A Quiet Day

I was minion-less today, so I head out to The Cottage. It was a quiet day. Just me and Tallulah. But for all that, it was full.

I started another clock. I have a better idea how to make the back, so I'm experimenting with that. I played with more textures and made more gnomes, some ornaments and another bear. I'll confess, I will never be a production potter. I really enjoy working on different things.

I worked in the quiet of the studio and thought a lot about John Lewis's passing. He was a great man who stood for what was right. Losing him diminishes the country.  He said, "We must continue to go forward as one people, as brothers and sisters."  That is my hope. That we put away the divisions and remember the things that bind us as a people.  I talk about the fact that we're all more alike than different in so many of my books. I hope we all find a way to remember that.

Tallulah the Coon Hound

I walked up to the cottage for lunch and brought a plastic container back down to the studio. Uh, Tallulah stole it. I remained stern, but on the inside I was laughing. She was so pleased with her prize. LOL I wasn't laughing later, when we were sitting on the studio's back porch and she spotted a mama raccoon with three babies. She was off like a shot and treed the entire family. Yes, my sheepdog things she's a coonhound. On a happy note, it took a few very stern, "Come," and "Leave Off," but she finally did both and we went to back to work.

I'm still working on tiles. All the experiments are going to become the backsplash in my studio. So today I picked some Queen Anne's Lace and other roadside wildflowers and tried them out as tiles. I feel like I'm getting better at transferring and carving them, but I'm still working out how to glaze them. I want enough color to show off the flowers and leaves, but not too much. LOL

Finally, I brought a few more pictures out to the studio and hung them. Someday in the not so distant future, there won't be much wall-space left. LOL One is by PA artist Jonas Bradford...I love it. I'm still watching for a Clementine Hunter. It'll be a print...I can't afford an original. LOL

My views in the studio and outside the studio are lovely and so inspiring!

I beat Himself home. It's so nice that The Cottage is just a bit more than a half hour from home. The drive gives me a bit of time to listen to a podcast. Today I was listening to Chuck Rosenberg's The Oath. He was interviewing Fiona Hill. She's led such an interesting life.

That's my day! Creative, inspiring, funny and quiet.

If you missed my latest Studio Tour, I'm reposting it here! And if you've missed any of my Hometown Hearts books, I hope you'll check them out!  ~Holly

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

PREORDER  Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Available in September

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks: 

Trees of Life

 I've been making trees of life, first in bowls and now with these tiles. I'll confess, when I find a new ceramic project or idea I tend to do a bunch of them. I like to figure out how I want to make them and what works best. But I think what I like about making the trees right now is they really speak to today's environment. The world is so divisive right now. And the trees sort of remind me that we're all connected. We all have our roots in this country and we branch out and add our own uniqueness to it. Those differences make for a much richer tapestry.

It's sort of the same thing that attracts me to writing...the uniqueness of each story and each character. Each story allows me to explore something new.

They say that most people live one life, but a reader lives a thousand lives. That applies to writers as well. Each book I read and write allows me to inhabit someone else's life for a while. In Hometown Hearts each character goes through something different and approaches the idea of family in a different way. And yet, like my trees of life, they all have their roots firmly planted in a universal sameness...in family, friendship and love.

I'm finding that my art connects to my writing which connects to my life. Yes it's all intertwined...just like we're all intertwined. Sometimes we spend so long looking at our differences that we forget our connection. I think readers and writers are better at recognizing that our differences are a gift...that we're all rooted in the same soil.

If you haven't read the first three books in my Hometown Hearts series, I hope you pick them up so that you're ready for the fourth book which comes out in September!

I'm heading out to the studio today...so much clay to play with, so little time!

Holly

PS This is Herman. He's the first piece I made in my new HollysWood Studio. That's one of the ash glazes I've made!

PPS Check out 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

PREORDER  Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Available in September

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks: 

Tallulah Here...

Tallulah here. 

What? You don't think a puppy can write a blog? Well, I can. My role model, Peggy, wrote a book. So I figure I can write a blog. 

I've lived with Holly since March. She got me right before Pennsylvania locked down. But my story starts before that. It starts with Peggy. 

Everything But a Dog

You see, Holly went to Philadelphia to spend a week with her two Philly minions. She'd been so sad because she'd lost her best friend, Ella. She'd lost Ethel Merman before that, and she and Ella did everything together. She even wrote a book about Ethel and Ella. (She changed their names because she didn't want the...wait for it...PUParazzi to Hound them.) When Ella passed, she told herself she wasn't going to get a new dog. She thought of reasons why NOT having a dog was a good thing. She could travel and not worry about a dog. She didn't have to clean up after the dog in the yard. And Ella never really enjoyed camp and Holly loved it, so she could go out to camp and not feel bad that Ella wasn't enjoying it.

