I have a new series starting in October at Harlequin American Romance. These are my first books for the line, and I have to confess, I'm quite excited. The research was...well, easy. You see, this American Dad trilogy centers around three PTA Moms who miss the first meeting of the year and get "volunteered" to head the Social Planning Committee. These three single moms all have enough on their plate, but the pitch in to plan the Thanksgiving Pageant, the Christmas Fair and the Valentine's Dance for the school.What they find is not only true friendships, but love.
The great thing about this series is I've been talking to other PTA Moms, running a Jeff Foxworthy-esque contest, YOU MIGHT BE A 
PTA MOM IF____________. We'll be voting on the top ten this week. And I thought maybe you all might like to join in the discussion. Are you a PTA Mom? Have you ever volunteered? Any fun stories??
PTA MOM IF____________. We'll be voting on the top ten this week. And I thought maybe you all might like to join in the discussion. Are you a PTA Mom? Have you ever volunteered? Any fun stories??Holly
ONCE UPON A THANKSGIVING, 10/08
ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS, 12/08
ONCE UPON A VALENTINE'S, 2/09
16 comments:
The finalists:
HERE ARE THE FINALISTS:
You might be a PTA Mom if you're so busy with PTA stuff that your husband has to dress out of the dryer in the mornings. (Better the dryer than the washer!) ~JV
You might be a PTA Mom if you take every school fundraiser to work and then end up having to carry in 100 tubs of frozen cookie dough ~Tammy
You might be a PTA mom if you've ever forged another mom's name on a volunteer sheet. ~Ellen Hartman
You might be a PTA Mom if you know the location of every public washroom in town---field trips help that along. ~Kaelee
You might be a PTA Mom if you are on a first name bases with the school's principal and janitor ~Messy Kitty
You might be a PTA mom if when you appear in the teacher's workroom all the teachers rush over to see what you brought them to eat. ~Ellen Too
You might be a PTA Mom if your husband dares you to come home from a meeting and not be the Point of Contact for the next fundraiser. ~Angel
You might be a PTA Mom if the students wave in the hall and say, "HI Laminating Lady!" rather than "Mrs. ____" ~Donna Alward
You might be a PTA Mom if you've ever busted your tailbone at a school Roller Skating Party. ~Rae
You might be a PTA mom if you can sing "Found a Peanut" in your sleep. ~Jody
You might be a PTA mom if your kids' friends call you "Mom." ~Patti Mann
You might be a PTA Mom if you've dressed up in a grass skirt, aloha shirt, and carried around a pink, plastic, blowup dolphin as volunteer reader for the annual Scholastic book fair . . . in a snowstorm.~Shelley Burbank
You might be a PTA Mom if Oriental Trading is on your speed dial. ~Rae
You might be a PTA Mom if you've popped so much popcorn to sell on Fridays that when you go to the grocery store later that day, you notice people around you sniffing the air and saying, "Do you smell popcorn?" ~JV
And not on our final list, but still worth mentioning was:
You Might be the PTA President if when you go pick up your kid at school all the other parents scatter! ~Holly's husband (who has now proven he really DOES listen when she talks about her books!)
Hi Holly,
I love holiday books and yours sound just great!!
Hi, Dina! I'm so glad you like the sounds of the trilogy.
In Once Upon a Thanksgiving, the first mom, Samantha, is near and dear to my heart. You see, she has four children...I have four children. But in the interest of not being sued, Samantha has three boys and a girl, and I have...three girls and a boy! See how tricky I am! LOL And to be honest, some of her kids' escapades might have been inspired by my kids'. For instance, when Stella and her doll accidentally set the table on fire...you might think that's an author really exaggerating what happens when kids are around. But I'll confess, one of my kids while playing with a candle on the table at a wedding reception accidentally started a small fire! LOL I borrowed Stella's scare from real life!
I have a friend who questions my sanity because I have four kids. But seriously, as a writer, they're really some of the best inspiration! Do you think I could claim extra deductions on my taxes by saying their a work expense, too?? LOL
Seriously, Dina, thanks! I hope you find the first book in October and that you like it!
Holly
LOL! What a great list of finalists. I even recognize myself in a few. :)
I'm not a PTA mom and I no longer volunteer so we could have a a saner home life. :)
Sounds like a fabulous series, Holly!
