Author Jody Holford
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Bonus Content
  • Reader Group
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Newsletter

The countdown begins...

3/11/2019

 
Picture

March Madness Indeed

3/3/2019

 
Picture
I've been hiding away under a fleece blanket trying my best to knock out words and avoid the cold air outside. Things have been relatively quiet in my writing world as I'm still in between releases. As I turned the calendar (my adorable Catana Comics one) to March and started to fill it in, I sat back and realized this is a BUSY month! 

First up! Story of Us releases March 18th.

Okay, it's not the first thing I have going on this month but it's the one I was eagerly awaiting. 
Picture
You can follow along with my interviews and giveaways to celebrate this release in the following places, including a multi-author Facebook celebration party! 
Picture
Click the note card to join the FB event
March 3                                    Amazeballs Book Addicts
March 14                                  Fresh Fiction
March 14                                  Romancing the Book 
March 17                                  Get Your Book On
March 18                                  Love Romance Reads
                                                   Facebook Multi-author event
March 20                                  Writerspace 
March 23                                  Just Contemporary Romance 

Though my husband disagrees, I'm cheap this month! 

Special ebook sale on all retailer sites!
​
Just 99 cents!

Picture

Month-long Kindle Sale
​
99 cents!

Picture
On top of these things, I have my first round of edits back for Covering All the Bases, the first in my For Love of the Game series. I also have to finish Catching her Heart, book two in this series, by the end of the month. So, I may have had a slow start to the year, but I'm jumping in with both feet now. 

Inspiration comes from many places...

2/24/2019

 
Picture
I've mentioned before (and every month in my newsletter) that music inspires me and helps me write. I always get caught off guard by how amazing one line can be or how a songwriter can capture a myriad of feelings in just a few minutes. I mean, it takes me a whole book to do that! 

In Story of Us, I introduce a character named Damon Sutter. He's a guitar playing singer who performs at On Dec thanks to Sophia finding him through Spotify. This character is just the tip of the iceberg for a story I hope to one day create. I want to write a story that encapsulates how powerful music and lyrics can be. Or at least, are to me. I feel like love songs are the ultimate romance story. 
I'm going to be offering a little taste of Damon and Taylor-- a friend of Sophia, Megan (Let it Be Me), and Stella's (Never Expected You) in my April newsletter. It'll be like an extended epilogue to Story of Us, which is out March 18th. I'm so excited about this book, these characters, and I hope that I can make you guys feel the way so many songs make me feel. Above is a little excerpt from Taylor and Damon's very short story. 

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Just in time for Valentine's Day

2/10/2019

 
Picture
Last year, I decided I'd write a little story just for myself. The reason it was just for me was because I didn't want much of a conflict. It was one of those days where everything on social media seemed utterly depressing and I wanted a story that was non-stop happiness. You know what they say: write the story you want to read. 

This is how Ellie and Cooper came to be. I started with a Christmas story because I kinda love Christmas. It was a sweet, old-friends reunited story with a dash of the ever popular brother's best friend trope. I described it to friends as cheesy goodness. 

I decided shortly thereafter that I can't be the only person who, every once in a while, wants just the sweet stuff. I put Some Kind of Christmas in my newsletter as a free offering. Following that, I committed myself to creating three more Ellie and Cooper stories so that readers could follow their sweet journey. 

I know conflicts exist and I could have made this a full novel, deepening the issues, really pulling at emotional strings. But it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted a sweet, feel-good journey that highlighted the triumphs of love and friendship and happily ever after. 

Today, I'm very excited to share with you, all four stories in one sweet spot. 

CAUGHT LOOKING

1/6/2019

 
Picture
I'm so excited to be re releasing this book. It's a very important one to me. Not just because it was the book that finally hooked my agent but because it was one of those books that just had to be written. The idea popped into my mind about a woman who had everything but felt empty. When Frankie stumbles across three boys, squatting in her deceased aunt's home, she learns what the meaning of fulfillment is. She starts to find herself by loving the boys and her guarded but hot next door neighbor, Ryan.

All of the characters in this one spoke so easily to me. Frankie, who just wanted to find her "home". Ryan, who wasn't sure what life was without baseball. And each of the boys who dealt with life's blows in their own ways yet relied on each other. The book, ultimately, is about family. And how, it's not always the one you're born into that has your back. Or your heart. 

