Louise Holland
I am an Australian indie fantasy author with a debut, Spark of the Divine, releasing early dec ‘23. I am an exhausted queer woman with adhd and all my works are based on my dnd campaigns. I have pink hair, unapologetically love Taylor Swift, and live to challenge the idea of femininity not belonging in fantasy.
Louise can be found at:
Linktree: linktr.ee/louisehollandauthor
Instagram: @louisehollandauthor
Twitter: @lahollandauthor
Tell me what inspired you to write your book?
I got into dnd in 2018, and we had just finished the overall arc of a 3 year homebrew campaign (save the universe, try not to tpk, standard). I had the idea to use it as the starting point for a story, to ‘chronicle’ our adventure, but instead I ended up with an epic fantasy adventure with an unexpected love story.
What came first the character or the world?
It’s funny actually, since the majority of these characters and the world they exist in are “real” in a sense—it’s kind of a true story!
How hard was it to get your first book published?
I’m exhausted from marketing/uploading/organising/editing and it’s not even out yet
How long did it take to write?
From first scene to final draft, two years and 16 days.
Spark of the Divine
Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?
OG Skyrim soundtrack, all day every day. Switch to battle music for fight scenes. Or, if I need to get *really* sad, I’ll find the most depressing phoebe bridgers song I can.
How many publishers turned you down?
Technically zero. I always knew I wanted to self-pub; I wanted complete control.
What kind of reactions have you had to your book?
Mostly really good! People seem to like the dnd thing. I think people in real life are a bit weirder about it… there’s always that hesitant surprise in their tone, like they’re not sure if I’ve spent years cultivating complete garbage.
What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?
The original player of one of my characters is completely baffled as to why Reevan is the crowd favourite, but people keep on saying they love him! I also got the standing ovation crying gif on messenger.
What can you tell us about your next book?
It will continue in the same vein, telling the next part of the story. Where SotD focused on Divines and god magic, whereas book two will be a lot more focused on the Arcane side of things. It will be interesting to write (I’ve plotted it out) as Arcane magic is volatile and hard to master in Kalaraak.
Do you take notice of online reviews?
I am extremely excited to see them, however I’ve already made a pact with myself that I am *not* allowed to say ANYTHING (other than thank you). Too many authors lose their damn minds at the slightest criticism.
Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?
Absolutely! I have a WIP/idea floating in my notebooks that’s a CIA assassin romance. I think I’d do a decent job of those cute romances, too, but I’d have to get someone to ghostwrite the smut haha. I can’t do it.
What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?
I think I’ve always been a writer, in a way. I used to write Harry Potter fanfiction on word 95. Dnd is still my main hobby, as well as general fun life stuff. I used to have a high paying management job, but after the pandemic and having my daughter I completely decentered my job from my identity. I was working myself to death for a company who would have replaced me in a week if I did die. If I never make money from writing books, I won’t mind, because I can actually subsist on validation alone.
Which author(s) inspire you?
Sando, of course. The way that man’s mind works, my gods. I categorise people into “have read mistborn” and “haven’t read mistborn”. Robin Hobb, who could sell a masterclass in satisfying trilogies. Rick Riordan, who taught me that above all books and reading are for entertainment. It can be funny. It can be silly. It doesn’t take away from also being serious.
And Vera Valentine, who wrote a book called Unhinged: An Erotic Door Romance and then friended me on TikTok when I made a silly video referencing it. Honestly, that woman knows her audience is at least 50% people reading out of sheer morbid curiosity. And she answers all the questions, every time. Are they insane? Absolutely. But there’s answers.
Which genres do you read yourself?
Fantasy is my main one, but I will read basically anything. I love a good romance, a good time travel, dystopian, paranormal, some crime thrillers even. YA, adult, I don’t mind. Some of the best stories I’ve ever read have been Dramione fanfiction written by tweens.
What is your biggest motivator?
Spite.
What will always distract you?
(my mum’s voice) that damn phone.
Oh and the existential dread of nihilistic questioning of what I’m doing has any meaning or point.
But mainly the phone.
How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?
100% – my cover artist is also my tattooist, so he’s used to me being ~super~ finicky. At least with the book cover, we can erase it.
Were you a big reader as a child?
Absolutely! Even more so as a teen, too. I pulled frequent all-nighters.
What were your favourite childhood books?
If we go back real far, I was always devouring nancy drew, babysitters club, Sabrina the teen witch novels. Narnia. I was always a series girl. I read the fuck out of the Star Wars extended universe, too. Animorphs? Incredible.
What books can you not resist buying?
I love a good gold/foil moment. I also love a surprise hardback, when the jacket is the same as the paperback, but the underneath is fancy. Bonus points if it’s something to do with the story itself. SotD has a fancy HC planned.
Do you have any rituals when writing?
The Whiteboard – I have a square one, and I word vom all my thoughts about the scene that is to be worked on. I also need at least 3 beverages. Water for hydration, coffee for vroom, and coke for something to tap my fingernails on while I’m thinking.
How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?
Uhh, I plead the fifth? What do you mean I can’t because I’m Australian? Fine.
I just went and looked. There’s 34. This isn’t counting any of my digital reads. Yikes.
What is your current or latest read?
I have an arc for Aimee Donnellan’s CATASTROPHE AWAKENING series, as well as Luke Schultz’s A King’s Radiance. That’s partly why my TBR is so big — finding the indie author community blew it out massively!
Any books that you’re looking forward to in the next 12 months?
Too many. Everything in the Sanderson Kickstarter, especially!
Any plans or projects in the near future you can tell us about?
Mainly the actual release of my book! I’m looking at digital end of November, paperback and hardcover beginning of December. I want a little bit of a break between them.
Any events in the near future?
It’s not until next year, but I am going to be joining The Book Booth’s Chapter 3 indie author event in Melbourne, Aus. It’s in November 2024 at Kryal Castle. I’m super excited! Maybe I’ll even have two books by then.
and finally, what inspired you to write the genre you do?
Playing D&D is so much more than people first realise. Bringing my story to life was simple. Those characters might as well be real, because I sat across a table from most of them for years. This world is cruel, harsh and expensive. Why wouldn’t we want to read about one where we can fight injustice with swords and balls of arcane lightning?
(Also hi idk what kind of photos you want so I just attached what I’ve got. I’m not sure if you reach out first, but if you don’t and you don’t get to me before late Oct please have a look on my SM for a book cover reveal! It’s supposed to be finished by mid Oct)
