H.R. Holt's Blog

An Excerpt

I thought I'd share with everyone an excerpt from my upcoming piece, "Reuben: The Fangless Terror." 
I am almost six thousand words in, and I don't plan to do any serious editing until after I've completed the rough draft. 
Please tell me what you think, though.
The excerpt from the prologue...
Reality struck me with a sharp blow to the face. I lunged up more out of instinct than awareness, because the majority of me was still out cold. When I realized that I was tied down, I became qui...

Beyond The Prologue

“Holly, now is not the time for rest. You must write,” my muse begged, poking at me after a nine-hour shift and four hours of “quality time” with my family.
Looking at his face, seeing the sadness of my muse (who greatly resembled John Keats), I managed, “I’ll write tomorrow.” I closed my eyes again, but felt that he was still standing there. “I’ll... write extra tomorrow. Please... I’m so tired...”
“Very well. I shall see you upon the morrow.”
Other than the fact that I missed meeting my muse l...

Reuben - The Fangless Terror

Although I've said this before, I'll say it again: I'm writing again.

I attempted to start a historical romance in March, but that didn't turn out the way that I'd hoped. The ideas are there, but I feel as though my creative muse is constipated.

Currently, I've been reading a lot of vampire books. So, last night, I began a vampire book of my own which I spent the weekend outlining, and about two hours writing last night, bypassing my Monday midnight bedtime by half an hour.

The prologue is about...

Of Scarecrow and The Lazy La-dee-dah's

I feel that I’ve been going through phases this year. First, I started off wanting to write like mad until my eyes, longingly staring at the screen, became bloodshot, the result of which wouldn’t make me stop. Then, I started reading everything I could get my hands on (yeah, yeah, I know: voraciously would suffice), starting with one book in January I read in a day; and another book of poetry that I devoured one night in February. Now, I’m at phase three and really not sure where it came from...

Back in the Saddle!

The month of February was the month away from myself. I decided to stop marketing my books for a while, and instead revel in books of other people’s creations. I did exactly that—and am actually still in the process of it, which I don’t intend to end. The writings of others always have  a way to inspire me. For example, I currently finished a collection of poetry, and, though I usually delve into poetry around April (poetry month), I have started writing poetry earlier this year.

Now, wit...

The Beauty of Short Stories

I haven't had much time lately to do anything but work.

This morning, I finally got the chance to write something - a short story. I think that it's more of a challenge to write something short than it is something long, because you only have so many words to work with, while trying to wad it up into a short piece that will come out as clear as a longer piece.

I challenged myself to try and avoid passive voice, while keeping the descriptions to the minimum - two things...

Of Excerpts and Excitement

Ever wonder where an author's ideas come from? I know I do, and have learned that not all of them come from the same place--or the same type of inspiration.

There are some stories from my youth that, as I grow older, have morphed into different, sometimes longer pieces of work. The Six Trials is one of them.

When I was about fifteen, I wrote a 206 page novella in (yes, by hand, took about a month) called "Steer Clear of Blackstone Creek." The story was, somehow, misplaced in my world of ol...

Seat of Your Pants Anyone?

I have never been one to write based on an outline, or a set design of any kind. I'm probably one of the few people that this ever happens to, but it's not a rarity for this to happen to me. Still, as long as it includes romance, I'm good to go.

I guess I should blame two things this time: my sickness and my inclusion of a particular character - Obadiah (Obi) Flagg. My main character found him pushing along a bicycle with a crooked wheel while she was heading to her si...

The Start of Something New

I woke up this morning with an itchy throat and burning ears.

Hours later, I'm still not any better.

I think this is probably what prompted me to get started on something else, other than staying in the editing rut that I've been stuck in for most of this week. I worked on my pitch for ABNA, which was easy compared to the editing I did for "Splintered Existence." The way I figure it is, if Hemingway had to write one piece of work 29 times, I'm probably going to have to rewrite mine at least 50....

Self-Published Authors & Hollywood

My personal views last night as I was reading the various shared pitches and excerpts from the "Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award" discussion boards on Amazon.

In playing part of the self-published community, I have noticed a great deal of authors who possess great talent when it comes to writing. So good, in fact, that the reader can automatically place themselves in the book, going through the scenes as they unfold.

I didn't think, a month ago, that coming into this community I would enjoy...