New Releases and Summer Plans…

Date: May 28, 2026

Author: Bobbi Holmes

I am sitting at my desk in my home office, looking out the window and admiring the flowers planted along the fence line—on Scott and SeAnne’s side of the property. I think of them as my daughter-in-law’s flowers and appreciate that SeAnne planted them in a place where I can enjoy them while I work. Scott probably helped with the planting. They also planted the blueberry bushes along the fence, on our side of the yard. Young, ripening blueberries already fill the bushes.

We’ve made a lot of changes to this property since we moved to Oregon almost five years ago. (It will be five years in September.) One of those changes, we installed a larger window over my desk, and I think it’s probably one of my favorite home improvements.

They told us it rains a lot in Oregon. They were right. Surprisingly, I don’t mind those rainy days because I have a cozy place to write, and even a rainy view is beautiful here. And when I hear about water shortages—especially now with data centers popping up around the country—I am grateful for the rain, and even more grateful for what it does to our landscape.

This morning we woke up to sunshine, not rain clouds. I spent the morning opening the greenhouse, watering the garden and plants in the greenhouse, and pruning the rose on the arch in our backyard. The roses went insane this year. Don and I call them Doris’s roses. Don’s mother, Doris, absolutely loved roses.

Don just finished mowing the front yard, and I can hear him driving the riding mower back to the shop. Next door, Scott and SeAnne are working on projects in their yard—they have the week off.

But now I am back at my desk, checking off items from my to-do list regarding my most recent release, The Ghost and Family Secrets, which comes out Saturday in eBook and print formats.

Earlier this week, I sent the document file off to my agent, who will send it to Tantor Media, so they can proceed with making the audiobook. I don’t have that release date yet, but when I do, I’ll pass it on. But for now, I am finishing up what I need to do on my end with The Ghost and Family Secrets, and when June arrives, I will turn my attention to new projects.

One publishing project for 2026 involves releasing all 38 books (and future books) in the Haunting Danielle series in hardback format. We’ve already finished Book 1 in the series, The Ghost of Marlow House, although we haven’t yet offered it for sale. It was basically a trial run to see how we liked the printer. It will be a couple of months before we can complete that project.

One reason we won’t be working on the hardback books in June—my cover designer will be making a major move—from California to Alaska, during this time. As many know, my daughter, Elizabeth, who is a talented professional cover designer, does all my book covers. Her husband is in the Coast Guard, and they are being sent back to Alaska. This will be their third tour in Alaska. When she is settled in their new home, we can proceed with the project.

We have a busy June scheduled. My daughter’s family will stay with us for a little over a week, as they stop for a visit on their way up to Alaska. June is also Don’s and my 50th wedding anniversary. For the last couple of years, Don and I tossed around ideas about what we should do for our 50th anniversary—once considering a party, and another time a Hawaiian cruise. But life had other ideas, so for now, we will enjoy a quiet dinner with just the two of us and do something special later when things settle down.

One thing I plan to do in June is enjoy the sunshine and work in the garden. I will also wrap up Write On, An Author’s Journey, which I started writing in December. It’s a memoir of sorts—both an autobiography and reflections on my writing journey, while sharing with aspiring authors lessons I’ve learned along the way.

It’s tentatively scheduled to be released late summer, and it will be available in eBook, print, and audiobook. No, I won’t be narrating it myself. I’ve had a chronic cough I’ve been dealing with for almost five years, and narrating a book is not in my wheelhouse.

Come fall, I will work on the next Haunting Danielle book, The Ghost and Déjà Vu, Book 39, which is slated for release in late December 2026.

I suppose I’d better get back to my to-do-list. When I’m finished at the computer, I’m heading to the kitchen. Time for some baking.

How much is Walt like Walt?

Date: August 19, 2025

Author: Bobbi Holmes

Categories: Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes

Comments: 1 Reply

Walt Marlow is one of the main characters in my Haunting Danielle series. Some of my readers, along with my friends who are familiar with the series, know I named the character after my father. What they might not know, the character also shares Dad’s middle name, Clint, and both the character and my father’s real name is Walter, but both went by Walt.

When readers first meet Walt Marlow in The Ghost of Marlow House (Book 1 of the Haunting Danielle series), Walt is the ghost mentioned in the title. Our main character, Danielle, discovers Walt Marlow—the house’s previous resident—still residing in the house after she inherits it. Danielle assumed the house had been vacant for decades before she moved in. But surprise, it comes with a ghost.

