Quarantine

Like so much of the country, Pennsylvania has a stay-at-home order. Right before the state went on lockdown, we got a new puppy. Tallulah Mae. I'll confess, she's been keeping us busy. As a writer, staying at home is my normal.  This week, I've been writing another short story, Quarantine, this week in between house-training a puppy, homeschooling the minions and working on the barn.

Quarantine

I've also been trying to post upbeat messages of hope and glee on my social media accounts! In the midst of this crisis good things still happen. Kids laugh, puppies chase balls, and people love. People fall in love. That's the story I wanted to tell in this short story. I didn't want to minimize the tragedy of what's going on, but rather I wanted to remind myself and anyone who reads it that in the midst of awfulness, good things happen. I hope this short story does that.

As always, there are elements of real life in my fiction. Of course this one has a puppy in it. Tallulah Mae to be exact. And it's a story of heroes. A nurse and a grocer. I think this crisis has reminded us all that heroes are everywhere.

I still love writing short stories. Those were my first writing sales and they're still such a joy to write. I hope you check out Quarantine and I'm including the list of the other shorts I have up and available.  And don't forget the first two books in my Hometown Hearts series are out, and the third is up for preorder!

I hope you all are staying safe and staying at home. I hope despite everything that's going on, you're still finding moments of glee in your days.

If, like me, you're home with kids, I've got some tips on what we're doing here with 4-8 year olds. Tip 1 & Tip 2.

Holly

Other Short Stories and Novellas

The Book

Labor Day

There He Was

13 Weeks

Bosom Buddies

Cinderella Wore Tennis Shoes

Able to Love Again
Spoons

Nothing But Series
(Short stories w/ characters from my Everything But series and my WLVH series)

Book 1 Nothing But Love

Book 2 Nothing But Heart

Book 3 Nothing But Luck

OUT NOW: Crib Notes

Amazon

iBooks

Nook

Kobo

Out Now: A Special Kind of Different

Amazon

iBooks

Nook

Kobo

Preorder: Homecoming
Amazon
iBooks
Nook
Kobo

The rest of the Hometown Hearts series will be coming soon.
Suddenly a Father will be out in September of 2020 and
Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Something Perfect in 2021!

Labor Day Trippin'

Wow, I thought I posted all these, but obviously didn't.  So if you've been following my Trippin' with Holly and Susan here, you're a few behind.  So here's 23, 24 and 25!!  I'll try to do better!

Oh, and today is a new episode on my Radish story, Able to Love Again. If you have a moment, check out the story on the app. And if you don't have the app, check that out and then check out the story!!  LOL

And check out my PS. There's new releases, a free story and an on sale book today for Labor Day!

Holly

PS.

Polished Off

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

On Sale today:
Swept Up
And Free for Labor Day...Labor Day: A Short Story.

Coming on September 6...go back to school with three PTA Moms.  There's a bonus short story included! Check out the PTA Mom Collection!!

Don't want to miss any new releases in the future? Subscribe to my Newsletter!! I'll keep you up-to-date and I frequently have something special for subscribers!

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

BAM

In Erie, you can find my books on the shelf at Werner Books! 

Works In Progress

 There's a term that writers use...work in progress.  It's a book you're currently working on.  I like to think my life is a work in progress.  I keep working on it and I'll confess, I'm pretty pleased with where I am and the direction I'm heading!  I start Ceramics II next week.  I spent the winter break working on projects, experimenting and hope to continue that this term. 

I have a recipe that's a work in progress as well.  I'm looking for the perfect oatmeal bread.  I'm getting closer.  I sometimes use left over steel cut oatmeal.  I think I'm going back to that.  It's a heavier loaf, but it's very moist.  I didn't have leftover cooked oatmeal yesterday and so I adapted and tried this variation.  It was very good!  I had a piece with wild blueberry jam for dessert last night...and toasted some for breakfast.  It's still a bit delicate if you're slicing it thin, but it really is very tasty.  My friend Brenda asked for the recipe, I'm posting it here for her and anyone else who wants to try it.

Oatmeal Bread (a recipe in progress)

1 1/2 cups oatmeal (I use a thick cut oat)
2 Cups of hot milk

Put them in your mixing bowl and let them soak a half hour...a lot of the milk will be absorbed and it will cool to a yeast acceptable temperature.

Add 1-2 Tb yeast
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 tsp salt
3 Cups bread flour
another 2-3 cups whole wheat.
(This half and half has enough whole grains to make me happy, but with the bread flour it's lighter than a pure whole grain)

I added a bit of warm water as I mixed because I thought the dough looked a bit too dry.
Knead.

Let rise until double.

Punch down.  Divide in two and put in pans.  Let it rise again.

Bake at 350 for about 45-50 minutes.

I'm definitely getting closer to my perfect recipe!

Keep an eye on my blog over the next few weeks...there will definitely be more school projects posted.  

And if you're looking for something to read, Hold Her Heart is on sale today for $.99!!  If you haven't read it, I hope you'll check it out and don't forget, my entire PTA Mom Trilogy is finally all out! If you've read these, or any other books, and have a moment, I'd really appreciate a review!

Oh, and last but not least, keep an eye out.  I was working on ceramic spoons at the studio and had an idea for a short story.  I'll be including it in my next newsletter for subscribers to read for free.  Not a subscriber?  You can join here.  I try to do special things for subscribers and it's a good place to keep up with new releases!

I'm heading out to the kitchen make a sandwich on my bread!

Holly