Heather Holleman's Blog, page 2

What I Told the Middle Schoolers

Today I zoomed into a middle school to talk about This Seat’s Saved, answer student questions, and provide a short devotional to encourage the students. I loved every minute of being with the students and hearing their questions and excitement about the book!

For my devotional time, I talked about falling in love with God’s word when I was 12 years old until now. I shared how I memorized Deuteronomy 31:6: Be strong and courageous, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not fail or forsake you. This verse helped me learn to do hard things, things that scared me. I also shared my love of journaling and writing down my prayer requests to God each day based on Psalm 5: In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning, I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Courage!

Asking God for what we need!

These two ideas have carried me through my life so far.

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At Some Point, You Start

I’m in the thick of writing the next book in the Elita Brown series after thinking about the plot for months and months. Ah, the writing life!

If you’re a writer (or if you know a writer) who needs a little boost today, hear this:

At some point, you stop thinking, and you start writing. I remember when my dissertation advisor at the University of Michigan told me this: The researching won’t ever end. You could research forever. At some point, you just stop researching and start writing.

Maybe you’re at this point. You’ve waited long enough, thought hard enough, prayed long enough, studied long enough—it’s time to just start writing.

I’ve seen it work all kinds of ways if you want to write a book. Some people, like me, don’t work bit by bit. I think for a long time and then, one day, about three months before a deadline, I write and write and write. I’ll write six hours a day. I’ll write when I wake up. I’ll write before bedtime. I’lll write as the dinner cooks or the laundry dries.

Others write bit by bit. I’ve tried this, but it always ends up that I’m the kind of writer who fully immerses herself in the world of the book and writes thousands of words a day. You might need to think as you write, a little here and a little there.

But most of all, if you only remember one thing I said today, it’s to start writing.

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A Few Dinners We Love

After all these years, it’s fun to think what dinners stick with a family and what people request. The Italian Mama once told me that I’ll most likely have made 6500 dinners by the time the girls left the house for college. Which ones rose to the top of our list of best dinners?

(Ashley does quite a bit of the cooking, and his expertise includes his Kung Pao Veggie recipe that he scribbled down from our vegetarian neighbor. So that’s on the weekly rotation.)

We love salmon that I drizzle honey and smoked paprika over and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. We serve this with steamed green beans that I sauté with garlic and sesame oil. Finally, we make a saffron rice or pearl couscous for a delicious meal. The other meal we can eat every week? Baked chicken thighs seasoned with salt, garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning, pepper, and paprika after you’ve tossed them in olive oil. Bake at 425 for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, cook wild rice and heat the corn you put up last summer.

Fish. Chicken. Kung Pao Veggies. Who knew they would stay the family favorites?

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It Worked: Conversations a Few Days Later

Today for lunch, Ashley and I went back to Sower’s Harvest for their Jalapeño Burger Special (one day only!). Our month-long weekly workshop ended, but we couldn’t wait to get back.

We waded through lines of people and felt such delight as a table of Penn State wrestlers called out to us, joking that our core values must include jalapeños. Two different new friends from the Conversation Cafe stopped over to chat. I looked around in delight to see so many people engaged in wonderful conversation. One of the workers said that “conversations have been exploding” ever since the workshops.

As promised, here are some pictures from our last night of teaching on having better conversations.

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The Last Night of the Conversation Cafe

Ashley and I agree that hosting the conversation nights at Sower’s Harvest in the month of February will forever stand as one of our favorite activities we’ve done as a couple. We experienced so much joy, belonging, laughter, and true warmth with people who were once complete strangers. Every Tuesday evening, Ashley and I taught simple skills from The Six Conversations (for maybe 30 minutes), and for the rest of the hour, the guests simply engaged in loving conversations.

Last night, we had to bring in more chairs, move everyone around, and squeeze in tightly. Students stood against the back wall. Professors gathered in seats. Community members greeted one another. Teens came. Some couples drove 45 minutes from their homes over the mountain. We drank delicious coffee, tried new loose teas, and munched on crispy grapes.

We practiced listening to one another and identifying our core values. We wrapped up by asking people the best thing they learned and what they wanted to learn more about.

Ashley and I will remember the February of 2024 when we went every Tuesday to a cozy little coffee shop to help people enjoy better conversations. I’ll post pictures when I have them!

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Living with a Writer

After writing ten books, I joke with my husband that he knows what’s coming with this next book I’m writing (Book 2 in the Elita Brown Series).

I become hyper-focused. I write early in the morning and late at night. In the car, I’ll gaze out the window and fiddle in my mind with dialogue or plot points. At dinnertime, I’ll only half-listen as I’m secretly writing a scene in my mind. I’ll wake up and sprint to the laptop to record an insight.

This behavior only lasts a few weeks when I’m deep into a plot (and sometimes I think Ash enjoys the solitude of having a wife so distant and focused on work. We joke about it because it’s part of living with a writer).

If you’re a writer, you know what I mean. It’s wonderful to live in a family and enjoy friends that get me and not only understand this writing frenzy but also support it. Sometimes, I disappear from life to write. Don’t worry. I’m alive. I’ll reemerge in spring when I turn in the manuscript.

And I’ll do it all again next year.

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A Little Kitchen Joy

A few weeks ago, my friend told me how much she loves her Salbree Microwave Popcorn Popper. I decided to order one because I spend so much time making popcorn. Popcorn is a big part of my life, if you must know. I normally oil-pop it and add salt, but for a healthier option, I wanted to pop my organic kernels in something quick to prepare, easy to clean, and simple to store. Since the Salbree is collapsable and pops a bowl of popcorn for you in 2 minutes and 30 seconds without any oil, I quickly realized I found my most favorite kitchen addition. It’s so small, it collapses down to almost nothing. This saves so much more space than a conventional air popper.

After teaching class, I love a bowl of popcorn as a snack. I love a bowl of popcorn if I’m watching TV as well. You just add 1/4 cup of your kernels to the bowl, stick it in the microwave with the lid on, and pop away. If you need a healthier snack to look forward to that won’t require any preparation or clean up, enjoy this Salbree!

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The Joy of the Win

Last night, Penn State Men’s Basketball enjoyed an amazing win over #12 ranked Illinois. We played in a smaller stadium (Rec Hall), so the event felt particularly exciting. I replayed this win for my classes today, and we all smiled with the joy of enjoying a win together.

I love the culture of a college campus that loves sports!

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What You Need for Your Writing

Last week, my friends asked me this brilliant question: How can we support you in your writing?

They know I’m working on the second book in the Elita Brown series, and they love being encouraging friends.

What astonished me about this question? I couldn’t answer it. I didn’t really know. So I thought about it for a few days.

Finally, I realized I like a good dinner out with friends where we talk about our writing lives. Maybe it’s something that’s a real treat, like burgers and milkshakes. Maybe it’s a more formal setting where we spend a little bit to enjoy a evening of delicious food. I told my friends that when I hit 50 pages, we’ll go out to dinner.

A horse needs the carrot. I need the celebration dinner.

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When Friends Ask Better Questions

My most delightful moment from the Conversation Cafe last night came from a participant who alerted me that she came with someone she thought she knew most everything about. What would they have to talk about? What would they learn new?

The activity involved a question that helped these friends learn something new about one another. The question:

What thought is keeping you up at night?

Sometimes we forget to ask people what’s been on their minds. When you ask about the thoughts spinning in your friend’s head at night, you might just learn something new. In my own group of three, I learned so much about the stressors we all had in common and emotions we often feel right before falling asleep. I had never met these conversation partners before, and in just 30 minutes, we left feeling a truly warm, deep connection. And we talked and talked about the thought keeping us up at night.

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