Word of the Year

I know we're a few week into 2018 and most New Year Resolutions are already forgotten, but I think there's still time to...well, not make a resolution, I gave those up years ago.  Instead, I pick one word to build my year around.  I love that other people have joined me in the tradition.  I've used words like Stop, Moment, Awareness, Step, Optimism, Change, Stretch, Time, Hope...

I spent a great deal of time mulling 2018's word and finally landed on Chapter.  With that word I'm acknowledging that things changed last year and will continue to change next year.

In 2017 I lost my mother in July and losing her has left a hole in my life.  I went back to school in August and discovered so much glee in Ceramics and My Novel Freshman Experience.  My family is another year older and they're lives are changing and evolving, and I'll confess, I feel such a sense of pride when I look at what amazing people they all are.

So 2018 sees me in a new place...a new chapter if you will.  By choosing that as my word of the year, I'm reminding myself that even when change is hard, I should more than accept those changes, I should embrace them!  I should try and make this chapter the best one yet.

So even though we're a couple weeks into the year, I hope you reflect on what you want from 2018.  Do you have a word of the year?

Happy New Year, my friends.  I love stopping by this blog every month.  Thank you to everyone who's followed my pottery adventures and a huge thanks to everyone who's picked up a book, left a review and shared a bit glee with me!

Holly

PS The 3rd book in my PTA Mom trilogy it out...Once Upon a Valentine's 
and
Hold Her Heart is on sale for $.99.  It's one of my Romance+ stories...a story about woman's journey that includes romance, but romance isn't the reason for her journey, nor is it her final destination!

My first crush...

My husband (aka Himself) knows how to woo me.  For years I've said my favorite present from him was a pair of a steel-toed boots. (He'd seen me splitting wood and flipping a piece that landed on my toes which made them sweet.)  But yesterday's gift might win.  An entire collection of leather-bound, acid-free paper Robert Heinlein's book.  Oh, be still my heart.

My first real crush was on Heinlein's character, Lazarus Long.  So that's where I went first. I opened Methuselah's Children.  Oh, wow.  Reading a beautifully bound version is a different experience than reading my beat up paperback.  It was lovely!  Adding to the experience was seeing Himself occasionally glance over at me happily reading and smile indulgently.  

It might seem strange to non-book people to have a first crush be a fictional character, but readers get it.  I have a crush on all the heroes I write.  And I want to be best friends with all the heroines.  If I didn't like them that much, then writing the book wouldn't work.  I've been writing Romance+ stories...books that are more than a romance, they're a story of a woman's journey that includes a romance, but romantic love isn't the reason for her journey, nor is it the only destination.  My Words of the Heart series is first person in the heroine's point-of-view.  So I get to know those heroes through the heroine's eyes.  But at the end of Carry Her Heart, Ned gets a small word in edge wise...and every time I read it, even though I wrote it, I tear up.  He comes back in Hold Her Heart and opens the book...and again, he gets me every time.  As I sat reading Lazarus last night, I looked at my husband and understood why Ned's small POV's get me...it's because he gets his heroine, Pip.  He understands her and loves her in spite of her quirks.

Himself gets me like that and proof is in a pair of steel-toed boots and a set of Heinlein books.

Holly

PS The first two books in Words of the Heart are on sale.  Come meet Ned for yourself.

Carry Her Heart

Hold Her Heart

These Three Words

Hold Her Heart...What makes a family?

Last time I blogged here, I talked about heading to New Jersey...and I made it! I thought I'd share the highlight of my trip with you!  I had such a great time at the conference.  I traveled down with my pal, Susan Gable.  She shot the awards presentation.  You'd think, as a writer, I'd have prepared a speech.  Uh, obviously I didn't.  LOL  But I meant what I said, thank you to the New Jersey Romance Writers group, and to everyone who's picked up one of my books!

My big news...my new release, Hold Her Heart is out!!  

One of my all time favorite reviews is, "With books like this, if you aren't a Holly fan, you're likely a robot." ~S. Stone   It's part of my bestselling Words of the Heart series.  All the books are stand-alone, and yet they all tie together.  

This book, like so many of my books, deals not only with a romance, but with the question...what makes a family?  It's a theme that I write about again and again.  You'd think that the question would eventually be answered to my satisfaction, but here's the thing...families are made in so many ways.  I'm pretty sure I could ask that question for the rest of my writing career and never fully answer it.

I look at my own family. It's diverse and always growing.  And to date, my heart has never run out of room...and I don't anticipate that changing in the future!

I've been calling the books in this series (along with Just One Thing), Romance+ books.  They're definitely romance, but they're more than that.  They're a woman's journey...a journey that includes romance but isn't the reason for her journey.  Yeah, I tried to coin the term Womance (women's fiction + romance) but for some reason that didn't take off!  LOL  Romance+ seems to be doing better!

Some other Hold Her Heart reviews:

I will definitely be adding this to my must re-read list. Five stars doesn't come close, but that's all they give us. Please add this to your collection and enjoy.
By Literature Litehouse on September 14, 2016

Thanks for another beautiful story, Holly. And thanks for how you've woven these stories together. I an looking forward to the next one.

Published 12 days ago by Amazon Customer

This was a great addition to Holly's works of literature. She reminds us of the treasure of family, life and love. Another great read!

Published 25 days ago by Beth Anne

This is a realistic story of a child given up for adoption and she had a normal and happy childhood. Her mother's husband comes searching for her due to his wife's illness.

Published 1 month ago by Hcquarles

Hold Her Heart was an absolutely beautiful and emotional read. I cried my eyes out. Holly Jacobs truly played the emotion card when writing the follow up to Carry Her Heart. 

Published 1 month ago by Carolyn

A few readers read the opening and got worried...so I'll reiterate my promise here: There is a Happily-Ever-After.  Honest.

Other news...I started using Instagram.  Come visit if you have a minute!  

Holly