The Bandits Welcome Holly Jacobs

interviewed by Beth Andrews

It is my pleasure to introduce multi published author Holly Jacobs to the Romance Bandits! Holly's latest book, The House On Briar Hill, a Harlequin Everlasting Release, is in stores now.

Welcome to the Bandit Lair, Holly! To get us started, can you tell us about your road to publication?

~I think my road to writing started when I was young. I was a reader. I literally can’t remember a time I wasn’t reading a book. For years, I read a book a day. I had a voracious appetite and there just wasn’t any such thing as enough. That love of reading fed directly into my love of writing. I’d always scribbled things. I wrote for various groups I was associated with. But the idea of actually writing a book didn’t hit until my youngest was in diapers and I asked myself just what I was going to do when I grew up. A quiet voice whispered, write. It took me a while to admit it out loud. Dreams are like that. They can be scary. But I finally bit the bullet, told my dh I wanted to try writing. He’s been my staunchest supporter ever since.

I was lucky to have short stories and some essays published early on. The books followed shortly thereafter. I’ve got over a million copies of my books in print world-wide. I’ll confess, that statistic gives me goosebumps!

The House On Briar Hill Road is a bit of a departure for you. Can you tell us a bit about the story?

~My first book for Harlequin was a Duet titled, I WAXED MY LEGS FOR THIS? That might give you an idea about the type of stories I’m known for. Straight up comedy, and light humor. That makes this book–a story that deals with illness, with death, with a family’s struggle to put itself back together after breaking from a loss–such a huge departure. Normally readers write to tell me a story made them laugh. Rarely do they tell me a story made them cry. That’s what I’ve heard most so far about this one. Comedy is very individual. Look at stand-up comedians. You either get them and think they’re hilarious, or you don’t. Certain humors don’t appeal to me. I’ll confess, I’ve never really gotten Monty Python. LOL But the pain of loss...it’s universal. Every reader has lost someone , or realizes that some day they’ll lose someone. They understand what these characters are going through and can relate. That universal subject matter is different for me too. I mean, not everyone has battled waxing their legs but people get the pain the characters are going through in this book.

You've said The House On Briar Hill Road was the hardest book you ever wrote, but also the most rewarding. What inspired you to tell this particular story?

~In the fall of 2003, my dh and I had gone on a second honeymoon. My mother-in-law, Dort, came to stay with the kids. We got home and the next morning my sister-in-law called to tell me that while we were gone, Dort had found out her breast cancer was back, and spreading. She’d insisted no one tell us and ruin our trip. She died February of 2004.

Calling her my mother-in-law seems such a limited definition of what Dort was to me...to the whole family. She was a best friend, a mentor, a champion. She was the heart of our family. Losing her...well, it still hurts, though the pain has softened enough to let us remember all the good times. And there were so many good times.

So, writing about a family going through that kind of pain, that kind of loss, really hit home. The book is fiction. My family didn’t react the same way the Conways do in the story. But I could relate to their reactions because I totally got that kind of loss. It’s an up-close and personal story for me.

You’re well known for your romantic comedies. We all know writing comedy is hard work. Any tips you can share?

~Writing comedy and light humor is still my true calling. I love it. It’s also one of the hardest things to explain...what’s funny is so individual. I guess my favorite tip on writing comedy comes from Robert Heinlein (a sci fi writer). He had a scene in Stranger in a Strange Land where the main character was trying to learn to be human. He’d mastered everything but laughing. He didn’t get humor. Then one day, at the zoo, he sees a tiny monkey with a banana. A bigger one hits it and steals the banana. The biggest one his the middle-sized one and takes the banana. The character starts to laugh uncontrollably. He tells his friends in the book that he finally understand humor. Watching the monkeys, he realized that people laugh because the only other alternative is crying. Maybe that’s why I was able to bridge to a far-more dramatic, emotional book, because crying is just a step away from laughter.

What’s next for you?

~I’m working on a trilogy for Harlequin American Romance write now. It’s my PTA Mom trilogy, a subject I’m very familiar with! The three books are set around three holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. They’ll be out next year–10/08, 12/08 and 2/09. I love writing books that blend humor and emotion...and I think these do that really well. I’m having a blast with them.

Any fun tidbits about yourself you’d like to share?

~Fun tidbits. Hmm. Well, I’m a neat freak. There I said it. I like things neat. Of course, I have four kids, a dog, a hamster and a husband, so there are days that neat goes out the window and chaos reigns!

Oh, and I’m a huge fan of autumn. I love getting back into the kitchen and baking. I love the fall colors and smells. And I love pulling out my sweaters. You see, I have a theory, as a woman ages, the more clothes she has on, the better she looks. I love adding layers to my wardrobe. And by winter, when I’m dressed in a parka, hat, gloves and scarf, I feel like a beauty queen. Of course, summer always comes around again to shatter that illusion...sigh.

In addition to giving a book away here, I do have a contest going on right now. Because The House on Briar Hill Road deals with breast cancer, part of my royalties will be going to the Susan G. Komen organization. And to honor all those woman who have fought, and are fighting this horrible disease, I’m giving away a pink beaded breast cancer awareness bracelet this month. Your readers can visit my website to find out how to enter.

Lastly, I have a free short story at eHarlequin.com that ties into the book. It’s a missing chapter of the story. There’s a new chapter every week, until the end of October, when they’re all up. You can visit it at https://www.eharlequin.com/article.html?articleId=1299. I hope you’ll drop in and read it. I started my career writing short stories, and I always enjoy returning to my roots. Trying to put an Everlasting Love sort of story into under 10,000 words was a challenge, but I so enjoyed it!

Thanks so much for being here, Holly! To learn more about Holly visit her website at www.hollyjacobs.com.

Okay, dear Readers, here's your turn to spill all. Holly's admitted to being a neat freak. What about you? Are you a neat freak or...well...perhaps a bit more laid back in your cleaning routine? Do you make your bed as soon as you get up? Match your clean socks or just toss them into the drawer? One lucky reader who comments will win a copy of Dashing Through The Mall, a Harlequin anthology with stories by Holly, Sherryl Woods and Darlene Gardner!