The Road Less Traveled

Friends who follow me on social media still talk about my dual-flush toilet glee a couple years ago when we were renovating a bathroom. There was an article in the paper last weekend talking about water conservation and mentioned them (and water barrels…have that, too!).

Like so many things in my life, it became fodder for my writing.  I used that dual-flush toilet in my

December book, A Valley Ridge Christmas:

“I told the plumber I’d do the demo work in here, and the stupid toilet is stuck. I don’t know what else to do.”

“We’re replacing it, right?”

“Yes. We’re replacing both with dual flush toilets.”

“Dual flush?”

“They’re very water efficient. You use one button for little jobs and one for big …” She could feel her cheeks heating up. “Needless to say, they’re a green alternative. Tori’s dad suggested them. He said as long as we were doing all this work, we might as well make the house as green and energy efficient as possible.”

Aaron sank down next to her and examined the bolts, then turned so that his face was inches away from hers. “You are the first woman I’ve ever met who can get excited about a dual flush toilet.”
Maeve shrugged. “That’s me. Save the earth…one flush at a time. But only if I could get this nut off the bolt.”


“Let’s try it together.”

That working together moment was so important to the characters' changing relationship.  I loved that scene, but I was afraid my editor wouldn't see the merit in characters falling for each other over a toilet. I thought about cutting the scene, but in the end, I left it.  And she didn't even bat an eye.

I'm working on getting a few older books ready to reprint as eBooks.  One of them, Bosom Buddies (published as Baby, It's You), has a lactation consultant heroine meeting a hero with a nipple-confused baby.  He comes to her for help, and she has an idea.  It's called an SNS (supplemental nursing system).  Breastfeeding moms can supplement their milk by using the tubing that comes from a bottle and taping it next to their nipples.  The baby is supplemented as they nurse.  BUT the heroine in Bosom Buddies is suggesting the hero use the tubing taped to a finger.  Finger feeding will often work for babies who won't take a bottle.  BUT what the hero is hearing is she wants him to tape the tubing to HIS nipples and feed the baby.  Their miscommunication made me laugh as I reread it.

Yeah, it was a weird, convoluted scene.  More than a decade ago as I wrote the book, I almost cut it.  But I decided not to play it safe and sent the book, weird (but hopefully funny) opening scene in place.  I got a call days later from the editor.  She'd read that opening and called to tell me she couldn't stop laughing and she was buying the book…she'd get back to me with contract info after she finished more than just that first scene.

So what's my point here?  Well, you could say my point is conserving water is a good thing (it is), or that if you have a baby with feeding issues, go see a professional (do).  But really, my point is, sometimes we second-guess ourselves.  We take what we perceive as the safer path.  And that isn't necessarily the best path.  That weird SNS scene sold Bosom Buddies, and the dual-flush toilet scene was definitely something you don't find in a lot of romances.  It gave me glee, and some of my readers who follow me on FaceBook remembered my stories of my dual-flush and commented on finding it in a book!

I hope that you all take a chance…take that road less traveled.  Sometimes that makes all the difference!

Holly

PS. If you don't have it on your Kindle, Spruced Up is on sale today for 99¢

A Holiday Motto

I love the holidays! I love that so many people seem willing to not only find the glee that's all around them, but actively try to give glee to others as well!

So when I set out to write a story for Maeve, who was a solitary secondary character in my A Valley Ridge Wedding trilogy (You Are Invited, April Showers and A Walk Down the Aisle), I knew that it had to be special, and that I wanted to find a very special way for her to find her glee by giving it in A Valley Ridge Christmas!

I'd already established she had a giving heart…she reopened the community's small library almost single handedly.  So when a homeless family shows up literally on her doorstep she jumps right in.  What I love about Maeve is she lives her life by the words, "I can't save the world, but I can try."  That willingness to jump in…well, I knew she needed a very special man.  Oh, I wrapped him in a bit of a Scrooge-ish exterior.  He lives life by the motto…everyone's got an angle.  I loved pitting an optimist against a pessimist.

Now that I know that Maeve's got the right man, I'm busy getting ready for the holidays here.  I made my first batch of cutout cookies earlier this week…and they're almost gone.  There's a certain Cookie Monster who's taking finals and she says they help.  So, I'll be making more cookies and I still have some hard candy to make!  I make a number of flavors, but the kids' favorite is one we call Death by Cinnamon.  They're pretty sure that any candy

that makes your eyes water is good!

I hope your holiday prep is going well!  And I'm wishing you a wonderful holiday season.  I hope you're surrounded by friends and family.  And if you have a chance to try out Maeve's personal motto this holiday season, I hope you give it a try!

Holly


PS My other Christmas release, Spruced Up: A Maid in LA Holiday Novella is on sale for 99 cents for Kindle until December 15th!

There's Something in a Name!

Every author knows there's something in a name.  We agonize over what to name a character.  Looking for the right name to convey something we want to say about the character…something that fits them.  I was thinking about names for a new book and I wondered what a name like Holly said about me.  And hopefully it speaks of the holiday glee!  But here's the thing, my mother named my Holly not because my birthday was near the holidays (it's not…it's in August), but because she didn't think anyone could find a nickname for Holly.  And that is why I've gone by Hall most of my life! So maybe it speaks a bit about me bucking expectation and trying to chart my own path…I think I like that as well.

