Mara Jacobs's Blog

February 2, 2021

Back In Vegas, Baby!

Picture Anna Dawson is back! Against the Grain, book 5 in the Anna Dawson mystery series, is now available.

It's been almost 4 years (GASP!) since I've released an Anna book. But, only a few months have passed in Anna's world.

It's been hard writing about Anna's world while being here in Vegas during the pandemic. Seeing the world as it is, versus what I'm writing on the page. Surreal.  But then, it's all been surreal this past year.

I hope everybody is staying safe and healthy, and that we soon come out on the other side, and are once again able to sit shoulder-to-shoulder in a book room, rooting for our teams.

More info on Against the Grain here
Read an excerpt here
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Published on February 02, 2021 08:27

April 23, 2019

April 23rd, 2019

Picture It's been a while, but the newest Worth book - WORTH THE BURN -  is finally here!

I've been fortunate in my life to have had several really close male friends. Not once has any of them turned to romance, but I've always been a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers story.

I go to a water aerobics class a few times a week and the instructor has a playlist of 80s songs (even though he probably wasn't even alive for it) that had me smiling and remembering my high school and college years.

Even though they weren't around for the 80s either, I had Reilly and Sarah attend both high school and Tech together and in some of the flashback scenes I even used instances and surroundings that I actually had with male buddies of mine.  (Yes, the tiger cookies for her and the beer for him is a real thing!)

It's been a fun trip down memory lane for me to write this book. I hope you enjoy it - and that it was WORTH waiting for!


KINDLE:  http://marajacobs.info/Burn_Kindle
IBOOKS:  http://marajacobs.info/Burn_iBooks
NOOK:  http://marajacobs.info/Burn_Nook
GOOGLE:  http://marajacobs.info/Burn_GooglePlay
KOBO:  http://marajacobs.info/Burn_Kobo

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Published on April 23, 2019 20:50

November 13, 2017

Back in the Copper Country

Picture It felt great to be back in the Copper Country - both literally and ... literary-ily.  I spent the summer in Hancock where it was mostly cold and rainy, but as always, it was good to be Home.  And I also spent the summer (and into the fall) writing the newest addition to the Worth Series - WORTH THE FLIGHT.

FLIGHT is Zeke Hampton's story. Zeke is a former Navy pilot who has returned to the Copper Country to begin the next chapter in his life.  After meeting Jessica Chapman, he wants her to be part of that story.   Jess, on the other hand, is perfectly happy with her life, as is. She doesn't need some flyboy trying to sweep her off her feet.

I hope you enjoy Worth the Flight.

Next up is book 8 in the Worth Series, and then I return to the Anna Dawson mystery series.
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Published on November 13, 2017 20:20

May 25, 2017

Anna Dawson is Back!

Picture
AGAINST THE WALL is now Available


Book 4 in the Anna Dawson mystery series begins just a month after AGAINST THE RULES ends. There is another murder that finds poor Anna (and I mean, it lands VERY close to her), as well as having to deal with the fall out from how the last book ended. (I'm looking at you, Jack Schiller!)

This book is a little different from the rest of the series in that Anna is truly trying to stop gambling, and as such has surrounded herself with the support to help her.

Too bad in this case support can be deadly!

I hope you enjoy this new addition to the series.

You can read the full description and an excerpt.

Next up,  I return to the Copper Country (both literary-wise and literally - just arrived) for Worth The Flight. The Worth series book 7 features Lizzie Hampton's twin brother Zeke who just got out of the Navy as our story begins. I'm just starting this book, but already I'm really liking the "what ifs" of it all!

Happy Reading! (Speaking of reading - anybody read something lately they need to rave about? Let me know in the comments - I'm always on the lookout for a great book)
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Published on May 25, 2017 08:48

October 18, 2016

The Anna Dawson Mystery Series

Picture Picture The newest book in my Anna Dawson mystery series is here! AGAINST THE RULES is now available.
 
For those of you who have read the first two books in the series, thanks for hanging in there during the loooong wait for book three. If you haven’t tried this series yet, now is your chance as book 1, AGAINST THE ODDS, is currently free.

It’s kind of a funny story how this series came to be…the kernel of it all:

In 2007 I was with my family in Las Vegas cheering on my father as he played in a large World Poker Tour event. He was doing well, and returning each day to continue. As the event got closer to the Final Table, players dwindled, so you ended up seeing the same family and friends of the remaining players each day. My mother and I started sitting with a woman who was the mother of one of the few remaining female players. This player, let’s call her Anna, had come to Vegas a few months earlier right after she turned twenty-one. Her mother told us that Anna left a very prestigious university one semester shy of graduation to come to Vegas and try her hand as a pro poker player.

“How did you handle that?” I asked her mother.

“Not very well,” she replied.

Um, yeah, no. I would guess not.

I looked at the field of players and realized that more than half of them looked to be in their early twenties. Had they all left school early to roll the dice?

That night, once we got back to the apartment my parents were staying in, I started thinking about all the Annas. The buy-in for that tournament was $25,000. How did all those kids get the buy-in money to play? Did they play their way in (which is what my father did)? Is their college fund being wagered on the table?

And the biggest question I asked myself—Where are they all going to be in ten years?

And thus, Anna Dawson was born.

There is some poker in the books, but not a ton, so don’t think that if you don’t like poker you won’t like this series.  

The main theme is the family of choice that Anna has surrounded herself with, and her own personal journey. And of course, being a mystery series, there’s a murder to solve.

