Holly Jacobs (www.hollyjacobs.com)

Word Association

1. Editor Partner

2. Chicken Fingers

3. Education Science

4. Conferences Fun

5. MySpace Friends

6. Shakespeare Midsummer's Night

7. Jellyfish Ick

8. Funny Laugh

9. Frank Uncle

10. Pencil Eraser

Regular

1. What do you like best about writing for a variety of romance lines? When I started writing, my books were generally comedies or at least light humor. Recently, I’ve started doing a few more serious, dramatic stories. Normally, I love hearing from readers who tell me that I’ve made them laugh. It seems a bit mean to get that same glee now when I hear that I’ve made a reader cry! LOL This August, I have a light comedy with Avalon Books. EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE. It’s the second book in my Everything But trilogy and it’s definitely comedic. A Hungarian grandmother accidently curses her family to wedding disasters, and spends three books trying to undo the curse.

But it’s fun to also have a more serious, heart touching book out as well. SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER is an August Harlequin SuperRomance, and it opens with the heroine sitting my her daughter’s bedside. Her daughter’s in a coma and her family sends an old summer friend to talk the heroine into leaving the hospital. I’ve written comedies with friends who become lovers–Everything But a Bride is a good example–but it was a challenge to write a more serious friends-become-lovers story. In the end, I fell in love with both Stephan and Carolyn. I hope readers do as well.

2. What's your favorite word and why? Plethora and foible. They’re both just fun to say and highly underused!

3. Having published a good number of books, is there anything that still surprises you about the business? I’ll confess, I’m always a bit surprised to find that I’m actually writing “the end.” Even when that writing journey took a while, it always seems to end too soon. I hate letting go of my characters and their stories. That’s what was fun about writing Everlastings. The line focused on the scope of a couple’s relationship. SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER was an Everlasting that got moved to SuperRomance. It lets readers follow Carolyn and Stephan’s relationship from the time they’re young children, until they have children of their own. It was fun to find out what happened after they’re supposed happily-ever-after.

4. How is being a parent different from being a writer? Books rarely whine or need a trip to the emergency room. Books don’t ask me for money, or make a mess in the house I just cleaned up! But the process of writing a book and raising a child is remarkably similar. Both require a certain degree of insanity on my part, more than a few head-banging-on-the-wall moments, and both occasionally leave me muttering to myself. But in the end, when I see what I’ve raised/created, there’s a feeling of utter pride and joy! I want to point to both the books and the kids and say, “Hey, I did that!” LOL

5. You present a variety of workshops across the country. What got you started doing this and why do you like doing it? I actually worked with breastfeeding mothers for years, and learned a bit about public speaking while doing that. One time, I was invited to speak to a college freshman psych class on the psychological benefits of breastfeeding. It was a Monday morning at 8 am, and I swear, the entire front row was the college football team! LOL Anyway someone asked if size matters when breastfeeding. I talk with my hands and did this lovely little gesture, as if weighing giant breasts. The class burst out laughing! Seriously, talking about writing is so much easier, and less embarrassing! LOL

6. Do you have a writing routine? I’m a creature of habit. I function best with a routine, so yes, I do. Summers are hard, but once school starts, I get up early, answer emails and do web stuff, take kids to school, then home and write until lunch. I like to watch “Hot Topics” on The View as I eat, then back to work until kids get home! Weekends, I write if I’m on a tight deadline, but prefer not having to.

7. What advice would you give an unpublished writer? I’ve given the same advice over the years. WRITE SOMETHING, ANYTHING, EVERY DAY. Writing needs to become part of the cadence of your life, part of your rhythm. That won’t happen unless you make it an everyday part of your life. Give it value and importance. I treated my writing like a job, even before I sold.

8. If you were a red jelly bean, what flavor would you be and why? I hate to confess, I hate red jelly beans. So, if I had to be a red one, I’d be orange flavor disguised as something red, because I like orange best! (Which might explain why I drive an orange car! LOL)

9. What question do you wish we would have asked you? Hm, let’s see, you could have asked about my family (a great husband and four kids) or my idea of a romantic vacation (Disney World...we honeymooned there, and go back frequently), or even about my pets (two great dogs, an Irish Wolfhound/lab mix named Ethel Merman, and a labradoodle named Ella Fitzgerald). But no, there’s nothing I wish you would have asked.

10. Is there anything else you can share with our writing community? I mentioned my two August books, but the fact is, I have a lot of releases in the second half of ‘08.

SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER, Harlequin Superromance, US and Australia release, 8/08
EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE, Avalon Books, 8/08
ONCE UPON A THANKSGIVING, Harlequin American Romance, 10/08
ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS, Harlequin American Romance, 12/08
EVERYTHING BUT A WEDDING, Avalon Books, 12/08
CHRISTMAS EVE KISSES, UK Mills Boon Single Title, 12/08
ONCE UPON A VALENTINE’S, Harlequin American Romance, 2/09

The Everything But trilogy started last December with Once Upon a Groom.

The Once Upon trilogy, starting in October, is part of American Romance’s American Dad series. Three single moms miss the first PTA meeting of the year and are ‘volunteered’ for a committee. While they’re planning they Thanksgiving Pageant, the Christmas Fair and the Valentine’s Dance, they all three find love!

Thanks so much, Natalie, for asking me to visit with your readers!

