From gothic horror and tragic romance to epic fantasy and southern folklore, Laura Holt writes with a deep love for stories that blur the line between myth and reality. Holt is also featured in Beautiful and Terrifying: Tales and Visions from the Edge of the Uncanny with her short story “After Alice,” a fitting addition to a collection shaped by eerie beauty and unsettling imagination. In this interview, Holt reflects on the authors who shaped her creativity, the unexpected lessons she’s learned about storytelling and publishing, and the themes she returns to again and again in her work. She also discusses writing authentic stories in a trend-driven world, finding inspiration in mythology and folklore, and why coffee, cookies, and carefully curated playlists remain essential parts of her creative process.
Q: What/who were your early literary influences, and how do you think their writing has shaped you as a storyteller today?
A: Some of my earliest literary influences were authors like Roald Dahl, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, R. L. Stine, and J.R.R. Tolkien. For me, Dahl’s book The Witches was my gateway read to the fantasy genre, likeable villains, and morally gray characters, so he will always hold a special place in my heart. Poe and Shakespeare introduced me to poetry and short stories, as well as tragic love and darker subject matter, both of which play a big part in my writing today. And there is one author who has cracked the code on how to write the perfect story every time, it is Stine, so along with reading his books for a good scare, I study his writing style a lot.
Q: What’s a memory of a story or book that made you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: I have to say the first Stephen King book I ever read, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It’s not one of his more well-known, and it’s definitely not as scary as a lot of his others, but I remember finishing it and thinking, “Wow. What a masterpiece. He does this for a living. I want to do that for a living. I want to make people feel the way that reading this book made me feel.”
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work? What impact have they had on your writing?
A: Adrienne Young immediately springs to mind. She has been a really big influence on me as a writer because she is such an authentic person and that really shines through in her books and her social media marketing, and learning from her in both of those aspects really helped me to find my voice and my platform as a writer.
Q: What’s been the most unexpected lesson you’ve learned about yourself through writing?
A: That I do not fit any kind of “writerly” mold. I’m not a pantser or a plotser, I’m more of a project-by-projecter because it really all depends on the specific story and how the characters are talking to me. Sometimes I write long hand. Sometimes I write out of chronological order. Sometimes I make a detailed outline. It all just depends on what gets the words flowing, and I just don’t question it anymore, because at the end of the day, getting the story down on paper is the important thing, not how you did it.
Q: How do you nurture your creativity when life gets busy or overwhelming?
A: I read a lot! I normally have at least three books I’m reading at a time. I also find that moving helps clear the cobwebs, so I love to exercise (yoga, run, walk, weights, Pilates, etc.) and travel, and in the fall/winter I do more things with my hands like baking, puzzles, crosswords, etc.
Q: What’s one writing habit you can’t live without and one you wish you could break?
A: I cannot live without Pinterest. Building a story board is one of the first things I do for every project because it really helps me visualize the world and the characters better. I wish I could break writing drafts on my phone notes app because it’s such a hassle to then transfer it to a Word Doc, plus I almost lost everything when my phone crashed a few years ago (TERRIFYING) and I’m awful about backing stuff up, but it’s just so convenient.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice another writer has given you about storytelling?
A: When I was a brand new baby author and had just published my first book, I went to a local author event where Nic Stone was speaking. I was struggling with aligning my vision for my story with my editor, and so I asked her, “How do you decide what to keep and what not to?” And she just looked at me with this kind of smile that said I get it, and said “Kill your darlings. If your editor is telling you to cut it, just cut it. Let it bleed and move on.”
In A Spell of Shadows, Laura Holt blends Appalachian folk magic, buried grief, and dangerous attraction into a haunting Southern Gothic fantasy. When Kalon returns to the cursed island of Bristol’s Edge after her mother’s death, she finds the town unraveling beneath dying magic, vanished townspeople, and old wounds that never truly healed. Forced to work alongside Sutton Fray—the police chief who still blames her for the past—Kalon must confront the dark force lurking beneath the island before it claims even more lives. Moody, atmospheric, and threaded with slow-burn tension, the novel explores the pull of home, the weight of memory, and the secrets that refuse to stay buried.
