriage pact? A Daddy for Nate - Karen Sandler When Jameson leaves Folsom Prison, he returns to Hart Valley, the one place he'd ever considered home. Within minutes, Nina blows up his world when she reveals their one night of passion brought a beautiful little boy into the world. Jameson insists on being part of Nate and Nina’s lives despite the years of tragedy and personal sacrifice that separated them. Can their pint-sized miracle somehow unite them in love? Never Say Never - Debra Salonen Lisa loved Joe once upon a time. They had a moment. But Lisa chose to marry Joe’s brother, her son’s father. Or did she pick the wrong twin? The Daughter He Never Knew - Linda Barrett Jason loved her but left her after his twin brother died on the night of their senior prom. “Tell Lila not to wait…” Nine years later, when Lila is ready to marry someone else and give her daughter a family, a new message arrives. “Tell Lila I’m coming home.” Something Perfect - Holly Jacobs They were the perfect couple…Until they weren’t. Maybe true love can bring them back together. The Unforgettable Sheikh - Barbara McMahon Three thousand miles away and ten years ago was the last time Chloe saw the man. Now Sheikh Karif bin Shakirah is face to face with her and all she can think of is the daughter he know nothing about. Can they ever overcome the past or will heartbreak and betrayal be too strong to surmount? Sweet Montana Secrets - Lisa Mondello They say time heals all wounds, but time doesn't make you forget who you were. Ten years ago, Hunter Williams' life was a mess. Even so, he hadn't expected to be completely taken by Julie Samuel, a beautiful young woman who took riding lessons at the ranch he worked at. But their love hadn't been enough to conquer his demons or the secret she carried. Ten years later, can their love survive the truth and be rekindled to the blaze it once was? Texas Bad Boy - Jean Brashear Everyone thinks Lacey DeMille is the next thing to royalty, a society girl with beauty, brains and money—but sexy Texas bad boy Devlin Marlowe knows better. Twenty years after being exiled in disgrace for daring to want her, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks has sweet revenge in his grasp...for only he knows that her whole life is built on a lie. And revenge may be more costly than either of them can imagine. I hope you'll check it out!! It's available for your Kindle and for Kindle Unlimited for just $.99!!!

Start Shopping While you're shopping, please check out my '22 releases!

Signs of the Times
Available for Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Chances
Amazon 
Barnes and Noble
Kobo  
Apple Books 

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

McConnells Mill State Park

121 Pennsylvania State Parks.
5 down. 
116 to go!!

I said in my last blog about State Parks that I wanted to hike them all...eventually. 

Yesterday we went to McConnells Mill State Park. 

We went to see the Hell's Hollow Falls. It was so lovely. It was only a half mile hike from the parking area, then back again. So it was an easy hike. The trail was wide and there were stairs that take you down to the falls. The kids had a blast climbing fallen trees. I only freaked out slightly when the got too near the edge of the creek. There was a very lovely flume on the way to the falls...water had carved a path through the rocks. It was running super fast. Good news is, no one fell into the water. (It's always a good hike when you get back to the car with as many Minions as you left with.)

 Then we drove to the Alpha Falls trail. It's a seasonal falls. We hoped they'd be running with all the spring rains but was just a trickle. Still it was a fun hike. Not must farther than the first one, but a lot hillier with tons of giant rocks. We started by a covered bridge, then went by the old grist mill and finally a walk along the water's edge. Again, we didn't lose any kids over the edge...so it was a good hike! LOL (I know the covered bridge pic is crooked, but one of the Minions took it and I like that slightly askew look...it suits me! LOL) It was cool that the kids were able to associate the mill with the flour and corn meal we grind at home. One mentioned the mill was MUCH bigger. 

These were super easy hikes...even with five kids. Hiking with kids can be like trying to herd cats. It can be challenging but so much fun. We'll be taking them on more state park hikes, but I talked to my hiking buddy and we're going to try for a few adult only ones! I suspect they'll be hikes that don't require me saying, "Don't go close too close to the edge," over and over. 

On a side note, I'm still doing my spring walking challenge. Yesterday was the four week mark and I've reached 197.9 out of my 400 kilometer goal. We have until the end of May, so I'm right on track!

I've spent so many years writing about PA. I'm enjoying seeing my favorite state in new ways! Thanks for coming along for the journey, both through my books and this blog!

Holly

Past State Park Blogs...Parks 1-4 Blog. 

Check some of more recent PA books! (Homecoming is on sale for $.99 for a few more days! Each book stands alone, so you shouldn't have any issues, tho characters cross over from one book to another, which is why reading them in order can be fun!)

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 Book #1 Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books

Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

Something Unexpected: A Hometown Hearts short story 
Amazon

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

The Beauty of Broken Pieces

I unloaded the kiln today. It was like Christmas!! I had so many pieces turn out just the way I'd imaged they would. And some not so much. 

Two pieces I knew weren't going to be exactly the way I'd originally planned were my burdock leaves. They actual leaves grew at the end of the drive and were huge! I loved them. I've made a bunch of small tiles. I used some of the experiments to tile the slop sink in the studio. These were much bigger. Much bigger. I worried they would crack...and they did. The biggest leaf cracked clear through at the stem. I simply pushed the broken pieces together when I hung them and you can hardly tell. The smaller one had a partial crack there was no way to disguise. But I hung it anyway. I didn't try to disguise it. I thought it was beautiful despite the break...or maybe because of it. I am celebrating that break.