Holly Jacobs (www.hollyjacobs.com)
Word Association
1. Editor	Partner
2. Chicken	Fingers
3. Education	Science
4. Conferences	Fun
5. MySpace	Friends
6. Shakespeare	Midsummer's Night
7. Jellyfish	Ick
8. Funny	Laugh
9. Frank	Uncle
10. Pencil	Eraser

Regular
1. What do you like best about writing for a variety of romance lines?	When I started writing, my books were generally comedies or at least light humor. Recently, I’ve started doing a few more serious, dramatic stories. Normally, I love hearing from readers who tell me that I’ve made them laugh. It seems a bit mean to get that same glee now when I hear that I’ve made a reader cry! LOL This August, I have a light comedy with Avalon Books. EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE. It’s the second book in my Everything But trilogy and it’s definitely comedic. A Hungarian grandmother accidently curses her family to wedding disasters, and spends three books trying to undo the curse. But it’s fun to also have a more serious, heart touching book out as well. SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER is an August Harlequin SuperRomance, and it opens with the heroine sitting my her daughter’s bedside. Her daughter’s in a coma and her family sends an old summer friend to talk the heroine into leaving the hospital. I’ve written comedies with friends who become lovers–Everything But a Bride is a good example–but it was a challenge to write a more serious friends-become-lovers story. In the end, I fell in love with both Stephan and Carolyn. I hope readers do as well.
2. What's your favorite word and why?	Plethora and foible. They’re both just fun to say and highly underused!
3. Having published a good number of books, is there anything that still surprises you about the business?	I’ll confess, I’m always a bit surprised to find that I’m actually writing “the end.” Even when that writing journey took a while, it always seems to end too soon. I hate letting go of my characters and their stories. That’s what was fun about writing Everlastings. The line focused on the scope of a couple’s relationship. SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER was an Everlasting that got moved to SuperRomance. It lets readers follow Carolyn and Stephan’s relationship from the time they’re young children, until they have children of their own. It was fun to find out what happened after they’re supposed happily-ever-after.
4. How is being a parent different from being a writer?	Books rarely whine or need a trip to the emergency room. Books don’t ask me for money, or make a mess in the house I just cleaned up! But the process of writing a book and raising a child is remarkably similar. Both require a certain degree of insanity on my part, more than a few head-banging-on-the-wall moments, and both occasionally leave me muttering to myself. But in the end, when I see what I’ve raised/created, there’s a feeling of utter pride and joy! I want to point to both the books and the kids and say, “Hey, I did that!” LOL
5. You present a variety of workshops across the country. What got you started doing this and why do you like doing it?	I actually worked with breastfeeding mothers for years, and learned a bit about public speaking while doing that. One time, I was invited to speak to a college freshman psych class on the psychological benefits of breastfeeding. It was a Monday morning at 8 am, and I swear, the entire front row was the college football team! LOL Anyway someone asked if size matters when breastfeeding. I talk with my hands and did this lovely little gesture, as if weighing giant breasts. The class burst out laughing! Seriously, talking about writing is so much easier, and less embarrassing! LOL
6. Do you have a writing routine?	I’m a creature of habit. I function best with a routine, so yes, I do. Summers are hard, but once school starts, I get up early, answer emails and do web stuff, take kids to school, then home and write until lunch. I like to watch “Hot Topics” on The View as I eat, then back to work until kids get home! Weekends, I write if I’m on a tight deadline, but prefer not having to.
7. What advice would you give an unpublished writer?	I’ve given the same advice over the years. WRITE SOMETHING, ANYTHING, EVERY DAY. Writing needs to become part of the cadence of your life, part of your rhythm. That won’t happen unless you make it an everyday part of your life. Give it value and importance. I treated my writing like a job, even before I sold.
8. If you were a red jelly bean, what flavor would you be and why?	I hate to confess, I hate red jelly beans. So, if I had to be a red one, I’d be orange flavor disguised as something red, because I like orange best! (Which might explain why I drive an orange car! LOL)
9. What question do you wish we would have asked you?	Hm, let’s see, you could have asked about my family (a great husband and four kids) or my idea of a romantic vacation (Disney World...we honeymooned there, and go back frequently), or even about my pets (two great dogs, an Irish Wolfhound/lab mix named Ethel Merman, and a labradoodle named Ella Fitzgerald). But no, there’s nothing I wish you would have asked.
10. Is there anything else you can share with our writing community?	I mentioned my two August books, but the fact is, I have a lot of releases in the second half of ‘08. SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER, Harlequin Superromance, US and Australia release, 8/08 EVERYTHING BUT A BRIDE, Avalon Books, 8/08 ONCE UPON A THANKSGIVING, Harlequin American Romance, 10/08 ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS, Harlequin American Romance, 12/08 EVERYTHING BUT A WEDDING, Avalon Books, 12/08 CHRISTMAS EVE KISSES, UK Mills Boon Single Title, 12/08 ONCE UPON A VALENTINE’S, Harlequin American Romance, 2/09 The Everything But trilogy started last December with Once Upon a Groom. The Once Upon trilogy, starting in October, is part of American Romance’s American Dad series. Three single moms miss the first PTA meeting of the year and are ‘volunteered’ for a committee. While they’re planning they Thanksgiving Pageant, the Christmas Fair and the Valentine’s Dance, they all three find love! Thanks so much, Natalie, for asking me to visit with your readers!

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