I hope you enjoy it.  
Picture
Picture

Happy Holidays to everyone

12/23/2018

 
Picture

Chapter One
~Tis the season~

 
For some people, Christmas was just a day. Maybe, a season; a once a year grand occasion. For Abby Smith, it was everything. Her love of the holiday combined with her fond memories of Christmas’ long ago, strengthened her determination not to let being alone make her lonely. Her laser focus and intense worth ethic allowed her to make a career out of Christmas. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.  

“You’ve got Mrs. Edenbury on her way in,” her assistant said through the intercom.
The speaker system was probably unnecessary as she could hear Kimberly’s voice outside her door, even with it shut. Abby liked the professionalism of it though.

After working out of her home, she took great pride in this space. As office spaces went, hers was tiny, but it was functional and meant she didn’t have bins of Christmas stacked to the ceiling in her equally small apartment. It was located in the older district of Sweets, New York, which kept the rent more reasonable than anything closer to the hub of town.

Abby stood up behind the pretty, knotted pine desk she’d found in an antique store down the block, and smoothed down her black skirt. And so, it begins. A smile bloomed on her face. It was fitting to start the season with one of her longest, and most special, clients. With thirty seconds to spare, she adjusted the buttons on her holiday cardigan—it was never too early— and walked to the door to open it before one of her favorite people could knock.

“Abby!” Mrs. Edenbury said, holding out her arms.
Walking into the hug, Abby inhaled the delightful smell of the woman’s light vanilla fragrance. Being the owner and CEO of a beauty product company meant this client never looked or smelled anything less than perfect. Like Christmas commercials, it was a sign that the season was once again upon her and the thought, the smell—the idea—made her stomach dance with joy.

“It’s so good to see you, Mrs. Edenbury. Please, come in.”

Abby went back to her seat behind the desk while the older woman, dressed impeccably in a wine-colored pant suit, took a seat in front of her. There wasn’t a trace of grey in the woman’s side-swept, dark hair—another testament to the woman’s own beauty products. One of Abby’s original clients, Mrs. E had been more of a mother figure to her than her own mom in the last few years. At Christmas time at least.

For several years now, her mother refused to spend the holidays in Sweets, regardless of Abby’s pleading. Meeting Mrs. E and bonding over their mutual love of the season made it difficult to keep her interactions strictly professional. To say Abby had a soft spot for this woman, was putting it mildly.

“How are you? You’re early this year,” Abby said, picking up a pen, her notepad ready with the date and client name written at the top.
“I’m wonderful. Business is booming. I told you my son, Finn, had come to work for me, right? I’d say there’s nothing better than having your children grow up to become your employees, but I’m not altogether convinced that’s true yet.”

Mrs. Edenbury leaned forward set her over-sized, black purse on the floor and Abby smiled, thinking that this woman, with her elegant posture, perfect suits, and easy smile was a contradiction. She seemed tough as nails, but Abby saw the tenderness in the way she referred to her son. Finn. Finn Edenbury. It was Abby’s job to know her clients, their lives, their families, and how to make their idealistic visions of the holidays come true. When she’d been getting her business off the ground, focusing on Christmas only hadn’t paid the bills, so Abby organized and executed other events and celebrations. Those were beginning to take a backseat to this season though and nothing could have thrilled her more.

“How is Finn?” Abby asked. Though she’d never met the man, she knew a fair amount about him. He’d been married, had a child, and in the last couple of years, divorced. It was interesting to Abby that someone she’d never met had such an impact on her life. When she’d been starting her party-planning-event-assistant business, Mrs. Edenbury had tasked her with the job of finding the perfect venue for Finn’s engagement party and seeing to all the event details. His life events, in a sense, kick-started her career. Decorating Mrs. E’s house for the holidays had been Abby’s step in the direction she’d longed to take.

“He’s a Scrooge. It’s not his year to have Melody for the holidays and it’s turning him into an absolute grouch. He refuses to talk about the holidays, never mind plan for them,” she answered, her eyes glowering, but with a slight sheen to them. 
Abby smiled, leaned back in her chair. “Well, to be fair to your son, we’re still a week away from Thanksgiving and a lot of people don’t plan for the holidays until it’s past.”

