Holly Jacobs ~ Above The Cut ~

Amazon

Now that Thanksgiving’s over, I can start my HollyDay Glee!!
Both Christmas in Cupid Falls (https://amzn.to/2r2FSRH) and Everything But a Christmas Eve (https://amzn.to/2ra8o4d) are on sale for $.99!

PS Not Christmasy, but Carry Her Heart and These Three Words are still on sale, too!
https://amzn.to/2S88yEi

I have been friends with Holly Jacobs on Facebook for an undetermined amount of time but have been reading her books since she published with Harlequin.  She quickly became one of my favorite authors.

1.When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always been a reader.  Seriously, I can’t remember a time I wasn’t reading a book.  Saying that I wanted to try to be a writer was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.  Announcing a dream can be like that. But as my youngest reached school age and I realized I was going to need a grown-up job, I said the words.  I was so lucky that my family supported my attempt.  They believed in me.  That meant/means everything.

2.How long does it take you to write a book?

I’ve written a book in a month, but that doesn’t leave much time for life.  I prefer a 4-6 months schedule.  Some books take much longer.  I worked on Just One Thing for a couple years in between other projects.  It was difficult to sell.  No one could decide what it was.  Women’s Fiction? Romance?  When it finally found a home at Montlake Romance, it became my bestselling book ever.  It still continues to find new readers.  Having someone tell me that it helped them…it’s one of the most special things a writer can hear.

3.What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

I tend to work mornings.  I’ve got kids’ stuff and I’m back in school myself, plus I have my elderly family I help take care of.  So my schedule is flexible.  That’s one of the biggest gifts writing has given me…the flexibility to make my job fit into my busy life.

4.What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? 
I’d say a quirk is hearing people in my head…but I think it’s something more writer’s share. The characters come to life for me. And if I do it right, hopefully they come to life for readers, too!

5.Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

I love researching books. Sometimes I talk to someone, sometimes I read articles, sometimes…well, each situation is different.  But researching is just another form of learning and I’m a firm believer in lifelong learning (hence my being back in school).  As for where ideas come from…they’re literally everywhere.  The most important tool for finding those ideas is asking the question…what-if?  What if a maid accidentally cleans a murder scene and is now a suspect?  You get my Maid in LA Mystery series.  What if three single PTA moms miss the first meeting of the year and get stuck together on the worst committee?  They find friendship, fun…and love in my PTA Mom Collection (Once Upon a Thanksgiving, Once Upon a Christmas, Once Upon a Valentine’s).  What if?  That’s where all my stories come from.

6.When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I was in my early thirties.  My youngest was getting ready to go to school and my husband was a police officer who worked crazy weird shifts.  Writing gave me a chance to work from home and do something I love.  I was so fortunate that not only my family, but readers supported me.

7.What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I went back to college last year, I took a ceramics class…and fell in love.  I’m now in my third semester…still taking ceramics.  I’ve spent a lot of time blogging about the experience at Hollyworld. (https://hollyjacobs-hollyworld.blogspot.com/)

 

8.What does your family think of your writing? 

Like I’ve said, they’ve always been very supportive.  I’ve been so lucky in that. They’ve become accustomed to hearing me laughing as I write, or even sometimes crying.  Whenever I read Ned’s big moment in Carry Her Heart, or his opening scene in Hold Her Heart, I cry.  And I know what happens.  (It’s a happy ever after…promise!) LOL

9.Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I’m so fortunate to have so many readers who follow me from romantic comedy to sweet romances to dramas to cozy mysteries.  They hang out with me on social media and put up with my Monday Glee and odd love of buffalo plaid!  LOL They’ve been so sweet about my pottery and interests.  And mainly, they’ve stood by my writing.  Lucky.  That about sums up how I feel every single day.

