Erie author, Holly Jacobs, will be signing copies of her 42nd book, A One-of-a-Kind Family after her short informal talk, "Simply Eriesistible: The State of Love in Western PA" on February 13 from 1-3 at the Millcreek Mall's Borders in Erie, PA.

The book is set in Northwestern, PA. "For my November release, Unexpected Gifts, I created a fictional town, just outside Erie. Why? Because the heroine worked for a teen parenting program. Since Erie has a real teen program that has been working with our pregnant teens for years, I created Whedon as the setting for the book," says Jacobs. "I fell in love with the town, and so did readers. So, it's wonderful to get to return to Whedon in A One-of-a-Kind Family." The fictional Whedon is located just outside Erie off I-79. "The characters in both books drive into Erie, visit the peninsula, even visit the Grove City Outlet Mall. Members of the family go to school and work in Pittsburgh as well. Basically, I tried to showcase the entire Western Pennsylvania region." All but two of Jacobs' books have been set in Pennsylvania. "I love introducing the beauties our state to a worldwide audience." And worldwide is accurate. Jacobs' books have been published in more than 25 countries. "I had a friend who was in Russia adopting a baby. She wandered into a bookstore and found the Russian translation of one of my books set on the shore of Lake Erie. She was thrilled, and I'll confess, so was I when she told me."

Jacobs' February Harlequin SuperRomance, A One-of-a-Kind Family, pits Anna against Liam, as both characters try to do what they feel is best for Colm, Liam's special needs brother. This isn't the first time Jacobs has used characters who face obtacles. She's dealt with mobility issues and hearing impairment in the past. "I don't think of any of my books as 'issue' books. I just try to present 'real' characters. Some come with emotional baggage, but some have physical obstacles to cope with as well." The heroine of the book, Anna, works for the Sunrise Foundation, whose motto is helping extraordinaire people lead extraordinary lives. "Erie is blessed with the Gertrude Barber Institute, which made Whedon the perfect home for my fictional, much smaller foundation."

Jacobs has sold two more books that will be set in Whedon. Their working titles are Somebody Else's Baby and A Father's Name. They'll be released sometime in 2011.

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