And as I thought about my name, I realized that despite the fact I was born in August, my name connection to the holidays shows in my work.  Turns out I've written a lot of holiday books. I have two new Christmas books out this year, and a number of backlist Christmas (and one Thanksgiving) books available as eBooks.  I think a lot of my heroines buck expectations and chart their own paths as well.  From Quincy, a maid who discovers that she's not only good at solving mysteries, but she also has a talent for writing, to Maeve, who came from humble beginnings and despite that has lived her life believing one person can make a difference.

Yes, there's something in a name.  And here are a few of my holiday books that are either new releases, or older books that are still available for eReaders.

New Releases in December:

Quincy's Back for Christmas in a in 

Spruced Up: A Maid in LA Holiday Novella.

Quincy Mac has faced a murder and an art thief. She's dealt with three teenaged boys on her own. She's even braved a brand new romance. But nothing she'd done in the past has prepared Quincy for this...she's heading home for Christmas! She's planning a quiet week with her family, but finds herself with another mystery to solve! 

Join Quincy as she celebrates with her family and solves a mystery in a way that's in keeping with the Christmas season!

Review:
"I fell in love with Quincy Mac when I learned she was once almost the spokeswoman for Dazzling Smile toothpaste.  I have a fondness for great stories, for toothpaste...and for teeth."  ~Hermey, Dentist to the North Pole

Available for Kindle

A Valley Ridge Christmas

...the name says it all.  It's stand alone, but if you've read the previous Valley Ridge Wedding trilogy, you'll meet up with old friends in this Christmas story.  Take one Pollyanna-ish librarian who lives by the mantra, I can't save the world, but I can try, and one Scrooge-ish man who is not thrilled by the idea of a white Christmas, add in a homeless family and you a new holiday story!

Reviews:

"A generous heroine who shares everything but herself and a smart but wary hero who needs to make peace with his past find friendship, love, and belonging in this sweet confection that channels It's a Wonderful Life and has links to Jacobs's earlier Valley Ridge books."
~Library Journal, 10-15-14

"...quick witted dialogue and spark." ~RT Bookreviews

Available in December at your local bookstore, for Kindle and Nook.  It's also available as part of a special 3 eBook bundle on Kindle and Nook.

   Other Holiday books:

Take meddling Nana Vancy who wants to play matchmaker along with her two best friends, known as The Silver Bells (Isabel and Annabelle) and set a romance two the tune ofThe 12 Days of Christmas and you have a fun Christmas romance!  Kindle and B&N.

Last year's holiday short story (also featuring Nana Vancy) is finally available for Nook!  Nana Vancy thinks she's out of the matchmaking business...at least for people.  She's better with pets.  But her Hungarian magic still has some kick.  Kindle and Nook



For Thanksgiving, Once Upon a Thanksgiving.  This was the first in my American Romance American Dad series.  Kindle and Nook.  The second American Dad book was Once Upon a Christmas.  Kindle and Nook.

Three moms miss the first PTA meeting of the year and get stuck on the worst committee…where they find friendship and maybe love!

Unexpected Gifts.  A woman who teaches teen parents finds her own personal journey echoing her girls' when she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and jilted by the baby's dad.  Then just as unexpectedly a special man enters her life. Kindle and Nook

Laura Watson suffered the most unimaginable pain.  She meets a man who's also gone through a horrible loss of his own.  Can these two damage people find the strength to love again?  Kindle and Nook.

A New Kind of Mystery—Fluffy

After more than fifty romances, I'm writing a new series...a mystery series.  I went to a conference yesterday and a group of us were talking about it. Let's face it, my writing is on the sweeter side of things.  Some of my romance is drama, some just sweet romance and some falls on the comedy side of things.  My mysteries fall in that sweet-comedy category.  The Pennwriters decided my funny, sweet mysteries weren't exactly cozy mysteries...they were fluffy.  Yes, I write Fluffy Mysteries.  I'm starting a new trend!

It was a fun day. I mean, any time you get a bunch of writers together there tends to be a lot of fun!  And I found out I write a whole new type of mystery!

So, Holly, what makes a Fluffy Mystery, you ask?

They center around Quincy Mac.  She's the single mother of three who went to Hollywood with stars in her eyes and instead of stardom, she became maid.  In STEAMED; A MAID IN LA MYSTERY she accidentally cleaned...a murder scene.  She needs to find out who dunnit so she doesn't end up in jail for a crime she didn't commit...only cleaned. 

The second book, DUSTED: A MAID IN LA MYSTERY came out in September.  Quincy Mac is at it again.  This time she's got to find out who's been replacing her clients' works of art with forgeries in order to save her business...and she has to survive wearing a pumpkin orange dress to Tiny's wedding!

SPRUCED UP: A Maid in LA Christmas Novella will be out in November.  Quincy's heading home to Erie, PA for Christmas...and her mom has an early present for her.  A third mystery!

I love writing Quincy.  I can identify with her.  She has three boys who eat all the food and rarely pick up after themselves.  She has to deal with a very different family (not that I'm saying my family is different...uh, I might not be saying that but that doesn't mean they're normal!).  She's a good friend.  She's independent and successful.  She has a good sense of humor about life.  I think she's a perfect first heroine for the Fluffy Mystery genre.

So, with Quincy, I've got those Fluffy Mysteries off to a three book start.  They are so much fun to write.  I hope readers enjoy reading them as much!

Oh, I still write heavier books.  My December release, A Valley Ridge Christmas, deals with the topic of homelessness.  And while I think it's a very feel-good story, but it's probably not overly fluffy.  

Happy Columbus Day here in the US and Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends!

Holly