Enough is as good as a feast.

 I've been working on my family tree again. For a long time, I thought just my maternal relatives came from PA. But it turns out a number of my paternal branches started their lives in the US in Pennsylvania. So many of their stories have been lost, but I do know they came to Pennsylvania for freedom—they were Mennonites and Quakers looking for a place to worship as they saw fit and William Penn's woods offered them a chance for that.

My cottage is deep in Amish and Mennonite country. I know a bit about their religion. But I didn't know much about Quakers...so of course I bought a book.  

I will confess, I love used books...they come with a history.  My favorites are those that are marked up with notes and highlights from those who read them before me.  So I found a book...How the Quakers Invented America (David Youst). It's a simple book about a simple people. "Enough is as good as a feast," is a line that caught my eye—and I was obviously not the first one to notice it.

So much of my life (and my posts online) are about simple things.  A beautiful sunrise.  A walk in the woods. A day in the studio. Tallulah and her antics. 

My life centers around my family and those simple things. They're what gives me glee.  And those simple things are everything.  I think that's my magic power...I know what matters. My family and those simple things. I have to wonder if some of those people from so far long ago left me with that knowledge buried deep in my mitochondrial DNA. Enough is as good as a feast.  Yes, it resonated with me.

That love of simple-things is there in my books. They're not big epic tomes, they're  small stories about regular people.  They're about people who know enough is as good as a feast. The greatest compliment anyone's ever given me about my books is, I wish she was my best friend.  

I think Harry in my new book, A View to a Kiln, is that kind of character. The book opens with her husband telling her he's not happy and leaving her. That moment is a turning point for Harry. She realizes she deserves to be happy as well and changes her life...for the better. That is until she finds a dead body in her kiln! 

I hope you check it out, and I hope you take a moment today to look at the little things in your life that give you glee!!

Holly

PS I'm posting this on TwosDAY...2-22-22. It's a simple thing that has had me smiling all day!!

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 #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

February 8, 2022 Newsletter

Move over Quincy Mac... Meet Harriet Lawe! First there was Markie Malkowicz who tripped over a dead body on her way out the door one Monday. Then there was Quincy Mac, who accidentally cleaned a murder scene. Today, is the first release in my new cozy mystery series. Meet Harriet Lawe. She leaves a lucrative career as an attorney and starts her own pottery studio...Harry's Pottery. Everything's going fine until...she finds a dead body in her kiln. Now she's trying to find out whodunnit to save her new business! A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery Kindle iBooks Kobo Nook I started taking pottery classes a few years ago at Mercyhurst University. (This is one of my Face Planters!) One day I asked the professor if I could cremate a body in a kiln. And thus Harry's Pottery was born. (After I took my last class he retired. I think I might have broken him!) Combining my love of pottery and books was such a thrill! I hope you enjoy Harry's first adventure. Her second book, Slip and Fall will be out in '23!) If you want to take a tour of my studio, check out my video! As always, thanks for everything! Holly Keep an eye out for my July release, Chances!    Find Out More

Check and see if you missed any of my Hometown Hearts series!

Have you missed any of my Hometown Hearts series? Here's the list:

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

 

The Right Place at the Right Time

 

The last time I flew (well, not me flying, but on a plane), my flights got messed up. I had 45 minutes between a connection. I just had a backpack and made the 1.07 miles between gates in 13.47 minutes (yes, I FitBitted it). It was crazy but I made it.

So there I was, on a plane I wasn't scheduled to be on and after beverage cart went through...the woman next to me spilled ginger ale on me.

How easy it would have been to be annoyed. But as she profusely apologized, I said no problem and helped her clean it up. And as we worked together, I learned her name was Jean and she was on her way home from a funeral. She'd just buried her second child. Her husband was sick at home and couldn't make the trip with her. For the next hour, she told me about her kids—the two she'd lost and the son she still had—and her pain was laid bare in each word. I make my living with words, but there are no words that can truly comfort a parent who's just buried a child. So I listened and did my woefully inadequate best to comfort her. And when we landed, she thanked me for listening and we went out separate ways.

I've thought about her often since then.

And remembering this incident reminds me to try to meet annoyances with empathy and kindness. There's a book I read years ago...the title sums it up, Wherever You Go, There You Are. I try to remember that and trust I'm where I'm supposed to be. I am an anxious traveler so that's always a challenge when there's a travel snafu. But moments like this remind me to do better in my attempts.

Empathy. The world could use more of that these days. Trying to be what Mr. Rogers referred to as a "Helper." Being Kind. Working for the common good. Offering a hand to those in need. 

Sometimes all you can do is listen.
And while it might not be everything, it might be enough to ease someone's pain a little.

So I'm going to renew my efforts to remember that sometimes I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I might find I'm at exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

Holly

PS. 
I'm so excited that in 2022 I'll be combining my two passions...writing and pottery. Yep, there's a new book coming out. A woman who RENEWS her life, follows her passion, maybe finds a relationship...and definitely finds a dead body. She needs to figure out who dunnit!

You can preorder A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery, now!