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www.HollyJacobs.com

The PTA Mom Collection, 9/18

Polished Off: A Maid in LA Mystery, 6/18
Holly Jacobs’ 2018 Beach Read, 5/18
Briar Hill Road, 3/18

HollyJacobs.com

For lot’s more info on Holly Jacobs head on over to

Paul and Paula’s Place for Holly Jacobs ~ Above The Cut ~ Chat

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Dasguptarts~Above The Cut~Part 2

Dasguptarts

“I’ve been to the workshops at the Highlights foundation twice and the experience along with photographs of the beautiful landscape helped make my creativity brighter. ”

Sudipta Dasgupta is the illustrator of a range of books on Amazon.

Today I was fortunate to pick up two books in the Moore Zombies series of books and number one in Wendy Knuth‘s series has it’s cover featured below:

 

His talent is featured in Peanut Visits Mound State Park   by  Kathy Gerstorff

 

 

 

Another book, another style, but the same versatile artist, Sudipta Dasguptas

Tako Lends a Helping Hand, written by Jenna & Dani Hickman 

check out the link immediately above – this one cannot be found on Amazon.

Bill Craig~Above the Cut~

 

 

Bill Craig has been a serious writer for more than nineteen years and has been published one hundred and three times.  His current book on the market, including in Walmart, is the Night Stalker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He is presently working on The Runaway Redhead; I am reading another one of his,  The Adventures of Hardluck Hannigan: Emerald Death (Book 1)

A review upon completion of reading will be linked to the following interview.

 

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was about 6 years old when I realized I could write better stories than what I was reading at the time.  My first attempts were horrible, but I kept at it.

     2. How long does it take you to write a book?  

It depends, but usually 6-7 weeks.

 

     3. What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

I have been writing for 2 hours a night every day without fail for the past 19 years.

 

    4. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?  

I like to let the characters take over and drive the story.  And sometimes I will talk and argue with my characters if I don’t like where they are headed.

 

    5. How do books get published?  

I started out in self-publishing, but a friend that used to work for Harlequin put me in touch with a publisher in Key West and they liked my stuff.  I am working with them exclusively now.

 

    6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

I get a lot of my ideas from the news.  Sometimes from other magazine articles and non-fiction books. Sometimes just from watching people on the street, sometimes from a photograph that captures my imagination.

 

    7. When did you write your first book and how old were you?  

I was in my mid-thirties when I wrote my first full novel, and honestly, it wasn’t very good.  So I started reading other authors with a critical eye and figured out how to do better. Valley of Death was my first published novel, featuring Chicago Cop and ex-CIA operative Jack Riley.

    

    8. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I am a voracious reader. I also spend a lot of time raising my 13-year-old son, his dog and our two cats. I love to sing Karaoke when I feel like getting out.

    9. What does your family think of your writing?

I think it made my parents proud, and Jack thinks it’s cool unless I threaten to tell his creative writing teacher. Then it’s “Don’t do that, they will expect too much from me!”

    10. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

I would have to say how much fun it is to kill off my ex-wives over and over again.

    11. How many books have you written?

I have written over 103 books and anthologies at this point in time.

    Which is your favorite? 

C’mon that like asking a parent which child is their favorite! If I had to choose, I would say probably Sam Decker. There is a lot of me in him.

    12. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer?

Write every day without fail. Don’t skip a day because skipping costs you discipline and good writers are disciplined writers. If so, what are they? Read the type of things that you like to write, but with a critical eye. See what works and what doesn’t and then apply them to your own writing style.

    13. Do you hear from your readers much?

Sadly not as much as I would like. I love reader feedback.

One of the best compliments I ever got was a reviewer who said my style reminded her of the late Robert B. Parker.

    14. Do you like to create books for adults?

Yes, I do. But I also like to write for a very general audience. Graphic blood and violence, but usually with some sort of implied moral.

    15. What do you think makes a good story?

A good Story is only as good as the characters and how much they make you care about what happens to them.

    16. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I actually wanted to be a writer growing up. I wrote a number of short stories in high school, usually, for the amusement of my friends, one which was mentioned to me at my 40th Class reunion this past summer was a whiskey drinking vampire called Count Drunkula. And yes, there were many very bad puns involved there.

paulandpaulasplace.blogspot.com chat with Bill Craig

Amazon Author Page

Facebook Page

Bill Craig website