Sunday, November 19, 2017

Thankful Author 2017- Holland Rae



The Ties That Bind 

This hasn’t been an easy fall for us.

We lost my grandfather in September, just a few weeks shy of his 91st birthday. While not tragic – he went on his own terms and in his own home, no tubes or wires or medicines, something is missing from my core family, and we are working to hold our heads up and to keep my grandmother from grieving her husband of 65 years alone.

Grief tends to remind us of just how lucky we are. At 25, my grandfather is the first person truly close, a-no distance person, that I have lost. That, alone, is something to be remarkably grateful for. Of course, as the weeks turn into months, I must also recognize that I am grateful for much smaller things, for having home-cooked meals and someone to always go to for advice. In this crazy, impossible, frustrating world we live in, I am grateful to be an artist in a family that understands artists.

No one is going to say that being a writer is easy. Even if you end up the kid of a publishing titan with skills and prolificacy to rival Shakespeare and a full marketing team, New York Times reviewer and crack cover designer in your corner, it’s still hard to be a writer. And the fact of the matter is, most of us don’t have that. What we have is drive and determination to tell the stories deep inside us, a passion for creativity, the stick-to-it to edit and edit again and just enough naivety to think that this might actually work.

Which is why I’m lucky. Because writing is hard. Writing alone harder.

I don’t mean that in the writing group, peer-editing, I spend all my time in my office way. I mean that in the I’m not the first person in my family to go through this way.

Because I’m not. Inspiration, to me, comes in many forms. It’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. It’s J.K. Rowling and Pablo Picasso and Stephen King. It’s my grandparents, my mom and my dad.

Grandpa was a songwriter, a lyricist who handle words the way that his musicians handle their instruments. He plucked and played with the English language, gently lulling it to his bidding, pushing and prodding until it did as it was told. He wrote funny and he wrote serious. He wrote funny things about serious topics and serious things about funny topics. He researched and researched and researched. We spoke of writing and authors and history up until the last.

Grandma is an artist. Even now, at 87 years old, she continues to paint huge portraits and press prints. She takes photos on her phone, a new-age evolution from the cameras of yesteryear, but brings them home to her studio the same as she always has, from the cemetery, the dog park or the bakery. She spies inspiration everywhere she looks and it has proven a lifetime of success. She had shown me that you can carve a life, a grand career for yourself from your art, and sometimes that’s all the motivation you need.

Dad is a designer and entrepreneur. When his near two-decade old graphic design firm took a hit with the age of the Internet and the ubiquity of inexpensive and ugly design work, he turned his focus toward a company he loves, pushing every day to make it happen, making calls and sending emails, demanding an audience to make this thing stick. And it will. In dad, I learned the skill of wielding creativity within the lines, of commercial creativity that is not selling out, of clean, neat rows that are never boring, but organized and understood and still so much your own.

In mom, I learned the opposite. A poet, an illustrator and a gardener, mom doesn’t work within the lines of a computerized design program. She lets the wind take hold, lets the little things, like commas and, yes, the lines, fade away, not her problem. She sketches in wide strokes and leaves messes, but she always, always knows exactly what she’s doing.

My family, my tribe, they’ve seen it all before. Every rejection, every writer’s block, every time you wonder if maybe this whole career path is a joke and you’re the only one not in on it. They know, they’ve made it through and they’ve all been successful in their own ways. They understand exactly what it means when I get one of those really tough rejection letters and or when I can’t come down to dinner right away before I’m just in the middle of this scene. They know. They’ve survived it all.

And for that reason, and so, so many more, my family is my inspiration. They are creative, powerful, motivated, passionate people who live and breathe their own art forms as I do. They have made careers from the thing they love, and they have brought me up to believe that I can do the same.

It is a small thing to some. After all, had a single one of us gotten a real job then we wouldn’t be in a constant stream of hustle and drive to survive. But knowing that the people by your side don’t simply support your dreams and wild aspirations, but empathize and understand, well that makes it all seem a little more possible, a little less impossible.

I am grateful for that empathy, for the knowledge that they have weathered rejections and setbacks and come out stronger, more capable, more confident people for it. I am grateful for the guiding hand, listening ear, the promising smile all telling me that these are the steps to being an artist and that if I keep this up I might just achieve it one day.

My grandfather believed in me in a rough, growly sort of way. Stories are hard, he would yell. No one knows, telling stories is the hardest part. But you do that. He would gesticulate here, with his swollen, cold fingers. You tell those stories and that’s it, you’ve got it. I could never tell stories, but you can and you’ve got it.

Not alone I don’t. This year, among loss, and often feeling lost, I am thankful for each and every time my mom has listened to me outline a tangled plot, each time my boyfriend has held me after a rough rejection letter, each time my dad and I have swapped thanks but no thanks during our freelancers living in the same house lunches. I am grateful for the years of watching my grandmother succeed as artist and for the years of watching grandpa work against the story and the words to come out the victor. Most days. I am grateful for all this and so much more.

