Hollie Grimaldi-Flores is a Storyteller
Two decades on the radio, a newspaper column since 2015, and a sixtieth birthday that changed everything — meet the woman behind They Aren't Even Trying Anymore.
Hollie was born and raised in central New York, the youngest of seven children. She moved to California in 1985, living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Marin, and Sonoma Counties before settling in Nevada County in 1995 — where she's called Grass Valley home ever since.
She spent twenty years in the media industry as an award-winning on-air radio talent, and has written a column for her local newspaper since 2015. That gift for finding the funny — and the honest — in everyday life is what eventually became her first book.
The other half of the job
Writing isn't the only place Hollie does this work. She's also on staff at the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, where she organizes community health events across Nevada County — including the Falls Prevention Summit, a free morning of talks, screenings and (genuinely) a chorus, built around one of the least funny facts of getting older.
It is the same subject as the book, approached from the other side. The essays find the humor in a body that has started making its own decisions; the Summit gets a room full of people the practical help to keep standing up in it. Hollie tends to think those two things belong together — that you are far more likely to take the balance screening if someone made you laugh first.
The book that started it all
On her sixtieth birthday, Hollie took a hard, honest look in the mirror — and didn't love what she saw. Rather than fight it, she wrote about it. That one moment of reckoning became They Aren't Even Trying Anymore: The A's, B's, and DD's of Getting Older, twenty-six essays working through the alphabet of aging with humor instead of dread.
In 2001, Hollie married Ernie Flores — an ultra-marathon runner who does daily battle with his own aging body, much to Hollie's amusement — and together they raised a blended family of five boys, one nonbinary person, and a girl, now all adults. These days it's Hollie, Ernie, a very opinionated cat, and a lot fewer lunches to pack.
It's like gabbing with a good friend who truly understands you and sharing a good laugh. (Or cry).
Ana Sneed · AmazonI laughed a lot while reading this and at times thought to myself, wow... I guess I'm not the only one going through this!
Doreen Fournier · AmazonIt feels like an older best friend sharing the adventures of aging, all the things your mom never told you.
Jasmine Robinson · AmazonThis is a book where I would hang my DO NOT DISTURB ME UNTIL I'M DONE READING sign on my door knob!
Joni Enders · AmazonA refreshing and hilarious take on the journey of getting older as a woman.
TMG · AmazonBe prepared to laugh, cry and nod in recognition as you journey through these delightful stories.
Nancy · AmazonThis book is relatable and funny on so many levels. I was laughing out loud while reading 'about myself' on many of the pages.
James · AmazonLoved everything about this book. Would have loved to have this thirty years ago.
Amazon customer
What readers say
- ★★★★★
Real, Relatable & so Clever
What a fun read. It's like gabbing with a good friend who truly understands you and sharing a good laugh. (Or cry). Cleverly written, I'm so glad for this compilation of essays!
Ana Sneed · Amazon, 2024-10-20 - ★★★★★
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
For me this book got better and better as the stories moved through the alphabet. The stories have vulnerability and wisdom, and are also written with humor and honesty. I laughed a lot while reading this and at times thought to myself, wow...I guess I'm not the only one going through this!
Doreen Fournier · Amazon, 2024-11-02 - ★★★★★
A perfect birthday gift for your girlfriends!
This is one of those books where you curl up in bed with your furbabies to read a chapter, only to finish the whole thing in one sitting because it is that good! It feels like an older best friend sharing the adventures of aging, all the things your mom never told you. Many sections are relatable even in your 40s, providing a hilarious visual of what to expect going forward. I actually read this on my birthday, a day I normally spend stressing about aging, but it had me laughing and appreciating my latest trip around the sun. The best is yet to come!
Jasmine Robinson · Amazon, 2026-03-13 - ★★★★★
Find a cozy spot and enjoy the read!
To say this is a thoroughly entertaining and delightful read only begins to scratch the surface of this soul-baring, humorous author's peek into her uplifting and marvelously relatable baby boomer's journey. This is a book where I would hang my DO NOT DISTURB ME UNTIL I'M DONE READING sign on my door knob!
Joni Enders · Amazon, 2024-10-31 - ★★★★★
Tired of trying to age gracefully? Instead, try aging with this humorous helper
This book is a refreshing and hilarious take on the journey of getting older as a woman. Full of wit and charm, the author masterfully blends humor with the universal truths about aging, from the aches and wrinkles to the wisdom and freedom that come with time. What sets this book apart is its ability to tackle the serious subject of aging without ever feeling heavy. Instead, it embraces the absurdity and the joy of getting older, celebrating the quirks that come with each stage of life.
TMG · Amazon, 2024-10-23 - ★★★★★
Laughing Through the Years
Be prepared to laugh, cry and nod in recognition as you journey through these delightful stories that capture the ups and downs of aging with humor and grace.
Nancy · Amazon, 2024-11-03 - ★★★★★
Fun, easy read
This book is relatable and funny on so many levels. Not only does it touch on silly childhood topics, but I was laughing out loud while reading “about myself” on many of the pages. The author has captured the thoughts of many women of my era who just haven't taken the time to reflect and memorialize these anecdotes. I enjoyed each short topic and I am looking for the sequel. Maybe the next chapters can be AA-ZZ?
James · Amazon, 2024-11-14 - ★★★★★
Great read. Totally relatable..
Loved everything about this book. Would have loved to have this thirty years ago.
Amazon customer, 2024-11-11
They Aren’t Even Trying Anymore
Twenty-six essays, A to Z, on what your body gets up to after sixty.
Keep going
There's more than one way into Hollie's world.