Bee Gleeful!!

Today, I thought we'd talk about some of my personal truths.  Let's start with...

 Yeah, I really try to find the glee in life and remember to be thankful for what I've got.  But sometimes life gets tough...no worries, I have the solution!

I know, that was baaaaaad.
I had a character who had a habit of saying little mottos...pick anyone of hers. 

I think they're all spot on!

I not only write books, but I'm a lifelong reader.  Here's why I do both...

And this is definitely a truth 
every dog owner knows!!

Do you have any personal mottos you live by??Hope you're having a wonderful summer!!

Holly

PS Carry Her Heart's on sale this month!  $.99 for Kindle and $5.99 for the paperback!  And Same Time Next Summer comes out on the 26th.  You can preorder it now!

The Hazy, Lazy, Crazy Days of Summer

by Anna Campbell

It seems crazy to think a lot of my American friends are suffering horrible ice storms and snow and plummeting temperatures and gray skies. You know, the whole miserable winter drill. My sympathies and good wishes go out to those people who are suffering more than mere discomfort in what sounds like a really rotten winter over there!

Down here in Australia, a lot of the country is suffering record heatwaves with many of the same results as your cold snap, paradoxically. They include an increase in sudden deaths and power outages which are terrible when you've got food to store in this shocking heat.

I live in south-east Queensland which is the humid, subtropical part of Australia about halfway up the east coast. Our temperatures haven't been nearly as dramatic as further south in Victoria and Adelaide but it's been terrifically humid. I get up well before the sun does and believe me, it's ridiculous to be sweating at 4am! It just shouldn't be allowed!

Like a lot of Australians, I have a pool and believe me, it's been getting a workout this summer. Those who don't have their own pool use public ones or take off for the beach. Australia has some of the loveliest beaches in the world although at this time of year, they tend to be obscured by millions of sunbathing bodies. The beach in summer is a national tradition.
Another national tradition is sitting around for hours on end watching the cricket. Sadly, after several years as top dog in the cricket world, we seem to be going through a bit of an eclipse. The South African team is touring at the moment and has just officially been named best one-day side in the world. Sigh. What is the world coming to? Australians as a whole tend to be much more passionate about sport than politics!

Another summer tradition is watching the tennis, particularly the Australian Open. As I write this on 31st January, we're heading towards the finals which is so exciting. I don't know how those poor players have kept going through Melbourne's record temperatures! It's turned into a real test of endurance and strength this year.

Other summer traditions include complaining about the heat (yeah, that one never loses its fascination), having barbecues and the post-Christmas sales. The day after Christmas, Boxing Day, is the day when the shops are full of ridiculous bargains and people fight to get the best buys.

Here in Queensland, after about ten years of unusual weather patterns, we've got the monsoon back this year. Which means sweltering humidity and then sudden downpours which at least cool things down momentarily. We've also had a series of violent electrical storms this year which can be spectacular and also VERY scary!

Because we've had rain and heat and because I've been busy promoting my latest release TEMPT THE DEVIL, the garden has become a tangled, overgrown mess. Seriously I think the Abominable Snowman, Sasquatch, the Loch Ness Monster and Elvis are all out there in the garden somewhere. Not that I'll ever have a chance to find them. They could hide in the undergrowth and never be seen!

By the way, this isn't a picture of my garden but I think it very soon could pass for one! Hey, I just saw Tarzan swinging from a grevillea. He looked rather hot and sweaty in his leopardskin loincloth. I must tell him he's allowed to use the pool.

Actually, something really cool (smooth segue, huh?) is my current website contest. The major prize is five great books by Aussie authors, Annie West, Paula Roe, Bronwyn Jameson, Christine Wells - oh, and TEMPT THE DEVIL. There are two consolation prizes of signed copies of TEMPT THE DEVIL. It's a really easy question so why not check it out?