Did Dad inspire the character? Yes…and no. In the beginning, when naming the character I wanted an old fashioned name. My character, Walt Marlow, was born in 1899 and died three years before Dad was born. While they weren’t of the same generation, I felt the name Walt would also work for someone born in my grandparents’ generation.

I didn’t start out to pattern the character after Dad. But when looking back, I realize that in many ways I unconsciously did just that.

First, let’s start with how Dad isn’t like Walt Marlow. Marlow loves to read and owns an impressive library. Dad wasn’t one to sit around and read a book. Although, he did enjoy listening to Mom read aloud when they would take their long car trips across the state from Havasu to visit family.

Dad excelled in math, not reading. He preferred to be doing something outdoors, as opposed to indoor activities. He was a general contractor working primarily in commercial construction before we moved to Havasu Palms. He was fully capable of performing the jobs of his subs—such as framing, plumbing, and electrical. He learned cabinet making as a young man from skilled craftsmen and designed our homes—along with the restaurant, new marina, and mobile home expansion at Havasu Palms. He fixed the antiquated heavy equipment at Havasu Palms, graded the dirt road into the park, and learned to fly a plane. If he couldn’t figure out how to fix something on his own, he often relied on instruction manuals, long before the days of how-to YouTube videos.

The similarities between Dad and Walt Marlow are more of a personal nature. Like Dad, Marlow deeply loves his family and close friends. He’s fiercely loyal, protective, and is prepared to help those he cares about at a moment’s notice. While Marlow, like Dad, are products of their generations and tend to hold old fashioned views about women—neither is a misogynist nor intimidated by a strong woman.

In many ways, each of them is a feminist, but I doubt either would describe themselves that way. Both have a reverence and respect for motherhood and childbirth which they display by showing respect toward women and by being fiercely protective.

Both are animal lovers. I remember how Dad cried for months after Fritzy, our family’s schnauzer, died. About a year later we finally convinced them it was time to get another dog. With Marlow, he’ll be able to communicate with the dogs and cats he loves—in this world or the next.

Walt Marlow often charms people, and when I think of Dad, he also had a way of charming people who met him. Dad, like my character, had a way of garnering respect.

Yet, sometimes Walt Marlow acts a bit impulsively—which can get Danielle in trouble. Like the time he took it upon himself to pack for Danielle’s cousin, Cheryl. If you read the book, you will know what I am talking about.

Looking back, I witnessed my father behaving in a similar impulsive way. One incident stands out to me. Some teenager was racing around the mobile home park at Havasu Palms on his motorcycle. Dad, tired of telling the guy to stop racing around the park impulsively snatched the teenager’s bike keys and tossed them in the lake.

Yeah, I could see Walt Marlow doing that.

Photo: Walt Johnson

The Ghost and Wednesday’s Child here!

Date: April 30, 2025

Author: Bobbi Holmes

Categories: Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes

Comments: Leave a reply

It’s the official release day of The Ghost and Wednesday’s Child, the 36^th book in my paranormal cozy mystery series, Haunting Danielle. The last time I checked, it was ranked as the number one new release under Ghost Mysteries over on Amazon.

You can find it in eBook and paperback format at my online bookstore. You can find links here to purchase the books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, Google, and Smashwords.

The large print paperback should be available any day now at Amazon. The audiobook will be out June 24, 2025.

The next book in the series—The Ghost and Christmas Magic—comes out the end of November and is available for preorder at my online bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.

A heads up on something—when you preorder at Amazon, you won’t pay for the book until it is delivered while it’s necessary to pay when you preorder on some other sites, including my online bookstore. However, when you preorder from my online bookstore, you will receive the eBook a few days earlier than the official release date.

Why is that? The prepay thing is more a technical thing I can’t change—I don’t have the same options as a large site as Amazon to offer that option. As for the early delivery from my online bookstore, that is because Amazon and the other sites require book files be uploaded days before the official release date.

When uploading the finished files, they are typically loaded to all the websites on the same day. Unlike sites like Amazon, once the finished file is uploaded, I have the option to release it on the same day.

So, if you want to preorder, you have several options to consider when selecting your vendor of choice.

If you are looking for the audiobook version of The Ghost Who Sought Redemption, it is slated for release May 27, 2025.

Hope you enjoy the new book!