Mrs. Edenbury leaned forward, her hands on the desk when a knock interrupted whatever she was going to say. Kimberly, Abby’s part-time receptionist-slash-assistant, pushed open the door with her hip, bringing in a tray of gingersnaps and hot chocolate.

“Sorry to interrupt. Just wanted to bring in some refreshments,” Kimberly said.
She smiled at Mrs. Edenbury, set the tray down on Abby’s desk and with a quick wink and a grin, left the room. All part of the holiday packaging, Abby thought. They were well rehearsed, though things felt more natural with some clients more than others.
Standing to come around the desk, she passed one of the mugs of cocoa to Mrs. E before taking the other for herself. Leaning against the edge of her desk, she waited for the woman to continue venting. Knowing the woman’s tendency to chat, Abby had cleared a longer than usual block of time in her calendar.

Mrs. E took a sip and sighed. “Delicious. Every time. Where was I? Oh, right. It’s not just that it’s too early, Abby. Finn says he won’t celebrate the holidays at all this year. Oh, he’ll come for Christmas Day at our house, but when I asked him about decorations and menus for the staff party, he said he didn’t care. If he’s working for me, I want him to care. We have an example to set and I’ve always prided myself on making the holidays special for my employees. Do you know Finn told me he isn’t even decorating his home? That’s just not acceptable.”

A tiny flicker of uncertainty sparked to life inside Abby’s stomach. She could plan a menu for 250 people, put together gift baskets that rivaled Academy Award swag, but she couldn’t make people have Christmas spirit.

“Lots of people don’t feel as strongly about Christmas—or any holiday—as you and I, Mrs. Edenbury.”

In her five years, she’d had plenty of Scrooges try to rain on her holiday parades. The holidays could be a very difficult time and not everyone enjoyed them. Abby understood that, but it still made her sad. Her mother was one of those people and if she had a magic formula for infusing hearts with holiday cheer, Abby would have used it already.

Mrs. E picked up a gingersnap as she set her mug down. Breaking the cookie in two, she looked up at Abby with a frown.
“Call me Patricia. For goodness sakes, you’ve been buying my Christmas presents and arranging every event I’ve had for the past five years. And it doesn’t matter if he likes the holidays as much as I do. He has a child now and he needs to make sure that traditions and sentiments are carried on even if he doesn’t have a wife to see to it. Who ever said it was the woman’s job anyway? Not that she did it herself, which I’m not judging, but Melody goes back and forth between both houses. She deserves to have her parents put their best effort in, even if she isn’t there full-time. What’s he going to do next year when it is his turn to have Melody? Besides, I don’t want him going home to his house devoid of any holiday spirit and sitting by himself every evening. He’s been curmudgeonly since the divorce. The only thing that makes him smile is Melody. I…”
​
Her voice broke and Abby’s heart cracked a little. This woman wasn’t worried about Christmas. She was worried about her son.
She grabbed a tissue and passed it to Mrs. Edenbury. Taking it, she sniffled delicately and smiled. “Thank you. Sorry, dear. I want to give my son a very special gift this Christmas. I want to remind him that there are lots of reasons to be hopeful, that magic still exists, and that the holidays are the perfect time to forget all our other troubles. I want to give him more than Christmas spirit, Abby. I want to give him back a little bit of faith in humanity. And I’m hiring you to do it.”
 


Damaged...but not broken

12/9/2018

 
Picture
I wrote Damaged years ago when I was trying to find an agent. I'd had the story in my head for some time and it was one of those ideas that wouldn't leave me alone. Maddi Brooks, in my opinion, is one of the strongest characters I've ever written. I love the quote above and it truly encapsulates what Maddi needs to realize about herself; what Noah and his sister Natalie help her realize. She's stronger than she believes and despite everything, has an incredible capacity for love. This story mattered to me years ago and it still does today. I'm so happy with the new cover and grateful for the chance to share it all over again. 
Picture
Picture
Buy Now

Christmas in Angel's Lake

11/25/2018

 
Picture
Falling for Kate is one of my favorite stories. The thing about the Aarons' sisters is they have this preconceived notion of who they're supposed to be and how they fit into their spots in their family. What they don't seem to realize is that the people who love them only want their happiness.. 

When Kate comes home feeling guilty that getting her dream didn't make her as happy as she thought it would, she learns that it's okay for dreams to change. 

