An Interview with Holly M. Jenkins

Holly M. Jenkins is a storyteller at heart and a caffeine enthusiast by necessity. A lifelong reader of fantasy, mystery, thrillers, sci-fi, and every shade of romance, she spends her days dreaming up new worlds – and her nights making endless to-do lists she’ll never quite finish. Based in Austin, Texas, she shares her life with her husband, two mischievous cats, and an outrageously photogenic corgi who often steals the spotlight. When she’s not weaving tales or losing herself in a good movie, Holly works as a golf professional and dabbles in endless home projects. The Swan’s Arrow marks her debut into the world of published fiction – the first of many adventures yet to come.

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Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The book title came easily, or so I thought. The original title was The Swan and the Sorcerer. I loved that title. It’s a fairytale retelling, so to me it had that fairytale vibe. However, after working through some edits with my editor, Jack, we discussed the vibe and what genre and age group the story fell into. It’s not a children’s fairytale, but it doesn’t quite fit in YA or adult. It has more adult themes and I felt that perhaps the original title was too YA. I sent Jack some ideas I’d considered for an alternative title, and immediately we both just fell in love with The Swan’s Arrow. The newer title felt more real in correlation to what the story was about without revealing too much.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

Oh, I am positive the graphic designer I worked with was annoyed with me at one point, or thought I was insane. Ronaldo asked me to send them some inspirational book covers and pictures to give them an idea of what I wanted. After changing the title, it was a lightbulb moment and I completely changed what I originally sent in to the graphic design team. Ronaldo was so gracious and assured me that it happens all the time – but I still had a feeling I was pushing it.

When the team sent me my three cover options, I sent those to my best friends. Without hesitation they all agreed on the one I eventually chose.

When I saw the final design, I was floored and I teared up. It was exactly what I’d imagined in my head, brought to life. I really did cry when I had the physical copy in my hands. The colors and details were amplified in this really amazing way, and it had that ‘wow’ factor I get as a reader when I see beautiful covers in a bookstore.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

My parents called me ‘uniquely me.’ My parents swear they don’t know where the creativity came from, but I think it comes from them both. My parents were always in my corner and told me I could be whatever I wanted to be if I put my mind to it.

When I was roughly eight years old, I started writing poetry. But what really started it all was the first anniversary of 9/11. I was in elementary school, and our school did a school-wide submission for art and poetry in remembrance of the previous year. The winners of each respective genre would have their work displayed in the local children’s museum. I worked for days and days on my poem and I even drew the tragic scene from my personal perspective of that day.

That day was hard for me. My grandparents were actually visiting New York at the time. As a child, I don’t think I quite understood the historical impact that would have on our country or our world. As I watched the scene unfold on the small classroom TV, I was a mess. I wanted nothing more than to run into my parents’ arms and have them tell me my grandparents were okay. (They were okay, by the way. They had actually flown home the day before.)

A year later, that traumatic experience was still pretty fresh, and I wrote from my heart. I remember just pouring my heart out into that poem. Well, as it turns out, my poem not only brought my parents and my teacher to tears, but it was displayed in the children’s museum.

The thrill of experiencing how my words impacted others and made them feel even a fraction of what I felt was very much the start of me writing as an outlet. That wasn’t the last time I did submissions either. I wrote my first chapter book in middle school, and it just kept going. I enjoyed art in general, but I was particularly fond of drawing cartoons and painting. The combination of those allowed me to positively express my emotions when I had a hard time saying them out loud.

When I sat down and decided I wanted to write a novel a few years ago – after not writing or painting for several years – was such a new experience. I was in a time of my life that I needed to get my feelings out. It took me a really long time to share even a scrap of my stories with friends. As a child, you’re fearless; you almost have nothing to lose. But as an adult, you’re open to criticisms on so many different levels and in different situations. I was truly scared to share a part of my life again that I’d put on the back burner as a young adult. I’m still scared and I feel vulnerable sharing my words with others, but I remember how I felt the first time I read Harry Potter, the Red Queen series, Nancy Drew, The Hunger Games, and even when I first read the Throne of Glass series. That sense of awe as I immersed myself in a new world. I was able to relate to each story I read in some way, and those stories got me through rough patches.

I decided that maybe I could do that, too. I wanted to give someone somewhere hope that they can be themselves and be flawed. That they deserve to be here and that maybe, just maybe, they could relate to one of my characters and know they aren’t alone.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’ve professionally worked in the golf industry after playing collegiate golf. (Fun fact – I’ve played golf since I was three.)

