FROM A DREAM OF SELLING ONE TO 2.5 MILLION

That's a big leap, isn't it? What I appreciate about my guest, Holly Jacobs, is not only does she tell a good story, rich in family and friendship, but she worked hard to see her dream a reality. It wasn't without rejections. No overnight success, just plain hard work and the love of telling stories. I'll let her tell you all about it.

                                                                                                                               

“There’s the world the way you want it—maybe even need it to be. And there’s the world the way it is. It’s hard to rectify the two. Sometimes it feels almost impossible. But in the world the way it is right now, you've got to figure out a way to cope with that."  ~April Showers, Holly Jacobs, 5/13

That’s a quote from this month’s release, April Showers.  It’s the second book in my A Valley Ridge Wedding trilogy and that paragraph was one of the first things I wrote for the story.  That small snippet became the foundation I built the story around. The quote hints at the fact that these characters live in a hard reality.  Granted, their reality is one I created, but they are not living their dream at the beginning of the book…but don’t worry, they are by the end! 

The fact that I get to create stories and characters is my reality, but more than that, it’s my dream.

I’ve always been a reader.  I mean, I can’t remember a time didn't have a book I was reading.  And like most readers, occasionally I’d find myself wishing I’d wrote a particular book. One day, that wishing became something more.  I was wishing I could write a new book…a story I’d created.

More than a decade ago, I finally said the words out loud.  “I’d like to write.”  My husband didn't laugh.  He didn't scoff.  He didn't tell me to get my head of the clouds.  He said, “Sure, do that.”  I played around with my writing at first.  I sold a poem ($4…uh, I decided poetry wasn't for me).  I sold some literary fiction.  I’d always been a science fiction/fantasy reader, and thought my stories might go in that direction, but what I kept noticing is that they skewed towards relationships. I was fascinated by exploring how one person relates to another.  I found myself gravitating toward romance.

I’d found my niche.

Uh, but I hadn't found my publisher.  I focused on Harlequin’s comedy line, Duets.  I’d send Duets a book, they’d reject it.  I’d send another.  They’d reject it.  And yet another…then, you guessed it, they’d reject it.  My dream was getting a bit battered and I thought about facing the reality that my being a writer wasn't going to happen for me.  But luckily, my husband had an entirely different reality in mind.  He kept encouraging me and telling me that he was sure I’d make it.  I’d make noises about earning real money, he ignore them and said, “Write.”

In March of 2000 I got a call from a Harlequin editor (who’s still my editor) and she bought that first book, I Waxed My Legs for This?  My December 2013 book, A Valley Ridge Christmas, will be my 35^th for Harlequin and my 50^th over all.

Over the years, many of the Harlequin lines I wrote for closed.  Duets, Silhouette Romance, Flipside, Signature, Everlasting Love.  Each time a line closed, I had to reinvent myself a bit and stretch my writing in order to sell to a new line.  I think learning to be flexible in how I tell a story has made my writing stronger.  I still write light romantic humor for Montlake Romance (which bought out Avalon and republished all my old Avalons, along with December’s new, Everything But a Dog) and I’m writing these bigger, more serious dramas for Harlequin’s SuperRomance. 

But mainly, I’m living my dream. I've sold two and a half million books in more than twenty-five countries.  I've written comedy, sweet humor and drama.  This August my first cozy mystery will be released (and my family was just a bit nervous when I talked so happily about someone being murdered). 

I've been so lucky that my family and friends have supported that dream, and that readers around the world have as well!  And I’m very lucky that with a lot of hard work the world the way I wanted it to be has aligned with the world the way it is! That’s a precious gift…and it’s one I pass on to the characters in April Showers!

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, eHARELEQUIN

APRIL SHOWERS~Holly Jacobs 

(A VALLEY RIDGE WEDDING series #2)   

Rainbows don't come without rain

The world you want isn't always how the world is. Former marine Sebastian Bennington discovers that upon his return to Valley Ridge for a friend's wedding. Even his grandfather's health isn't what he's expecting. Nor is the interference from his grandfather's young business partner, Lily Paul.

Even more aggravating, Lily seems to know everything about Sebastian, thanks to his grandfather. But Sebastian can't get her to open up about anything. Is she using all that merry sunshine to hide something deeper and darker? He's determined to find out, as long as their crazy attraction for each other doesn't get in the way….EXCERPT

-Available in audio book format-



Holly Jacobs' books have made Walden’s Bestseller List and won numerous awards such as the National Readers' Choice Award, the Holt Medallion Award and the Bookseller’s Best. In 2004 Holly won Romantic Times’s prestigious Career Achievement Award for Series Love and Laughter.  Holly is currently writing for Harlequin Superromance.  Find Holly: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,  Website, Holly's Blog 

A BIT OF THE CELTIC GREEN

IRISH COFFEE

Ingredients

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee 

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 jigger Irish whiskey

Heavy cream, slightly whipped 

Directions fill mug with hot water to preheat it, then empty. 