I hope you enjoy the Anna Dawson Mystery Series!
 

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Published on October 18, 2016 19:34

New Anna Dawson Mystery

Picture Picture

The newest book in my Anna Dawson mystery series is here! AGAINST THE RULES is now available.
 
For those of you who have read the first two books in the series, thanks for hanging in there during the loooong wait for book three. If you haven’t tried this series yet, now is your chance as book 1, AGAINST THE ODDS, is currently free.

It’s kind of a funny story how this series came to be…the kernel of it all:

In 2007 I was with my family in Las Vegas cheering on my father as he played in a large World Poker Tour event. He was doing well, and returning each day to continue. As the event got closer to the Final Table, players dwindled, so you ended up seeing the same family and friends of the remaining players each day. My mother and I started sitting with a woman who was the mother of one of the few remaining female players. This player, let’s call her Anna, had come to Vegas a few months earlier right after she turned twenty-one. Her mother told us that Anna left a very prestigious university one semester shy of graduation to come to Vegas and try her hand as a pro poker player.

“How did you handle that?” I asked her mother.

“Not very well,” she replied.

Um, yeah, no. I would guess not.

I looked at the field of players and realized that more than half of them looked to be in their early twenties. Had they all left school early to roll the dice?

That night, once we got back to the apartment my parents were staying in, I started thinking about all the Annas. The buy-in for that tournament was $25,000. How did all those kids get the buy-in money to play? Did they play their way in (which is what my father did)? Is their college fund being wagered on the table?

And the biggest question I asked myself—Where are they all going to be in ten years?

And thus, Anna Dawson was born.

There is some poker in the books, but not a ton, so don’t think that if you don’t like poker you won’t like this series.  

The main theme is the family of choice that Anna has surrounded herself with, and her own personal journey. And of course, being a mystery series, there’s a murder to solve.

I hope you enjoy the Anna Dawson Mystery Series!
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Published on October 18, 2016 00:00

January 1, 2016

Happy New Year

Picture My newest Worth book releases today, New Year's Day, 2016. It probably should have released on the last day of 2015, as it wraps up the trilogy-within-a-series of the Beck brothers. Kind of a fitting end to the year.

I loved writing the Beck brothers. They all became friends of mine as Sawyer and Twain showed up in all 3 of the books, and Huck, though only seen on the page in Worth The Lies, was heard of in both Worth The Effort and Worth The Price.

My next 3 Worth books (2 of which I'll hopefully release in 2016) will kind of be their own trilogy as well, with male friends.

First, I'm going to switch gears and write a new addition to my Anna Dawson's Vegas series. But I'll always come back to the Copper Country!!

I hope you all have a great 2016 filled with happiness, health and joy. And lots and lots of books!


My New Year's resolution?  Hmmm, I was thinking about giving up the Bravo reality shows, but I think I'd just be setting myself up for failure. So, maybe I'll throw Vanderpump Rules out the window, keep the Housewives (some of them...I'm done with Jersey anyway), and try not to get caught up in reading their blogs and twitter wars. Yeah, that should give me back some time. After all, I'm trying to get 4 books out this year, right?

You can find Worth the Lies here:

Kindle  |  Nook  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  Print
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Published on January 01, 2016 00:00

December 30, 2015

Happy New Year!

Picture My newest Worth book releases today, New Year's Day, 2016. It probably should have released on the last day of 2015, as it wraps up the trilogy-within-a-series of the Beck brothers. Kind of a fitting end to the year.

I loved writing the Beck brothers. They all became friends of mine as Sawyer and Twain showed up in all 3 of the books, and Huck, though only seen on the page in Worth The Lies, was heard of in both Worth The Effort and Worth The Price.

My next 3 Worth books (2 of which I'll hopefully release in 2016) will kind of be their own trilogy as well, with male friends.

First, I'm going to switch gears and write a new addition to my Anna Dawson's Vegas series. But I'll always come back to the Copper Country!!

I hope you all have a great 2016 filled with happiness, health and joy. And lots and lots of books!

My professional New Year's Resolution is to release 4 books this year. I've released 3 books a year the first 2 years of writing full time, but am hoping to bump that up to 4 for 2016.

My personal resolution?  Hmmm, I was thinking about giving up the Bravo reality shows, but I think I'd just be setting myself up for failure. So, maybe I'll throw Vanderpump Rules out the window, keep the Housewives (some of them...I'm done with Jersey anyway), and try not to get caught up in reading their blogs and twitter wars. Yeah, that should give me back some time. After all, I'm trying to get 4 books out this year, right?

Any resolutions out there? You know, besides the diet/exercise/save money kind?

You can find Worth the Lies here:

Kindle  |  Nook  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  Print

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Published on December 30, 2015 23:55

September 2, 2015

Worth The Price is Available

Picture Worth The Price is now available at all ebook vendors. Print edition is also now available, and audiobook will be available in early November.

Kindle | iBooks  |  Nook  |  Kobo  |  Google Play

Next Up:
Worth The Lies
The Worth Series book 6,
Huck Beck's story

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Published on September 02, 2015 10:10

Worth The Price Out Now!

Picture Worth The Price is now available at all ebook vendors. Print edition is also now available, and audiobook will be available in early November.

Kindle | iBooks  |  Nook  |  Kobo  |  Google Play

Next Up:
Worth The Lies
The Worth Series book 6,
Huck Beck's story

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Published on September 02, 2015 00:00