WTG on changing up the the sex of the four children. Good thinking, Ninety-Nine! :)
All the best,
Gail :)
Gail,
Yes, the art of saying "no" is something that takes years to learn and lots of practice, but I'll confess, I've gotten much better at it myself. Sometimes I slip, but most of the time, I do okay! Glad you figured it out, even if you recognize yourself in some of the Mommisms!
And LOL...yes, there are shades of my kids and my brothers (did I mention I have many, many brothers) in so much of what I do. I was quite the geek when I was younger, but the lot of them have provided a lot of inspiration...though I do switch it up a bunch!
Thanks!
Holly
Hi Holly,
I love your list and I am honored to be on it. Funny thing too as I am going to be a Room Mom once again this year. I just got Once Upon a Thanksgiving and i want to read it in November. (if I can wait that long) I just read Here With Me last night and loved it. Confessions of a Party Crasher is next.
Tammy
Oh, man, Tammy, thanks so much for picking all of those up! I'm so glad you liked Here With Me. It was a special book because it was the last of the Perry Square series. I still miss Pearly Gates...she keeps getting fan letters! I'm going to have to sneak her into another Erie book!
And LOL at your being room mother again! Tell me you're not selling cookie dough again??!!
Holly
I have read "Once Upon A Thanksgiving" and loved it. Hurry up
December books so I can read Once Upon A Christmas".
Ellen,
Thanks...I'm going to have to start paying you! LOL I really hope you like Michelle's...it's the sweetest of the three.
Hope you all had a lovely day! We went to a house-sale, and I made homemade chicken noodle soup...yum!!
Holly
I was elected president of our school PTA, when I missed a meeting.
I found out that as president you did most of the work with very little help.
Holly,
I will confess the 4th grade fundraiser right now is cookie dough. After my previous disaster, I brought the cookie dough brochure into work and walked the fine line by selling enough to be a good team player and selling so little I could carry it all back into work. (I only showed it to a select group of co-workers) I sold 30 tubs this time (these are the 3 lb tubs). I will write my order up tonight. Older and wiser but still selling cookie dough!
Estella, This is a great case of real life imitating fiction...or vice versa! LOL Sorry about your PTA president year. I know it's a tough job!
Tammy, Ah, you've gotten wiser! 30 is certainly easier to carry!
Holly
We're voting on the top ten PTA Mommism. Hope you'll vote!
http://community.eharlequin.com/content/final-vote
Holly
I can't wait to read these books!!
I don't have any kids so I am not a PTA mom and have no experiences of my own to share.
Jennifer,
I really hope you like the books...and thank you!!
Holly
I thought you all might to see the top 10 PTA Mommisms...
I'm going to be Letterman-esque and start at ten and work my way to number one!
10. You might be a PTA mom if when you appear in the teacher's workroom all the teachers rush over to see what you brought them to eat. ~Ellen Too
9. You might be a PTA Mom if you know the location of every public washroom in town---field trips help that along. ~Kaelee
8. You might be a PTA Mom if you've dressed up in a grass skirt, aloha shirt, and carried around a pink, plastic, blowup dolphin as volunteer reader for the annual Scholastic book fair . . . in a snowstorm.~Shelley Burbank
7. You might be a PTA mom if your kids' friends call you "Mom." ~Patti Mann
6. You might be a PTA mom if you can sing "Found a Peanut" in your sleep. ~Jody
5. You might be a PTA Mom if you take every school fundraiser to work and then end up having to carry in 100 tubs of frozen cookie dough ~Tammy
4. You might be a PTA Mom if you've popped so much popcorn to sell on Fridays that when you go to the grocery store later that day, you notice people around you sniffing the air and saying, "Do you smell popcorn?" ~JV
3. You might be a PTA Mom if the students wave in the hall and say, "HI Laminating Lady!" rather than "Mrs. ____" ~Donna Alward
2. You might be a PTA Mom if you're so busy with PTA stuff that your husband has to dress out of the dryer in the mornings. ~JV
AND THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO KNOW THAT YOU MIGHT BE A PTA MOM IS....
1. You might be a PTA mom if you've ever forged another mom's name on a volunteer sheet. ~Ellen Hartman
Holly
http://community.eharlequin.com/content/and-winner-our-first-pta-mommisms
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