Pour piping hot coffee into warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full.

Add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved.Blend in 

Irish whiskey. Top with a collar of the whipped heavy cream by

pouring gently over back of spoon. Serve hot.

My family isn't really Irish, perse, (although we do have Irish in the background) nor we even Catholic. We’re Celtic.

But everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s day, right?

 

Celtic is the term for the Scot, Irish, and Welsh. They’re the Celts. They were the fierce warriors, the bards, the artisans, and the song masters. They worked hard and played hard and still do, for the most part. Music? Oh my word, the Celts can make some fine music.

In my family, we have a tradition of coming together for St. Paddy’s. My brother Rob is the host and has been for many years. He loves to throw a good party. He spends months planning the decorations—and trust me, there’s enough green to make the trees weep in envy. His house and property sits nestled in the hills surround by trees, just on the border of town. The heart of the town is only minutes away. Rob has a pool house and bar area for the party. It’s where we gather many times during the year for cookouts, swimming parties, New Years, or just visiting. You can sit on the wide porch or pop inside to the fully stocked bar and play a game or two of darts or, if you prefer, go up the steps leading to the decks surrounding the pool. He has a speaker system hidden in the vines and trellises near the roof outside and lots of pillows, small bistro tables and comfy chairs to sit.

Some prep work

St. Paddy’s is a family party filled with food, laughter, plenty to drink (but no green beer-shudder), dancing and singing. We rock the joint. The party usually begins in the afternoon and finishes up in the wee hours with all the little ones sleeping, jumbled up like puppies, in mounds of blankets in the corner.

My Mom

I laughingly say I come from a litter of nine. I get the raised brow from my mom when I say it. None of her children have produced such an abundance of children, but between us there is always a huge crowd of kids running around. In the afternoon there are games for all. 

There are horseshoes, darts, and soccer, impromptu caber tosses, a bit of shot put between the boys. You can see arm wrestling between young and old. Or just sitting around and telling tales. Our parties span the ages from upper seventies to infants. Neighbors know there is a party at Rob’s on St. Paddy’s—you can’t miss the music and laughter. Many stop in, some stay to eat, play and dance or join in the singing, others just visit a bit enjoying the food and merriment and go home. 

While my brother and his partner lay out a feast, we all bring food. Just family alone can number over fifty people. The tables groan. It’s a huge banquet spread out before us all. Food is brought out all through the day. Dancing is always present and that includes a flock of little ones either in a group or with the grownups. Late afternoon and early evening brings the bonfire and singing and calls out to different ones to share a tune. Tis a beautiful thing to watch and be a part of.

We may not be in the old country, either Scotland or Ireland, but it’s our country, and we make our own traditions and they’re very dear to us all.

List of those participating in the blog hop

MONDAY MUSINGS: RENEWAL

Family is different things to different people. Some are close to their families and others not. For me, my family is my primal pool of being and identity. It’s a base from which I learned the rules, decided where my boundaries were, and grew the courage to face not only myself, but to define and tackled the mountains of the world.

My family, good, bad, and ugly (and we can be parts of all three), gave me my first friends and playmates. They were my high adventure buddies and the ones I shared hopes and dreams with, held talkfests where we solved the world’s problems—or at least our problems in our small corner.

None of us have remained static because life isn't  It’s an ever-changing process of growth and change. Still, when we get together, the love and security remains bedrock. I can just be me without artifice. I love the freedom of that.

I haven’t been able to visit my family as much as I would like, for various reasons, this winter. It’s not that I’m a huge distance away—my family all live about fifty miles from me. Still, I've missed the warmth and laughter. And yes, the gossip. J

There’s something special about going home and visiting my mom. Sitting in the kitchen during the ritual of making the coffee and setting up the tray with my favorite cookies (my mom feeds everything cookies from critters, kids, and adults) or snacks. We talk about everything under the sun. As we settle into comfortable chairs in the living room I love the feeling of dropping my role of wife and mother and pull on the comfortable role of just being a daughter. We talk about books and since my mother is a woman of strong faith, we easily slide into discussions on biblical passages, culture, history we've read. There is an easy flow of conversation. We don’t miss out on sharing tidbits of family, kids, our animals, and our mates.