Kindle

iBooks

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Have you missed any of my Hometown Hearts series? Here's the list:

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

Word of the Year—2022

 Every year for a very long time, I've chosen a word for the new year. Words like Thankful, Patience, Stretch, Step, Glee, Hope, Time, Chapter, Stop...

The last few years have been a challenge for all of us. Covid...well, sucks. My family has done all we can do to stay safe. This year, we were finally all together for the holiday. Everyone but our youngest member (who's too young for a shot) got their vaccines and boosters. We all tested before we got together to protect the baby. And it was...loud, chaotic and absolutely wonderful. My word for 2021 was Thankful...and I am that. As I looked around at the people around me, I realized what a perfect word I choose for 2021. But as we look toward the next year, I mulled various words to build 2022 around. I kept coming back to one. That's generally my sign that I've found my word.

So here it is...

Drumroll.

RENEW.

Back to Covid... Despite being in the thick of a surge, there are vaccines, boosters and new therapeutics coming online. Though we limited our family celebration to immediate family, I'm pretty sure that we'll be in a position to have a big, extended family celebration this summer. Our second Christmas in July. We can renew our connections.

We started planning an addition to The Cottage...not just renewing it, but finally getting an indoor plumbing. Oh yeah, I'm fancy! We'd hoped to start it in the fall, but the builder got behind, so we're hoping to start in the spring!

My family, my home...and personally. That's always the biggest part of my Word of the Year.

Personally I plan to renew my personal growth. I want to follow my passions. I've always tried to follow a Family-First mantra. That won't change. But realizing that it's okay to say no...that's always been a challenge. One year my word was Balance. I worked at finding a work-life balance and a personal family-me balance. I'm going to renew those attempts. I'm going to find more time in the studio. I'm loving growing in my craft. I've found a passion for folk art. Playing with traditional glazes and forms...and making them my own. Yep, I want more time with that.

And I plan to renew my attempt at furthering my other Words of the Year. 
I want to renew my attempts to be Thankful, to be Patient, to find Glee, to... 
Well, you get the idea.
Renew. 

By now, you all know I'm a walker. I use my morning walks to...well, I'd say meditate, but that sounds too fancy for what I do. I mull. I think about books I'm writing. I think about goals I'm working on. I think about things I want to work on in the studio. And sometimes I don't think about a thing. I simply take in the beauty that surrounds me and live in that moment. Small moments. In Just One Thing, the heroine had a profound moment with a deer as she walked. Last year, Tallulah and I saw one in the woods as we walked. It froze just beyond the first line of trees. We froze as well and for a moment the three of us were quiet and still together. It sounds so small here, but it was so magical. Moments. I'll renew my attempt to find and recognize those moments next year.

So there it is. My word. Renew. I'll spend the year mulling over it and trying to apply it to my year.

How about you? Have you picked out a Word of the Year in the past? Are you going to try it this year?

Whether you do or don't, I wish you all a wonderful new year. Stay safe, look for those magic moments and I hope you renew all the things in your life that are important to you!

Holly

PS. 
I'm so excited that in 2022 I'll be combining my two passions...writing and pottery. Yep, there's a new book coming out. A woman who RENEWS her life, follows her passion, maybe finds a relationship...and definitely finds a dead body. She needs to figure out who dunnit!

You can preorder A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery, now!

Kindle

iBooks

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Have you missed any of my Hometown Hearts series? Here's the list:

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

Connections

Thankful.

That was my 2021 Word of the Year. It was a good word because there's so much in my life I'm thankful for. Himself and my family always starts my list. I have the most amazing kids who've brought new family members into our lives...people who didn't grow up in my house but who are every bit as much a part of my family and my thankful list as the kids I gave birth to. I'm pretty sure they were always part of our family...we just didn't know it. 

My connections start with my family but grow from them to friends and neighbors. I'm thankful for all of them as well. 

I'm thankful for home...both for the house we live, the house my in-laws built and lived in, as well as the cottage and barn out in the woods. I'm connected to that as well...we discovered that my family homesteaded the land at the end of the road. I love that connection.

I just watched Tick, Tick, Boom. I love Rent and it was a lovely way to look at Larson's life. He left a mark. He impacted my life with his music and story. And I realized how thankful I am for my writing and even my super imperfect attempts at pottery. In my writing I'm able to talk about things that are important to me. Family. Friends. I got another note not long ago from someone who read Just One Thing at just the right time. They said it helped them deal with their grief. For me, as a writer, that's it. That's why I do what I do. At their heart, all romance stories are about connections. I really believe that's what everyone craves...connections. Not just craves...it sounds like something you could pass on. Like chocolate cake. You might want it, but you don't need it. But people need connections. 

So here it is, a few days after Thanksgiving and I'm still thinking about being thankful. I'm thankful for all the connections in my life. Family. Friends. Readers who I've never met but found something to connect to in my writing.  My home.

In A Hometown Christmas the heroine has a saying that, to be honest, I sort of loaned to her. "I can't change the world, but I can try." She feels all alone, but when she looks around she realizes she's not just connected to her town, she's totally entangled in it. 

So on this Thanksgiving week, I hope you find a lot to be thankful for. And I hope when you look at your connections you find that you are entangled in them...in love.

Holly

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

PPS. Here's my latest kiln opening!!