Elliot Peters is trying to be the best dad he can but learns that he isn't just a father. He's also a man. One who is well on his way to Falling for Kate. 
Picture

Welcome back to Angel's Lake

11/18/2018

 
I have a soft spot for Angel's Lake and I wasn't quite sure what to do when I found out my rights were being returned to me. After listening to a few people who are smarter than me, I decided to re-release this one and three others. I love Lucy and Alex's story and I hope you will too. Each of the books I'm going to share over the next 5 weeks has a special place in my heart. I hope you will enjoy this read and I'm so proud to put it back out in the world. Special thanks to Christina Hovland for the gorgeous covers and Nicole Blanchard for formatting and extreme patience. 
Picture
​Figuring out how to move forward means she has to go back.
Lucy Aarons never thought she’d tire of travelling the globe taking photographs but when she comes home to the small town of Angels Lake for a visit, she’s, surprisingly, not eager to leave.
Part of that might be due to the sexy, sweet Sheriff who lives next door to her parents.
Alex Whitman has only ever wanted three things: to have roots, to be a cop, and to win Lucy’s heart. He’s managed two of the three and now that Lucy is home, he plans to pursue the third.
After being gone for years, Lucy is trying to figure out where she belongs in her large family. What she discovers turns her world upside down.
Alex is trying to live in the moment and enjoy whatever time he has with Lucy before the wanderlust kicks in again, but the more time they spend together, he wonders how he’ll ever let her go. 
Release schedule: 
Falling For Home......................................November 19, 2018
Falling For Kate........................................November 26, 2018
Some Kind of Anthology.........................December 3, 2018
Damaged....................................................December 10, 2018
Caught Looking.........................................January 7, 2019 

Cozy Timeline

10/30/2018

 
Picture
I feel like I've been waiting forever for this one! In March of 2017, I decided to try my hand at writing a cozy mystery. I'd read several, including my friend and release buddy, Sarah Fox's and I loved the set up.
In May of 2017, I submitted the first book. It wasn't until August 2017 (which is actually fairly quick in the publishing world) that I heard back from Kensington Publishing. 
The idea of trying a new genre, and succeeding, was really amazing. I was so thrilled to be working with John Scognamiglio and Kensington/Lyrical. 
Though I needed to write two other books for the series, the time between then and today stretched out. Now, finally, it is here and I'm so thrilled to be able to hold it in my hands and share it with all of you. 
I hope you enjoy Molly's story, the mystery, and the town of Britton Bay. For romance lovers, I have a feeling you'll be fond of Sam. Thank you to everyone who read, liked, reviewed, talked about the book and for all of the support I've had. I'm very excited to be part of the cozy world and hope you can drop by Facebook tonight to celebrate with Sarah Fox and I at our Cozy Seaside Celebration. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Archives