Peggy and Me

So there she was, heading to Philly. She brought Peggy and Me on tape...well, DVDs (yes, I know the difference). Yep, that's my role model Peggy and her human, Miranda Hart. They wrote the book together. And as Holly listened to the book, she realized how much she missed Ethel and Ella. She'd spent her winter on crutches and now that she could walk again, it was lonely walking by herself. 

So when she got home, she told Himself she might be ready for a new dog. And by the end of the month, they went to pick me up. The people brought out my two brothers and two sisters, but I knew Holly was mine and I didn't want her to pick one of them by mistake. So I sat on her foot. If she took a step to see the others, I followed her and sat on her foot. I wanted to be clear about who she belonged to. (People sometimes miss the obvious.) Yes, it was puppy love at first sight.

Quarantine

And in the end, she was smart enough to get my message. They took me home. And I have been an amazing dog, if I do say so myself. Here it is, just three months later and I've gone from 12 lbs to 40+ lbs. I am house-trained (mainly) and walk very nice (except when a car or robin goes by...I mean even the best puppy has her limits).  I have slept through the night since my first night at home. Frankly, Holly gets up WAY too early for me. I usually follow her, but after she makes me go outside (see the mainly house-trained part, which is technically outside-trained), I take my pre-breakfast nap.  I love the minions...the youngest one here in town is very tasty. Hey, I don't really taste too much. And he lets me—encourages me even. Holly doesn't. She's pretty strict about not eating minions. SIGH. I've tried and tried to train her to ignore my tiny little tasting of minions but she doesn't seem to understand so I might have to give it up that fight.

Oh, and I love camp!

Yes, I've found my home and while Holly still misses Ethel and Ella, she's happy I'm here. I can still smell traces of them in the house, and even though I never met them, I sort of miss them, too. 

Holly writes romances for a living. She wrote a short story starring me...and two humans who might be falling in love. She's said over and over again that hearts are amazing things. Every time you think they're as full as they can be, you find there's still room. She thought she wasn't going to get a new dog because her heart seemed full after Ethel and Ella and she wasn't sure she could find more room in it for a new dog.  Yet she found space in her heart for me.  Her new book, Homecoming, is a book about hearts that break and then discover they can heal and find room to love again. I like that.

So, that's my story. I've found my forever home and Holly's found...me. I keep Holly and Himself busy. I make them laugh. And I have entertained the minions during the pandemic...that's a big job. So thanks to Miranda and Peggy for making Holly realize I was out there waiting for her.

Love,

Tallulah

PS Check out my story and Holly's 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

PREORDER  Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Available in September

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks: 

I'm planning to fail a bit!

I fired my first bisque kiln this weekend. For those who don't play with clay, it means I took my greenware and fired it in the kiln...now they're ready to glaze and then I'll fire it again.

I lost two pieces. And that's sad, but to be honest, I thought I'd lose more. I moved a bunch of greenware from school, to our house, then out to the barn (on bumpy dirt roads). Greenware is fragile. So, losing two didn't seem so bad.

We'll see how the glazing goes. Some of the pieces I already glazed in school, intending to fire them in a gas kiln. That is very different than an electric (which is what I have), so I suspect some of my glazed-for-gas pieces are going to be disappointing. And I experimented with some more new glazes...who knows what those will look like. Basically, I'm prepared to lose half the firing.

I know. I'm planning to fail. On purpose. And I'm totally gleeful about it! 

I'm still a ceramic novice, but even the most experienced potter occasionally has a piece fail. It is not an avocation for protectionists.

In Just One Thing, I mentioned that every Amish quilt has one intentional flaw, because only God should be perfect. (I'm not sure if that's just folklore but I love it, true or not.) As a writer, my books have (hopefully) gotten better. But I still love those early stories. I'm hoping my pottery continues to improve, but I'll always love some of my early pieces. I keep improving. I hope to spend the rest of my life improving my writing and my pottery.

Setting up the studio has made my appreciate Professor H. I've thanked him for everything he taught me, but I don't think I ever thanked him for everything we had at the school's studio. Glazes, underglazes. I sat my greenware on a shelf and amazingly it came back bisqued. I sat that on a shelf once I'd glazed it, and soon it was back on my shelf finished! LOL It was like magic!