Being a writer is hard. Having them before me, and beside me, makes it just a little bit easier and that’s a hell of a lot to be grateful for.



Heart and Dagger,
The Ships in the Night Series (Book 1)
Historical Romance
Holland Rae

Blurb:

Lady Charlotte Talbot hasn’t seen Armand Rajaram de Bourbon, her oldest childhood friend and once betrothed, since his family returned to India when she was fifteen. Since then, she has left a groom at the altar, changed her name to Catalina Sol, opened a house for unwed mothers and orphans, and captained a ship, the Liberté, crewed by the best fighters in the Spanish Main. She’s no longer the lady he left behind, not that she’d admit to wishing he’d return.
When Armand’s brother is kidnapped, he breaks his rule of never engaging with pirates. But desperation drives him to the Liberté and a life he thought he’d left far behind. He’d do anything to save Henri, but Armand never expected to find Charlotte here, and now that’s he’s found her, he doesn’t have a clue what to do about it.
Together, they must face kidnapping, pirate captains, blackmail, and themselves. The Liberté may sail thousands of miles from the shores of England, but that might not be far enough to escape the past.
Buy Links

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Author Bio:



Holland Rae is the author of several works of erotic and romantic fiction in both the contemporary and historical genres, and enjoys pushing the limits of freedom, feminism, and fun in her stories.  She has been an avid writer for many years, and recently moved back to her home state of New Jersey from Boston, after completing her education in journalism and creative writing.

In her free time, she loves to travel, and spent a semester abroad living in a 14th century castle in the Netherlands. When not exploring the world, she likes dreaming up stories, eating spicy food, driving fast cars, and talking to strangers.

Find her on:

19 comments:

  1. Wow, Holland, you really do come from an artistic family. So much talent in so many different ways. That definitely is a wonderful thing to be thankful for.

    And I love me a good pirate story! (Great cover, too!)

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    1. I'm very lucky! It certainly made for an exciting childhood, haha. And I LOVE this cover -- the Wild Rose Press team is so talented! Thank you for reading!!

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  2. Sweetie, will you adopt me??? YOur family - your tribe -- is DA BOMB!!!!!! this is a fab post and reminds us all why we should be thankful those we love and who love us.

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    1. Psh, I was totally telling my mom about you the other day, so I think we're already halfway there! To be honest, you and yours would fit into this family in a heartbeat! Thank you so much for always being such an incredible support and joy to be around -- I'm of the mind that we also make our own families, and you are most definitely in mine! <3

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  3. Not only are you lucky to have so much to be grateful for, but you are lucky that you recognize your gifts. So many see past the good and whine about the bad. Writing is hard. But sometimes so is life. Relish it all.
    Best of luck with your writing career. Hoping for a long one ahead for you.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Sandra! You're absolutely right, life can be challenging but definitely worth it! It helps to be part of such an incredible industry filled with support and love!

      I look forward to taking the next steps with the Wild Rose Press authors and other incredible romance novelists by my side! Many thanks for reading!

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  4. So sorry for the loss of your grandfather. Sounds like you have a wonderful, artistic family! Wishing you great success with Heart & Dagger!

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    1. Many thanks for your kind words, Judith. I believe he was at peace, and that makes things easier. Having that crazy artistic family does too! I appreciate your reading and support very much!

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  5. Interesting, talented family has certainly been inspirational for you! I, too, have writing and creating in my DNA. It is part blessing and part curse but we writers know who we are and we HAVE to write (that's the curse). Your cover is stunning and the blurb compelling. Best wishes for writing success!

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    1. Haha, I bet we could swap stories! Families full of creatives are never boring! The Wild Rose team did such a good job - Debbie Taylor's cover are amazing! Many thanks for reading and kind words!

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  6. Angela, thank YOU so much for the opportunity to share and for your wonderful support and delightful blog! I am so grateful to the writing community for their continued love and support!

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  7. What a beautiful post, Holland. So sorry to hear about your loss. Family is precious and I treasure each day with them and friends. Wishing you all the best with your new release!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Mary. It's true, family -- and those we consider family! -- are very dear! Many thanks for your support! 💕

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  8. Such a wonderful talent pool...such inspiration.

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    1. I got lucky! It certainly made for a fun childhood - thanks for reading! 💕

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  9. My deepest sympathy on your loss. What a beautiful tribute to your grandfather and the impact of his life. You clearly recognize and cherish your gift and the gifts of your creative family. Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Charlotte. It does seem fitting to memorize a writer with words. 💕 Happy Thanksgiving to you too!! (Will you be attending the NYC chapter meetings now?! I'll see you there!)

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  10. Families are what makes us who we are. Sorry about your loss. Always sad to lose someone we treasure.
    Thanks for sharing, Holland. Happy Thanksgiving.

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    1. Many thanks for your kind words. We're healing together as a family, which makes us very lucky.

      Thank you for reading! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well! 💕

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