Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dee Holmes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

There are two critical things I believe we should be teaching students to prepare them for a more fulfilling life and career: emotional regulation and healthy boundaries. Starting your own business, no matter how small, is a major undertaking if you’re going to become profitable. There are a myriad of decisions to make and, in particular, the need to balance industry pressures with the reality of your production/product. The less healthy boundaries you have, the harder it is to withstand pressures that won’t serve you. Likewise, it’s almost impossible to manage the stress of production in a small business without the ability to regulate your emotions.

Dealing with staff, contractors, suppliers, and more requires patience and calm decision-making. Those who can emotionally regulate and practice healthy boundaries, are best positioned to remain calm while facing difficulties — and thus are best positioned to nimbly pivot from difficulties to effective solutions. In industries such a publishing, which changes rapidly, these skills are necessary to thrive.

The later in life you learn both these skills, the harder it is to adopt them. I have no doubt that I’d have experienced greater success, faster, had I been taught these core skills in school.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m an author and an artist who enjoys creating on the fringe of conventional genre, creating action-packed adventures that are both fun and thought-provoking.

It’s my belief that art should make us think and, at the same time, offer us an escape from the everyday. I refuse to subscribe to the divisive perception that work that involves romance and fun cannot also be introspective and educational. We can learn about our world and ask probing questions about what it means to be alive, while at the same time enjoying a wild ride across zombie-infested streets. People can be strong and also vulnerable. Heroes can look different or even monstrous. And sometimes, we’ll fall in love with a Great Dane named Schrodinger and a singular zombie can steal our hearts.

My fans love how I weave fast-paced storytelling and quirky characters with introspection about life and death. Instead of veering away from world events, I choose to question what’s happening in the world. Sure, I’ll do that through metaphor and with a large serving of humor — but how better to interrogate our world that while simultaneously enjoying a well-earned escape? In every story, my readers know they’re going to fall in love with my characters and that, somehow, I’ll have them cheering for the most unlikely of heroes.

Stories that delve into mortality and the tension between living and surviving are as relevant as can be in these uncertain times. I believe we desperately need to face our fears — and to find hope in doing so. I’m proud to say that my fans find that hope — and laughter and joy and love — in my works.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the key lessons I’ve had to unlearn is the false belief that other people won’t enjoy the things that delight me. Quite simply, it’s not true. It’s never been true. But when you are bullied the entire way through elementary school and high school, you grow up believing that if you like something, it can’t be cool. Because you’re not cool — if you were, surely you wouldn’t be getting beaten up in the washroom — therefore the stories you like also have to be uncool. Right? Wrong. Growing up as a shy kid who drew characters and told stories means you know more about storytelling than the rest — not less.

Learning to take these stories that I held so tightly against my chest — doing what I could to keep them safe from harm — and then letting them out into the world? Being brave enough to stand up and say, “I love this story and you will, too,” has been a journey. Those ‘lessons’ we take to heart as children are the hardest to unpack, the most tenacious of vines that we have to unravel from the inner-workings of our minds. It’s been a tremendous amount of work to unlearn that false belief — and immensely validating to put my stories into the world and have it confirmed that, yes, these speak to people. Yes, I know what people enjoy. And yes, if I love it, then other people are absolutely going to love it, too.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

In every business there are sales “rules” that appear ironclad. Breaking them is… ill advised, to say the least. In writing and publishing, one such rule is: don’t give away the story before you publish it. Well, I did. And it worked brilliantly.

It was the depths of covid and I couldn’t write the book I was supposed to be writing. The only thing my brain wanted to do was create this zombie story that had been nagging the edges of my mind for a few years. But how could I possibly justify shifting my entire focus to that story, when I should be finishing my five-book urban romantasy series? My solution? Make it a newsletter serial. Every two weeks I could churn out one or two chapters in this zombie experiment, and the rest of the time I’d focus on finishing my series. Not only did it work — it gave my creative muse the outlet she demanded — but my newsletter subscribers adored it. To my surprise, they were completely hooked. Responding to every chapter with comments, exclamations, and excitement. When it was finally done, I was certain no one would buy it — because that was ‘The Rule’, I’d given the book away. The odds were so stacked against me, that surely I’d only see a handful of sales. I have never been happier to be wrong! All those people bought a copy — then they convinced friends, family, acquaintances and strangers at dog parks to do the same. To date, it’s my best selling series and the one most talked about by my fans.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.djholmes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dee_j_holmes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DJHolmesAuthor
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deana-holmes-80740769/