    May 2021
    December 2020
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    2018
    2020
    2021
    Addison Cole
    Agency Mate
    A.J. Pine
    All The Feels
    Amanda Heger
    Amara
    Amazon
    Am Writing
    Amy Trueblood
    Angel's Lake
    Animal Lovers
    Animals
    Anthology
    Appreciation
    Author
    Author Friends
    Author Interview
    Authors
    Awards
    A Way With Words
    A Writer Needs
    Balance
    Baseball Romance
    BEA14
    Becky Albertalli
    Behind The Scenes
    Belief
    Be Yourself
    Bliss
    Blogging
    Blog Hop
    Blogs
    Blog Tour
    Bonus Material
    Book 2
    Book Blitz
    BookBub
    Book Deal
    Book Love
    Book News
    Book Release
    Books
    Book Two
    Box Set
    Britton Bay
    Brother's Best Friend
    Busy
    Carly Phillips
    Caught Looking
    Celebrities
    Chris Pratt
    Christina Hovland
    Christmas
    Christmas Titles
    Christy Teigen
    Cindi Madsen
    Clean & Wholesome
    Co Author
    Co Authoring
    Co-authoring
    Coming Home
    Coming Soon
    Complete Randomness
    Contest
    Contests
    Covering All The Bases
    Cover Reveal
    Cozies
    Cozy Mysteries
    Cozy Mystery
    Dahlia Adler
    Dangerous Love
    Dawn Ius
    Daylight Falls
    Debut
    Draw
    Ebooks
    Editing
    Editors
    Ellie And Cooper
    Elliot
    Email
    Enemies To Lovers
    Entangled
    Entangled Bliss
    Entangled In Romance
    Entangled Publishing
    Entangled Teen
    Entangled Under The Mistletoe
    Enter To Win
    Evermore
    Excerpt
    Excited
    Extra
    Facebook Party
    Faith
    Falling For Home
    Falling For Kate
    Family
    Fan Girling
    Father's Dday
    First In Series
    Folklore
    Forever
    Forgetful
    Foster
    Friends
    Friends In Many Places
    Friends To Lovers
    Fun
    Giveaway
    Giveaways
    Giving Back
    Goals
    Goodbye 2018
    Goodbye This Year
    Good News
    Grateful
    Gratitude
    Guest Blogs
    Happily Ever After
    Happiness
    Harper St. George
    Hearts
    Holiday Reads
    Holiday Romance
    Holidays
    Holiday Stories
    Hop
    Hope
    Hot Vets
    Imaromancechick
    Indiesage
    InD'tale Magazine
    Interviews
    Isla
    Jaded Love
    Jasmine Guillory
    Jennifer Blackwood
    Jennifer Shirk
    Jim Cangany
    Joanne Macgregor
    Jody Holford
    Julia A Webber
    Kara Leigh Miller
    Karma Brown
    Kat Colmer
    Kate
    Keep Believing
    Keep Going
    Keep Trying
    Keep Writing
    Kelly Siskind
    Kendrick Place Series
    Kensington
    Kensington Publishing
    Kids Books
    Kindle
    Learning Curve
    Lexi Lawton
    Liam
    Life
    Lindsey Duga
    Listening
    Literary Agent
    Literary Counsel
    Looking Back
    Lori Foster
    Love
    Love Story
    Lovestruck
    Love Unexpected
    Lucy And Alex
    March Madness
    Meant To Be
    Mentor
    Merry Christmas
    Michelle Hauck
    Moments
    Montlake
    More Than Friends
    Moving Forward
    Moving On
    Nashville
    Nashville Slammers
    Need To Write
    Netflix
    Networking
    New Beginnings
    New On Amazon
    New Release
    New Series
    Newsletter
    New Year
    Novellas
    Office
    On A Break
    Parenting
    Parting Ways
    Penner Publishing
    Persona
    Perspective
    Picture Books
    #PitchWars
    Podcasts
    Pretty
    Public Identity
    Publishing
    Publishing House Mate
    Publishing Mate
    Puppies
    Query Trenches
    Rafflecopter
    Rainbow Rowell
    Random
    Reading
    Rejection
    Remember Me
    Reprint
    Re Release
    Reuinted
    Rhyme
    Romance
    Romance Chicks
    RomCom
    Sale
    Sarah Fox
    Second Chances
    Self Pub
    Sequel
    Sequels
    Series
    Sexy And Sweet
    Shannyn Schroeder
    Short Stories
    Signed Paperbacks
    Small Press
    SMP
    Sneak Peek
    Social Media
    Some Kind Of Christmas
    Some Kind Of Stories
    Song Lyrics
    Space
    Speechless
    Sports Romance
    Stella Lane
    St. Martin's Press
    Story Books
    Story Of Us
    Stuck In A Book
    Subjectivity
    Summer
    Summer Carnival
    Sun Vs. Snow
    Support
    Support Network
    Suspense
    Sweet
    Takeovers
    Tasty Book Tours
    Taylor Swift
    Teaching
    Teasers
    Ten Rules For Faking It
    Thanks
    Thanksgiving
    Thank You
    The Bad Boy Next Door
    The Mending Hearts Series
    Thoughts
    Tiffany Truitt
    Time To Write
    Toolkit
    Top Ten
    Toronto Romance Writers
    Trust
    Under The Lights
    USA TODAY HEA
    Waiting
    What Matters
    Who's Who Wednesday
    Word Bank
    Writer's Block
    Writer's Brain
    Writing
    Writing And Baseball
    Writing Community
    Writing Pal
    Writing Pals
    Writing Process
    YA
    Zach Mason

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos from shawnzrossi, Magenta Rose, LittleStuff.me, le-topographe, Sparkly Kate, Sean Rozekrans, xoque, Sean Davis, RoniLoren, Yehohanan92, Lance Shields, aulbarnes08, my little red suitcase
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Bonus Content
  • Reader Group
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Newsletter