As I puttered around the studio examining the pieces and taking pics of all my new pieces, I mulled the two broken pieces. My first report in my college ceramics class was about Rob Barnard. He had a broken piece of pottery I loved.  You can read about it here.

I really think my two broken pieces are my favorites of the batch because they relate so much to what I do as a writer.

I can hear you thinking, "Really, Holly? Burdock leaves relate to writing?"

Yes. 

As a writer I've learned that everyone is a little broken. Some people's breaks are obvious. You can't disguise them. Some are hidden. Others who meet them might not notice. You might think they have it all together. And yet, there is a fine break right down their core and it impacts everything they do.

As a writer, those breaks in my characters are what makes them human...those breaks make them beautiful. And as a person, I realize the same applies to real people as well. There is such beauty in all our broken pieces.  I wish more people realized that.

Tomorrow's release, A Hometown Christmas, deals with two characters who have their broken pieces and ultimately the find that their breaks compliment each other. The heroine, Maeve, has a saying. "I can't save the world...but I can try." It's one of my favorite lines. One that I wrote without much thought and later realized how much I loved the sentiment.  I've tried to live that sentiment. This summer, the Minions practiced Random Acts of Kindness around the neighborhood. One of the neighbors collects frogs. They painted some and using ninja-like moves, secretly hid them in with the rest. They were so excited as they chatted about how surprised she'd be when she discovered the new frogs. I think Maeve would have approved.

Broken pieces. They make us beautiful. And random acts of kindness spreads that beauty. 

I hope you have a beautiful week! And if you have a moment, I hope you'll check out Maeve's story, A Hometown Christmas at Kindle, Nook, AppleBooks, Kobo.

Holly

PS There's a link to some of my pieces on my website, www.HollyJacobs.com The new pieces aren't up yet. I hope to have them loaded soon so check back often! 

PPS Here's the list of the entire Hometown Hearts series!

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books

Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

Something Unexpected: A Hometown Hearts short story 
Amazon

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

 

Questions

 

Questions.

That's where all stories start. 

What if?

Something Perfect (the last book of the Hometown Weddings and the second last book of the series) started with the question What if...? and then proceeded with a daughter asking, Who am I? Where am I from? What is family? 

You've seen me ask and answer those particular questions over and over again in my books.  Each character and each story has a slightly different answer. But all those answers are rooted in the same place...Love.  That's what makes a family.

For me, that question of where I'm from—who I'm from—is foundational.  I didn't meet my bio-father until I was in my thirties. Knowing he was out there but not knowing anything about him left me with so many questions.  And as a writer, questions are part of my job description. I had a burning need to find the answers. When I first met him, he tried to answer as many questions as he could. (I come from generations of Appalachian stock with a titled Englishman, a Scottish laird and some Quakers.) He was nice but he wasn't family. As time went on and I grew to know and love him and one day he was. Just like that. Like magic. He was family. Love...that makes family more than DNA.

The Hometown Hearts Wedding trilogy (Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Something Perfect) is all about how a family is made.  Three women become friends and grow into family. Each of them finds their own true love...and their own true family!

There's a short story, Something Unexpected, this summer, then the final book, A Hometown Christmas in September. 

Thanks all of you who've taken these journeys with me! 

Holly

Hometown Hearts

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books

Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 available 5/21

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

Preorder: Something Unexpected: A Hometown Hearts short story, available 7/21
Amazon

Preorder: A Hometown Christmas: Hometown Hearts #8, available 9/21
Kindle 
Nook
AppleBooks
Kobo

Something Blue—Newsletter

 Something Blue is out today!

Happy almost spring!

 Tallulah and I have been busy at the studio whenever I take a few hours away from my writing! It's a juggling act...but since I enjoy both writing and potting, both are fun! Speaking of fun, I hope you enjoyed Something Borrowed and you've  been looking forward to Something Blue. What's happening as the wedding draws closer?

It Takes More Than Time To Heal...It Takes Love.

Former marine Sebastian Bennington is coming home for a friend's wedding. He tries to pretend everything’s the same, but he can’t ignore the fact he’s not the same man who left. He can’t ignore the fact that there’s something not right with his grandfather. And he doesn’t trust his grandfather's young business partner, Lily Paul.

No one can be as happy and as good as Lily seems. She seems to know everything about him, but Sebastian can't get her to open up about anything. He's determined to figure her out, as long as their crazy attraction for each other doesn't get in the way....

Yes, sparks are flying between these two. Their story is out today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Apple Books.

Something Perfect is available now for pre-order.

The big wedding is finally going to happen...or is it?

That's about it for right now. For those who've asked, yes I have an Etsy shop for my pottery, but I'm working on setting up something on my website.  More to follow. Wishing you all a gleeful spring!

Thank you as always for all your support!

Holly

PS. Here are links to the whole Hometown Hearts series!

 Hometown Hearts:

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 

Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Preorder: Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Available 1/5/21

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Blue Available 3/21

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books

Preorder: Something Perfect 5/21

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

HollysWoodsStudio