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D.A. Holley

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Born

in Honolulu, The United States

Website

https://daholley.com

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June 2021

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https://www.goodreads.com/daholley

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

D.A. Holley One of two ways. Usually, if I have writer''s block it means something in the story is broken, and I don't always know how to fix it. Most often, I'll…moreOne of two ways. Usually, if I have writer''s block it means something in the story is broken, and I don't always know how to fix it. Most often, I'll just take a break from writing that story and write something else while I figure out what wasn't working and find a way to fix it. In Spirit of Shadow, for instance, I had a plot line that involved the Emperor helping the rebels to undermine the Shadow Queen's efforts. The problem was I couldn't square his motivations with the motivations of the rebels. I ended up deleting and rewriting about 30-40k words in order to fix the problem, completely restructuring the plot in the process.

Otherwise, I just write in a scene that was missing or rewrite a scene that isn't working. Most often, the problem is something minor, like the POV for a scene needs to be shifted to someone else in order for it to work without sounding forced. I've found consulting friends who read or write avidly also helps because we can bounce ideas off each other to figure out how to fix it, and if all else fails, I'll record myself talking and brainstorm my way out of it. I logged about 20 hours of those sessions for Spirit of Shadow and the runoff for future books in the series, most of which got deleted when the finalized story was done.

A lot of work goes into writing a book, and in particular writing a series. But I have a small advantage in that I have a document that contains about 10 years of world building surrounding Etherel. I think it's standing at about 90k words now, with about 1k dedicated to a secondary language, several pages related to the magic systems, and I'm not even sure how much related to the cultures of the various regions of the world. I'm still adding to it, too, but most of that information came out of a period of about 2 years in which I didn't have regular access to a computer and therefore couldn't write regularly. I was working a night job at a group home and basically staying awake by pounding coffee and worldbuilding in fifteen minute intervals between bedroom checks. It was a strange time in my life. The point is, having a worldbuilding bible on hand has given me a reference to go back to when I feel like something isn't working so that I can see what I have established and work with it. I find this approach makes storytelling easier because what you see is in the pages you read is built on a solid foundation that I can use as a rock of support when my brain doesn't want to cooperate. (less)

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What are you currently working on?

D.A. Holley Currently, I'm working on Books 2 and 3 of the Black Rain Chronicles. I had a little bit of writers block, but I've found the tracks I need to follow,…moreCurrently, I'm working on Books 2 and 3 of the Black Rain Chronicles. I had a little bit of writers block, but I've found the tracks I need to follow, and the stories are coming along nicely. I wanted to set up the story so that there would be multiple access points to it. So the first three books can be read in any order, as they're following three different characters, all of whom are important to the overarching narrative.

When I'm writing this series, I tend to also write other books on the side. As a result, I have a small mountain of unfinished manuscripts that all got trunked for various reasons which I've written over the years, and Boundless came out of that same kind of work ethic. I tend to find it easier to write a story if I have something else that isn't the same kind of material in the works. So right now, in addition to continuing with the Black Rain Chronicles, I'm also writing a story as told from the perspective of a sentient eyeball named Lef. Basically, the eyes don't have a hell of a lot of autonomy, but they have a singular purpose in life, and that's to find "the One", or true love. But Lef is trapped in a slob who let himself go around the time he turned thirty and is just now starting to dip a toe back into the dating life. He's dejected. He thinks his host, James, has no chance of finding love, that his life is basically over. So he prays to God to put him in another body where he'll have a better shot of finding true love. His reasoning is shallow, and he really feels he's better than his host, but he might be in for a rude awakening. (less)

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D.A. Holley’s books

Average rating: 5.0 · 3 ratings · 1 review · 5 distinct works

	Spirit of Shadow (The Black Rain Chronicles #1) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Boundless 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Luckborn Vol. 1: Tears for the Moon God 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Broken Bonds (The Black Rain Chronicles Book 2) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wicked Hunger Iron Law by Holden Cummings, D.A. Holley (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by D.A. Holley

The Black Rain Chronicles (1 book)
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D.A. Holley (Goodreads Author)

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings

D.A. is Currently Reading

D.A. Holley is currently reading

Making Chocolate: From Bean to Bar to S'more

by Todd Masonis

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Dec 14, 2023 11:58AM

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Dreams of the Dying (The Twelfth World, #1)

by Nicolas Lietzau (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 04, 2021 10:27PM

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The Greencloak Wanderer

by Jesse McMinn (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 04, 2021 10:29PM

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D.A.’s Recent Updates

D.A. Holley joined the groups Queer Fantasy & Science Fiction, Worlds Beyond the Margins, and Write LGBTQ+ ARC Readers
Jun 07, 2026 12:47PM
D.A. Holley rated a book it was amazing Dust of Dreams (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #9) by Steven Erikson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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D.A. Holley rated a book it was amazing The Society of Pale Veins: An Erotic Descent into Power, Pain, and Worship by J. Noir	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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D.A. Holley rated a book it was amazing The Crippled God (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #10) by Steven Erikson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 20, 2025 08:00AM · like
D.A. Holley finished reading Dust of Dreams (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #9) by Steven Erikson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 21, 2025 08:37PM · like
D.A. Holley wants to read The Court of Broken Knives (Empires of Dust, #1) by Anna Smith Spark (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 29, 2024 08:29PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
D.A. Holley wants to read City of Stairs (The Divine Cities, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 29, 2024 08:24PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
D.A. Holley wants to read Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 29, 2024 08:23PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">