There is no way to soften the blow of this and Mom never liked euphemisms, so I’m just going to speak plainly.
Mom died due to complications from cancer on the 27th of August. Yes, this was the cancer that she’d originally had that had gone into remission. She had been dealing with this for 2 years, but demanded it be kept private. A handful of folks knew, and that’s all. I know some of you have noticed her absence, but we promised we would not say anything. There were a few exceptions Matt deemed allowable due to difficult circumstances through Help Desk or messages, but otherwise we kept our promise to her.
That’s all I feel like saying on this part of the matter, other than these last two things: 1. she died at home with loved ones caring for her properly and 2. she had the aid of the some of the very best medical care for cancer available in the United States.
Let me get a few things out of the way now:
1. Lifetime Access to courses and purchases will remain. Whatever I have to do to make sure her customers always have what they bought, I will do.
2. The site may take some time for me to adjust to because, while she wanted me to one day take it over to her, she didn’t want to give up the reigns. I don’t blame her at all, ha.
3. The new course will still launch, but it might be several months still. We are picking up the pieces of a life surrounded by, and filled to the brim with, a woman who is no longer here. No one is doing this more than my dad/step-dad, and he will not be rushed through grief for a course launch.
4. There is a plan to release the Ohio novels. There is work to be done, we have no deadline, we will figure things out as we go.
5. Katharina Gerlach is taking over the Moon & Sun series, something Holly was very excited about. If you’re interested in the sequels, you can sign up here for updates..
6. Other things she had finished, like stories or The Wishbone Conspiracy (Cadence Drake) will be published as we work through what she had on her computer. There is no deadline.
The family is still reeling. To say my mother was special is a particular breed of understatement all it’s own.
Holly would have not wanted platitudes (she hated them with a passion) or condolences. However, none of you are just “usernames” to me. You’re all real people. You have feelings and many of you had a fondness, friendships or minor/multiple personal interactions with her. I refuse to negate your pain or say it doesn’t matter just because I am deep within my own. Your pain isn’t less important just because mine might be worse because I am (and always will be) her daughter. Your pain or sadness matters. We waited until now to say anything so that the family could grieve together without worries.
So, instead of writing those platitudes or condolences, I want to pitch an idea. If you have access to the HollysWritingClasses forum, fill this thread with the following:
* What her courses meant to or for you.
* What this forum meant to or for you.
* What her books meant to or for you.
* What SHE PERSONALLY meant to you.
* What her work on the podcast meant to or for you.
* Personal interactions with her that you found meaningful, cute, deep, silly, insightful, hilarious (honestly, she would love knowing she made people laugh probably as much as helped with their writing), heartwarming, etc.
Matt, (her husband/partner of 30 years, by the way) gave me great comfort by telling me this: she is everywhere. She within her kids, him, her books, courses, and all of the things she has made. I believe that no better example exists of just how “everywhere” my mom is, than a forum post with a shitload of responses from people all over the world telling us and everyone else what she meant to them.
The rest of the world might not know what it lost, but we do.
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