Afterward, I headed over to visit with my sister and we sat around telling jokes and sharing fun and goofiness. It was a long day but so much fun and very relaxing. Between the two visits, I left refreshed and relaxed. I enjoyed the state of being sister and daughter and putting everything else out of my mind. I was now ready to pick up the mantle of wife, mother, and job for another week.

• So, how was your weekend. What do you do to relax and renew yourself to face day to day life? 

MONDAY MUSINGS: When Scots Become Irish.

My family isn’t really Irish well—lets just say we are more Scot than Irish, but a Celt is a Celt. However, for St. Pat’s we’re Irish.

My family isn’t small. My mom had 9 kids. I tease about coming from a litter of 9. My mom laughs while telling me how bad I am. Any family get together is usually pretty big and even bigger when we add in the kids of kids.

My brother throws an annual Celtic party every St. Pat’s Day. It truly is his favorite holiday he tends to go all out with decorations, lights, and atmosphere. This year was no different. Though not all the family could come, we still had a large group of family and friends. The weather was outstanding for March, shirtsleeves even at 10 p.m. There are huge amounts of food prepared, lots of laughter and music. Oh, yeah, green beer—ugh—and a few other green colored alcohols, which were much better than the beer, in my humble opinion. Tis a grand time when we get together.

This year my son took his girlfriend of nine months to the gathering. They loved her and she fits in because she looks like a Celtic fairy. Well, she’s also a good kid and fun. She thinks my “family is amazing” (I really like this kid). We’re an affectionate bunch. We hug and give kisses—a lot. I think it was a bit of a surprise for her to see even my brothers hugging each other and handing out kisses to the cheek. We've always been that way. I love being on the receiving end of hugs and kisses. This year was special because I was so sick last year and although they only live 45 minutes away, this was the first time I had seen most of them in a year. This was unusual as I’m more often than not down visiting at least twice a month. So I had lots of hugs to catch up on.

At any given, conversations run the gamut of family gossip (a favorite pastime), politics, conservation issues, books, and music. Visitors are sure to find a topic of interest under discussion. Mostly, it’s a relaxing and fun time.

My family is special to me. They’ve been the constant in my life as we bee-bopped around the country with Dad’s job. We fuss and argue—what family doesn’t?  It usually doesn’t last long and not much time goes by before someone throws a cookout or party and we are able to come together and reconnect, renew, and take strength from being together yet another year.

Slàinte (slawn-che) 

• Did you do anything special over St. Patrick’s’ weekend?   

Maintaining Sanity

“...When the dog bites,

when the bee stings,
when I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite things,
and then I don't feel so bad.”

Life for the majority today is hectic. We're balancing family, jobs, and school. The emotional baggage of new relationships and old relationships. In between, we try to fit in our writing and deal with deadlines, major revisions from our editor, or rejections and yet continue to find the inspiration to create stories. Or simply find a way to recharge, to maintain our sanity and refresh our souls. Not an easy thing to do.

For me, it depends on mood. What works one time may not do for another time. Listening to music or reading a book. There are times meeting a couple of friends for lunch, visiting my sister and sitting on the front porch drink coffee and giggle over silly things. Other times I want to be somewhere boisterous, with lots of laughter and fun.

There are times I am able to recharge and feel refreshed by visiting with my writing group, The WritingWombats. On the Wombat threads I find laughter, teasing, and fun, interspersed with strong support and practical knowledge on how to make something work, especially when I've hit a wall in my writing. We have aspiring and published authors. I listen and watch them deal with proposals, juggling life and deadlines, not to mention the proverbial pulling out of the hair in frustration.

Sometimes I want to go someplace quiet but away from home. Those times, especially if I want to get my equilibrium, I head for the water—ocean, river, lake, my pond on the lower 40. Sometimes it's heading to the family compound and having a cook-out and tall tales around the bonfire.

Or go over to my brother's pool house and bar, and be silly. Sometimes taking in a little league football game. Sometimes hanging out with my dogs. As the song goes, “...theses are a few of my favorite things.”

What refreshes your soul and spirit. What do you do to recharge? What helps you maintain your sanity and save you from being a Axe murderer and serving life without parole?

What are a few of your 'favorite things'?

All pictures here were either taken by me or for me.


Top, my Great Dane, Gidget and Callie Kitten,
Cappucino coaster set, Bodega Head, Bodega, CA
Sia and my brother Rob, at his bar St. Patricks.