Anyway, what's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Sadly, I wrote this post last week before the tragic bushfires that have killed so many people and left thousands homeless, not to mention the toll on wildlife and their habitat. If you'd like to make a donation to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, please visit this site:

http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp

Life's a Beach

I’m sort of known for writing comedy. With titles like I Waxed My Legs for This? and Not Precisely Pregnant...well, it’s sort of obvious where I’ve done most of my writing. But last year, I moved to a more serious sort of book with The House on Briar Hill Road, a book that dealt with breast cancer, loss and a failing marriage. It was a real departure for me. I had to switch my website’s tagline from, HollyJacobs.com...where love is a laughing matter, to HollyJacobs.com...where love is a laughing matter...except when it’s not. So, in the interest of fairness, I should let it be known that my first SuperRomance this month, SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER is not a laughing matter. Oh, there are moments of humor, moments when I hope you’ll smile, or even chuckle, but there are other moments when I made myself cry as I wrote.

I could feel for the heroine, Carolyn, as she sat at her daughter’s hospital bedside, listening to the heart machine, and praying that her daughter would wake up. As a mother, I could imagine her terror, and admire her tenacity as she held onto the belief her daughter was going to find her way back to her. When Carolyn’s family sends an old friend–someone she shared her childhood summers on the lake with–to her hospital to try to talk her into leaving, I felt her pain as she told him she couldn’t leave her child. That while Emma’s heart was beating, Carolyn knew there was a chance her daughter would come back, and that she’d need her mother close to find her way out of her coma. When Stephan pulled his chair next to Carolyn’s and simply said he’d wait with her, I fell in love with him and this story.

This book is special because it’s my second drama. And though I didn’t set it in Erie (where most of my books are set) I did set it on Lake Erie in Ohio. If you visit my website, not only will you find my new improved tagline, you’ll also see a beautiful lake shot. When I had to come up with a theme for the site, my first thought was families...most of my books are all about family. But I wanted something visual. Beaches. Most of my books are set here in Erie and my characters visit the lake, or mention the lake. Uh, I’m a fan of the lake. There’s nothing more beautiful then heading out in the evening, sitting on the beach and watching the sunset. And of course, the idea that life’s a beach (full of fun and family) and sometimes it’s a beach (a nicer word for b#$%^) well, that seems appropriate for my new comedy-drama writings.

So sunsets on the beach...one of my favorite summer activities. What’s your favorite summertime activity?

Holly

Same Time Next Summer's on the shelves now, and in Australia too, this month!!

The Early Bird Packs her Suitcase

I have a confession...I’m early.

I’m early when I have an appointment.

I’m early when turning in books (this is one of those confessions that makes other writers hate me)!

And I’m someone who packs for a trip early.

I’m leaving on Tuesday for San Francisco. It’s the big RWA Conference. I’m doing two workshops there (Confessions of Series Killers: Weathering Line Closings and Other Career Changes w/Tanya Michaels and My Writing May Be Art…but My Kids Need Braces w/ Nancy Warren...if you’re there, I hope you’ll stop in). There’s a big signing on Wednesday night (if you’re in the San Francisco area, I hope you’ll come out...I'll be signing August's Same Time Next Summer and Everything But a Bride) and lots of parties and chances to meet with friends.

Ah....and the friends. My kids refer to my writing/reading friends as my invisible friends. They question my sanity when I talk about them as if I’d just had lunch with them that day. And most, I only see at RWA Conferences! But a friend is a friend, no matter how far away they live.

But I was talking about being early. Here’s my suitcase today. Every time I think of something I need, I toss it in. Then I mull it over. Sometimes I pull it back out. Sometimes I add more. But I’ve heard of some of my friends–some of whom are going to the conference–who don’t pack until the last minute. They wait until sometimes just hours before their flights, throw some clothes in the suitcase and go.

I get hives just thinking about it!

So, how about you (my invisible friends) are you an early bird, or someone who waits until the last minute??

Holly