Something my readers may not know is that this may be my debut novel, but it’s technically not the first time I’ve been published. As an undergraduate, my scholarship required me to write a thesis. My thesis was about Title IX. Title IX was the reason I was allowed to compete on the boy’s golf team my senior year of high school.

I grew up in town that did not have a large number of female golfers. I was the second girl to ever compete in golf at my high school, and the first girl to compete in golf was a year older than me. By my junior year, I didn’t have another girl to compete with as a ‘team’ in school tournaments. So, when my golf coach suggested I challenge myself and play on the boy’s team, we used Title IX to my advantage. That experience inspired my thesis and the rest is history.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

The most rewarding part of the process has been connecting with other authors and potential readers. I have met some really, really wonderful people who decided I was interesting enough, or that my story was interesting enough, for them to invest in.

I have learned A LOT about the industry that I never knew going into this. If my knowledge were compared to the human life cycle, I was a toddler. I think I’m closer to mid-grade now, and I love it. I love learning new things and trying things I’ve never done. That on its own was greatly rewarding as well.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Ohhh, I have a soundtrack for this. It’s actually posted on YouTube and Apple Music. I created a playlist of songs that I could vibe to while I wrote.

If I had to choose my top three songs on the playlist, I’d probably go with: Hypothetically by John Michael Howell, Beauty And A Freak, also by John Michael Howell, and Angry Too by Lola Blanc.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

To prelude this a little, I went into this project with the mindset that I wanted to create a modernized fairytale. I didn’t want to do a bunch of world building, but I wanted to write it in a way that had subtle details to allow the readers to create those images and scenes with their own imagination. That was something I fell in love with the first time I read Harry Potter, and that’s what I wanted to try and do with my own. I designed my characters to be flawed. I knew from the beginning, since the book was mainly inspired by The Swan Princess, that I wanted more realism. I wanted the character relationships to develop more organically while keeping that fairytale aspect of fate and destiny.

I don’t believe there is a perfect reader for this novel. It’s one of those that niche reads you’ll either love or hate. However, if I had to describe my ideal reader – I’d say it deserves a reader who allows the story to breathe and develop. This is not an epic fantasy or a high fantasy. It’s a fairytale. Readers have to understand that my fairytale, while categorized as a fantasy, is in its own lane. They’re structured a bit differently than a ‘traditional’ fantasy novel. I like to say that my novel is Disney-meets-Grimm. It’s a lighter story that has a slightly subtle plot with tiny Easter eggs along the way, and you just have to sit back and hop on for the ride. However, I still want the cringey dialogue in certain chapters that makes them feel awkward, and that some of the decisions made by the main characters make them shake the book with annoyance.

Reader takeaway is a bit tricky. It’s a bit more personal from my perspective. Most importantly, I hope they understand the underlying theme. We cannot always control what happens to us throughout our life. We’re going to get knocked down, and we have to get back up. At times, we are placed into situations that force us to heal ourselves from within. Those difficult times may make us feel like we’ve taken a step back. That maybe we aren’t as ready to be adults as the world thinks we should be.

However, it’s okay to have no idea what you’re doing. It’s okay to take a moment to reflect and briefly revert back to childlike behaviors to reach a safe space. It’s okay to not be okay, because we all deserve love. And we all should learn to accept the love we actually deserve – not the love the world makes us believe we deserve.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I have a few projects that I had started prior to writing The Swan’s Arrow. One of my favorites is a richer fantasy with lots of interesting characters, plot twists, and a more in-depth world building. I want it to be at least a duology, but it could end up being a trilogy. However, I have placed it on the back burner for now. That particular story feels really, really special to me, and I want to take my time really developing the story and the magic system.

I have another project that is a bit spicier than anything I’ve ever written. At the moment, it very much feels as if the bachelor was set in an alternate reality fantasy world with elemental magic and fated mates. I wrote a first draft a few years ago and it’s the first manuscript I’ve ‘finished.’ It’s really rough and needs some polishing before even attempting to query it. I want to revisit it and see how it develops after my experience with this novel and feedback I’ve received from my readers.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

Working with Atmosphere Press was wonderful. I have a busy schedule and having a team of professionals help me along the way was truly ideal. I was not prepared or knowledgeable enough about any of the phases, and the team at Atmosphere Press truly helped me every step of the way.

Self-publishing is so hard, and it’s just as hard to have a novel picked up by a traditional publisher. Hybrid publishing, for me, was flexible enough with my schedule to let me go as fast or as slow as I wanted. At the same time, I appreciate that I still have the author rights to my work.

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