Pop vs. Soda

I'm went to Susan Gable's this weekend to film more Trippin' with Holly and Susan videos. They're so much fun to make because they're really just the two of us gabbing. That's something we do well and with ease. We talk about anything from our writing/books, to pop vs. soda. Yes, that's a thing. Different regions have different words for the same thing. It's not just a US thing.

I have some lovely UK friends. One of them taught me that the word knackered meant tired. It was a big conference so I was knackered a lot of the time.  I happened to mention my knackeredness to my dear friend, Kate Walker (who also blogs here) and she said I shouldn't be knackered because it meant tired, but in an "after-glow" sort of way.  Uh, Himself (my husband) was in Erie and I was not, so I definitely wasn't that kind of knackered. When I mentioned it to my other friend, she said that wasn't right. So we went to the ultimate authority, some English editors. They said I could indeed be knackered even though Himself was in Erie. LOL And then it was agreed that Kate had a dirty, dirty mind. (Said with a very English accent and a smile, so it was endearing.)

Regionalisms. They're more fun than you think. You can listen to my discussion with Susan here...

(Yes, she won the Pigs in a Blanket debate!)

We post videos (most) Mondays and Fridays. You can follow them on FB, or I park them all here on YouTube.

I will say that when I'm knackered, I do love a good pop! 

Holly

PS.

Check out 2018's releases!!
(And keep an eye out for 2019's! There are a bunch!):

Polished Off

PTA Moms: the Collection

Between the Words

Briar Hill Road

Find my books at:

Amazon

Kobo

Radish Fiction

iBooks

B&N

Google Play

BAM

Trippin' with Holly and Susan—12

Susan Gable and I have done a series of videos about writing and books...and today's release, about where we set most of our books, Erie, PA.

Yes, Erie is Eriesistible! It's the setting in so many of my books, but more than that...it's home! Come see why we love it so much in today's trip!

You can go back and check out the first eleven videos on YouTube on my aptly named, Trippin' with Holly and Susan playlist.

We had so much fun making these videos and we'd love to have you come along...so climb in the backseat and come trippin' with us!

Holly

PS. Carry Her Heart is on sale, along with the 2nd book in the series, These Three Words.

Polished Off

And don't forget my new release Polished Off: A Maid in LA Mystery is out! Check out Quincy's newest adventure!

Join in the fun at:

Amazon

B&N

Take a Journey...

Last week, on International Women's Day, I posted this video and talked about who I am.  I think all of us should spend time thinking about who we are.  It's hard to decide where you want to go if you don't know where you are. 

Welcome to #ThisIsMe...the Holly edition.

           I am a Woman.

I am part of an amazing family.

I am a friend.

I've been bruised, but I have healed.

I am all the books I've ever read...or written.

I believe in something greater than myself.
I am Gleeful.
I am Clay-Happy.
I am a Solitude Loving Camp Lover.
I am a Wood Splitter.
I'm a shower singer.

I am a Baker.

I am a Cook.

I am Weird.
I'm a brewer.

I am a lover of odd science facts (Schrodinger, Pi Day...).
I am a lover of Buffalo Plaid.
I am curious, inventive, self-motivated and introspective.
Despite what people think, at heart I'm an introvert.
I believe in justice.
I try to see people for who they are, not how they're packaged.
I am so much more than all this...

Man, I love the line, "I'm not scared to be seen...I make no apologies.  This is me."

Still, I'm more than those things...I'm all the people who came before me.  And just as I don't think you can decide where you're going until you know where you are...I don't think you can know where you're going until you know where you're from.

I've been working on my family tree off and on for a few years.  On my mom's side, I come from pre-revolution New England.  My father's side has just as deep history, but from down south.  His family came from the mountains in Virginia, down to North Carolina, then back up to West Virginia.  I am a northern girl through and through, and find this deep southern part of my history fascinating.  One of my favorite books last year was Victuals.  I tend to read cookbooks like novels, and this book had a mini novel in amongst the recipes...stories from the mountains my family came from.  I read about sorghum in that book and a lovely friend, Tami, sent me some. I so enjoyed trying it out...it became one of my Cooks and Books videos.  You can watch it here.  

I was doing some research for my family tree and stumbled across a documentary by NC State called Mountain Talk and watched it last week. I was fascinated by the stories about their speech and the music.  This is my heritage.  These are my people.  I think I miss the mountains, even if I've never lived there. 

One of the words that really struck me in the documentary was poke. A shopping bag.  I love that.  And of course, watching the documentary, made me do a bit more research (the trap of every writer...I can get lost in this stuff) and found a fun blog, Blind Pig and an Acorn.  I read an article about pokes there, and am now subscribed.  Yes, I'm falling down the rabbit hole...again.

Before I knew about my heritage, I loved mountain stories.  Do you remember Foxfire Books?  I've got more than a few.  I love to pull one out and read a story about someone's life.

Maybe this is part of why I write.  I get to explore other people's lives and pasts and the pieces of themselves that are there This Is Me definitions.  Because yes, I am part of my wonderful family, a friend, a writer, an amateur potter, a... so many other things.  I am all of them.  But I am my parents' daughter, and their parents' granddaughter...right on down the line. 

I come from a wide rich heritage and that is part of who I am.  And that's what I try to give each character I write.  That kind of history.  Briar Hill Road is a story that deals with more than a couple falling in love...it's about their lifetime of love.  Their ups and downs.  And it's about their history. 
Yes, this is where one documentary led me today!  Down the rabbit hole again.  LOL

I hope you'll join me and take a journey down Briar Hill Road! And maybe give some thought to who you are.  We'd love to have you post your own #ThisIsMe list!

Holly

And while you're thinking about This is Me, here's a mash-up of it with Dear Evan Hansen's You Will Be Found...amazing!