I'm having fun making my own glazes, but I really am appreciating everything at the school.  I loved that it was five minutes from the house. I could pop up for a few minutes here and there. We went round and round about where to build my studio—at home or at the cottage.  The cottage won. But it's a forty minute drive (okay 41 minutes is my best time). I can't just pop in whenever. BUT today as I worked, I heard my Cooper's Hawk...its been very vocal. I saw a bunch of squirrels (Tallulah watched them from the studio's screen door).  Plus, I got this pic last week. My neighbors in town are lovely, but they're not foxes. LOL

Yes, I think I made the best decision. I'll have to be more disciplined and plan out my work. But I do love a good plan!

I'm heading back out tomorrow. I'm hoping to fire my glazed pieces next week. Keep your fingers crossed! I'll keep you posted!

Holly

PS. You can find my backlist at your favorite bookstore's online site. And I hope you'll check out my 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

PREORDER  Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Available in September

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks: 

A Simple Life

I will confess, I live what might appear to be a little life. It's a life built around family and creating. Writing has been a huge part of my life for a long time. But when I took my first pottery class, I knew that would be a part of my life as well. Yes, it was love at first...wedge! LOL We went round and round about where to put my pottery studio (after I'd exhausted all the classes at the university!). I could put it at home, but my options were limited. So we decided to put it at The Cottage. We had more than enough room for sure. We started building the barn last August. And by June, my studio was up and working!

The view is amazing! I spent Monday out there working. I didn't turn on any music...I didn't need to. My Cooper's Hawks are back and were very vocal. Their nest is not far from the barn. I was afraid we'd scare them off with all the building last year, but nope. They're back. The red salamanders are all over! And I rescued a toad that got into the barn the other day. I didn't want Tallulah to find him and taste him. LOL A ton of birds just added to the chorus. Who needs any other music.

The minions came and spent a day at camp over the weekend. They played with sticks and lightsabers. LOL (The sticks were Ewok's sticks.) And we took a hike to Second Creek. Yes, we named the creek that borders the back of the property Second Creek. It's not overly creative, but is an accurate description.  We also have other areas named...Powerline Path, Monkey Island (no one's quite sure where that came from) and other areas.

Yes, it's a little life. I wouldn't want it any other way.  I've built my life around family and love. Whether I'm writing love stories about families (like my Hometown Hearts series...that was a sly mention) or loving working on my pottery. It's a little, but lucky life because I love what I do and who I'm sharing my life with.

I think the secret to a happy life is recognizing what's good in your life and giving thanks for it. I hope when you take a look at your life, you find you're as happy with yours as I am with mine! 

Holly

PS. If you have a moment, I hope you'll check out my Hometown Hearts series. Each book stands alone, but since it's a small town, you're bound to bump into someone you know in each book!

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

PREORDER  Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Available in September

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks: 

June Newsletter, Homecoming is out!!

The third book in my Hometown Hearts series is out today!! Like the rest of the series, Homecoming is about family, but it's also a story of Loss, Love and even Literacy. Yes, I tackle another subject that's near and dear to my heart. Here's my Dear Reader letter that explains it...   Dear Reader, I have always been a reader. I tell people that I was raised by Tolkien, Lewis, Heinlein and McCaffrey, and I’m only half kidding. Their stories—along with so many others—have taught me so much about acceptance and faith. And about love. Living my life without reading? I’d miss so much. That’s why my character JT’s functional illiteracy was so compelling to me. According to the National Right to Read Foundation, “42 million American adults can’t read at all and 20 percent of high school seniors can be classified as being functionally illiterate at the time they graduate.” As a writer, I find these figures tragic; as a lifelong reader, I think they are a crime.  Despite that heavy subject, the real theme of the story is that life gives second chances…and sometimes so does love. The last thing Laura Watson is looking for is love. She’s lost her fiancé, had his baby…she just wants peace. But when Seth Keller comes into her life, she finds love. So does he, and he’s not looking for it either. But finding love and embracing it are two different things. It takes a certain strength. And that’s the question for both Laura and Seth. Are they strong enough to take a chance on love again? I hope you enjoy their journey and the rest of my Hometown Hearts series. Buy your copy of  Homecoming Life Gives Second Chances ... Sometimes So Does Love  Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

And if you've missed the other stories in the series, check them out! OUT NOW: Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1 Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook         A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2 Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook PREORDER  Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4 Available in September Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks:

For everyone who's been following my pottery studio saga, here's HollysWood Studio! Thank you everyone for your support! I hope you're staying safe. These are the times I write for...times I want to remind you all that good trumps evil and love wins! Holly