Q: When do you feel most “in the zone” with your writing—early mornings, late nights, or somewhere in between?
A: I am definitely a regular early morning writer because I’m a morning person in general, but I can and do write anytime the muse speaks. I try not to write spooky stuff past evening time though because then I’m too scared to go to sleep lol.
Q: What’s a book that changed how you think about writing or storytelling?
A: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I read it my senior year and ended up writing a second dissertation on it for my College Prep English Lit class because it really opened my eyes to a darker, grittier, feminist side of fiction that up until then I had never experienced before. And I loved the possibilities that it opened as well as the parallels it drew between the fictional world in the book and the real world.
Q: Do you find inspiration in other art forms (music, film, visual art)? If so, how does it shape your work?
A: Oh goodness, yes! Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings absolutely inspired me to write my own epic fantasy in so many ways. I remember sitting there as a 15-year-old in that theater and being completely immersed in that world in a way I’d never been before although I’d read the books and watched the cartoon versions. It literally swept me away and I walked out of there so excited to create a brand new world like that.
Q: Do you have your own circle of writer friends? If so, what other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
A: Yes! And I do not know where I would be without them to keep me sane in the publishing space. My closest author friends are definitely Dallas Anne Duncan, Nicole Testa, Ashley Slaughter, and Brandy Nacole. These are the women who are constantly in my corner, who are always there to encourage me, like a post, share a post, support my work, and are just plain fun to talk to! Plus, their books rock.
Q: If you could collaborate with any writer, past or present, who would it be, and what would you create together?
A: Oh wow, so hard! There are so many. I think though I would have to say Mary Shelley, and we would create the most gothic feminist horror novel to ever exist.
Q: What themes do you find yourself returning to again and again in your work?
A: Tragic relationships, I think because I’ve had a lot of my own so it feels very present and it’s almost therapeutic to write about.
Q: How do you approach writing characters with experiences different from your own?
A: Very carefully, honestly. I do tons of research, lean on people I know who have had similar experiences for advice and early beta reads, and of course, always try to be respectful. I am very big on writing the right stories for the right reasons if you feel called to do so, so I don’t think that just because you haven’t had a certain experience yourself that you are unqualified to write it. However, I do think that in order to do it justice you really have to put yourself in that character’s shoes as much as you possibly can.
Q: Do you ever feel pressure to include (or avoid) certain topics in your writing? Why or why not?
A: Ooo, hard. I would say yes, the pressure is definitely always there, especially with social media making it so easy to access information about “what readers want,” but honestly as a writer when I’m putting together a new project, I don’t actually care about any of that. Maybe I’m just stubborn or whatever, but it’s more important to me to write an authentic story than put in an element or a character that doesn’t work just to please someone. I mean, you’re never going to find a book that every single person on the face of the planet loves. It’s just not possible. At least one person is going to have something negative to say about it. So I remind myself whenever I do start to feel the pressure to conform and it really helps me stay on true to what I want to write instead of what someone else wants me to write.
Q: What’s your go-to snack or drink while writing?
A: I wish I could say something super healthy like herbal tea or avocado slices, but it’s coffee and cookies. The stronger and more chocolate-chips, the better.
Q: What’s a quirky or unexpected detail about your writing space?
A: I don’t have one. This is another of those weird things about me, I write wherever it feels best at any given moment. I have an official “writing desk” in my office at home, but I rarely sit there. I’m more prone to write in random places like the kitchen table or in my comfy chair or at my desk at work or at a coffee shop or in between plays at my daughter’s basketball games.
Q: Do you have any rituals or routines to help you transition into “writer mode”?
A: Yes! I make a playlist for every book, so when I need to transition into writer mode, especially when it’s time for edits, I listen to the playlist so that my mind set aligns with where I need to be emotionally in order to connect to the story world.
Q: What’s the most rewarding feedback you’ve ever received from a reader?
A: Honestly, the first time a reader told me that they loved my book so much that they would automatically read anything I ever wrote for the rest of their life, I was like “That’s it. I’m done. I’ve arrived.” It really made my day.
Q: What’s a challenge you’ve faced in your writing career, and how did you overcome it?
A: Being okay with someone telling you “no” when you submit your work. Honestly, this was why I decided to do independent publishing first, because I was terrified of querying and being turned down. I was not confident enough in myself or my craft yet. But I have learned that receiving a rejection letter is just part of the process, and that you have to believe in yourself and your work enough to keep putting it out there knowing that eventually it will find the right home and the right readers. I guess you could say I had to grow thick skin lol.
Q: In your experience, what has been the best way to market your books? Where have you found the greatest return on your investment (whether it be time or money invested?)
A: This is such a hit or miss thing as an author, because there’s no guarantee. I’ve put over $1000 into a book launch and got less of a return than when I put $60 into a book launch. I think my first Amazon bestseller was one I didn’t spend more than like $20 on. It really depends on so many factors, timing and what people want to read right then being the biggest one in my opinion as a reader myself. I will say that Instagram is definitely my favorite way to market my books, and you can never go wrong with a good cover reveal campaign, but the best immediate return I got was when I published a book through Ingram Spark. It blew up in ways that I have never had a book do!
Q: Have you ever had to cut a scene or character you loved? How did you handle it?
A: So many times! And not well. I do it, because like Nic Stone said, you have to trust your editor, but when you’ve poured your heart and soul into a scene or a character, especially when it’s a book you’ve worked on for the better part of your life, it’s hard to let it go! It’s like cutting out a piece of you.
Q: How do you define success as an author? Has that definition evolved over time?
A: For me, success as an author is defined by my own happiness with my work. And I think in today’s world especially you have to be that way. You have to be confident and really in love with your own work, because there are going to be a million other people telling you all about why it’s wrong or no good. But you have to be able to stand your ground and push back and say no, I like my work. My work is good. And even if I only sell a single copy, then the fact that my work found its way into the hands of someone who needed it is more than enough for me.
Q: What’s one question readers ask you the most about your books, and what’s your answer?
A: Where I get my ideas! And I have to say I don’t, the characters tell me what to say.
Q: What do you wish readers understood better about the writing or publishing process?
A: That it takes so much work! Writing the book is actually the easy part, and nobody really tells you about what comes after. Or that so many different people have a hand in making a book a reality.
In Village of Salt and Sorrow, Laura Holt crafts a haunting tale of selkie lore, sacrifice, and forbidden love set against the storm-lashed shores of Loch Moira. Nova McIntosh has spent her life bound to an ancient curse demanding the deaths of young girls to appease the unforgiving sea, but everything begins to unravel when a mysterious boy survives a storm no one should survive. Atmospheric and steeped in dark folklore, the novel explores destiny, grief, and the dangerous pull between duty and desire.
Q: What have you written that you found to be the most fun to write?
A: I think I had the most fun with Village of Salt and Sorrow because it was the book where I really first found my voice as a writer, and it just flowed with the kind of magic you always hear other people talking about. Nothing in that book was forced, and very little was edited out from the very first rough draft to the final published copy. I still get a little thrill every time I see it on the shelf.
Q: What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
A: Oh my gosh, so many! Although I think I would have to say the number one is the My Merlin trilogy by Priya Ardis. I am a sucker for anything having to do with King Arthur, so a gender-bent retelling with a love triangle is right up my alley, and I feel like more people should be reading this series. There’s seriously nothing else out there like it.
Q: Do you have an all-time favorite writer, or does your favorite change over time? Who is your favorite writer today?
A: I mean, I have to say Stephen King, don’t I? I have so many auto-read authors who I love, but he is literally the king. Like I don’t think anyone will ever be able to top him. My dream is to meet him in person and have him sign all my books and tell him what an inspiration he’s been to me as a reader and a writer, but honestly I think if I saw him I would just faint or throw up or both.
Q: What is your favorite genre to read? Do you write in that genre? Has that always been your favorite genre, or has your taste evolved as you have grown as a writer?
A: Once upon a time, the answer to this question would automatically be fantasy. I think in a way that’s still true, since I definitely prefer a dash of magic in the books I read, and it’s definitely obvious in the books I write since they all contain magic in one way or another, but I also think it’s healthy to read outside our comfort zone. Historical fiction is one great example. I love history, equally as much as I love mythology, because they are intrinsically entwined, but I didn’t start reading historical fiction until the past few years. And what I’m finding when I read a historical fiction novel is that it gives me that same thrill as a fantasy novel does because it makes me want to learn more, to ask why, to wonder if this is how things really happened and try to figure it out. I guess what I’m saying is that I like books that make me a story-archaeologist.
Q: What other books would you recommend to our readers in addition to your own?
A: A million. At the moment though, my favorite reads of 2026 have been Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and the Cryptid Hunter Mystery Series by Annelise Ryan.
Q: If you could live in the world of one of your books for a day, which would it be and why?
A: Oh, the Star-Crossed series for sure. I am a major Shakespeare and Greek mythology fan, so getting to live in a world where both of things are reality instead of fiction would be so cool.
Q: If your life were a novel, what would the title be?
A: “Laura Holt: Story Raider”
Q: What’s a surprising or unusual skill you have that might make its way into a story one day?
A: I can type really fast, like super-fast, without looking at the keyboard. My best (with noise canceling headphones and really trying) was 350 WPM with 3 errors. On average I do 90-100 WPM with 1-2 errors.
Q: What’s a new genre or style you’d love to experiment with in the future?
A: I would really love to write a rom-com! I know that is totally different from anything I have ever written, and I think it would be so much fun to explore.
Q: What’s one thing you hope readers take away from your latest book?
A: That every story, even the ones we consider fiction, came from somewhere, and maybe, if we look hard enough, we might be able to find the historical seed they grew out of.
Q: What do you think the future of storytelling looks like in a world of evolving technology?
A: Scary? Honestly, I don’t know. I would like to say that we’re all just being paranoid and that things will stay the same with people writing books like they always have, but reality and evolution being what it is, who knows? I do think there will always be a place for the written word, but we might be moving toward an age where the majority of stories become spoken again, just on a digital platform now like Insta Reels and TikTok.
Q: What projects are you working on at the present?
A: I have been writing a lot more poetry lately, so keep an eye out in that space. And I am also working revising a new southern gothic novel that delves deep, deep, deep into dark women’s issues and melds southern folklore with Arthurian lore. Think Crimson Peak meets The Beguiled if Labyrinth was real and had a dark forest cryptid creature feature plus deals with the devil.
Q: What do your plans for future projects include?
A: I am currently drafting a standalone epic fantasy that blends religious mythology with the fairy tales of France and Italy and features a female MC based on Joan of Arc.
Author Bio
Laura Holt is a bestselling and award-winning author of YA and adult fiction. Her poetry, nonfiction, and short fiction have been published in Frivolous Comma, Calla Press, Pegasus Literary Magazine, Ginosko Literary Journal, Folkways Press Right to Life Anthology, Clever Fox Literary, Dreams in Hiding After Words We Go From Here Anthology, and the Eber & Wein 2015 Anthology. She is a self-professed word witch with a passion for mythology, history, and caffeine who enjoys telling stories about angry girls with magic powers and wild natures, whose bark is as bad as their bite. When she’s not writing, you can find her stretched out on a yoga mat, hiking down wooded trails, or wandering the aisles at a local bookstore searching for her next great read. She lives in small-town Georgia with her daughter, a small army of half-feral cats, and a lot of fake plants.
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Book Summary
When Jack Utley loses his daughter just as his business is about to soar, it seems he’s traded financial gain for Callie’s life. After an encounter with a mysterious woman on the eve of Callie’s funeral, Jack wakes up to find that time has somehow rewound to the morning of Callie’s accident. Jack gets an opportunity that most grieving parents can only dream of – he saves his daughter’s life.
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Write on the World 