#89 Polly Holmes
Opportunities can sometimes come out of the blue, but when they hit, you need to grab onto them with both hands and jump on for the ride, no matter where it takes you. You only live once, right?
In early 2021, I saw a Facebook post (social media platform) from a fellow author about a project called “Writers on the Moon” and they were asking for Expressions of Interest from authors who would like to partake and send their books to the moon. I thought, how cool would it be to have my books sitting on the moon. Imagine, in years to come when I’m long gone, my books will still be sitting on the moon for future anthropologists to read. So, I entered and forgot about it. I received the email on 26th January to say I’d been selected and after confirming it was a legitimate offer, I accepted and was allotted number #89 of 125.
Most authors might go into detail here of what to books they submitted and why, and while I do mention my submissions, I decided I’d rather share my reasons why I write and what it has done for me since I became a published author. You’ll be able to find a list of all the books included in my payload at the end of my author bio below.
Life is too short to waste! We’ve all heard the saying, but do we really think about what it means? It hit home for me about three years ago, in 2017 when I watched my mother, from afar, fall deep into the horrid world of Dementia. I know she didn’t do all she wanted to, and it made me stop and think. Did I want to end up with life passing me by and having regrets? Short answer, no.
At the time I started writing, my life was on a downward spiral. I was working full-time and extremely long hours, I’d been in a loveless marriage for a while and the one person who has always been there for me, my mother was descending into the depths of dementia. To make matters worse, I lived in Perth Western Australia and she lived in Queensland, which is 4,000 kilometres away. At the time, I struggled to deal with my feelings. Anger and rage were bubbling inside, and I knew I had to talk to someone, but the mere thought had me breaking out in hives.
My sister, Tracey (Photo below- she is on the far right with the blue hair) suggested I write my feelings down, so I did, but I didn’t want anyone to read them. I wrote them down and realised maybe others were going through the same emotional rollercoaster I was and were also locking their feelings inside away from prying eyes. I thought if I disguised my emotions in part in my fictional characters, I could express myself and no one would know my characters and stories where my way of sharing my heartaches with the world.
As my knowledge of writing increased, I included more of my life experiences into my writing and stories. I wanted to show others that everyone has a story to be written, whether it’s through fiction or non-fiction, and there are people out there willing to listen.
I immersed myself in the world of writing and around the right people and P.L. Harris and Polly Holmes, my two writing pen names were born. For the past two-and-a-half years, I have been a successfully published multi-award-winning author and publisher. Under P.L. Harris I write both contemporary romance and romantic suspense. I have included a range of books from sweet romance to hot and steamy as well as a young adult suspense. As Polly Homes, I write cozy mysteries which usually has an amateur sleuth solve the mystery or murder before time runs out. I have included my Cupcake Capers Series as well and the first two books of my paranormal witch series called The Melting Pot Café Cozy Mystery Series.
Wanting to go further, I created Gumnut Press in 2018 to showcase Australian talent within the industry. To give others a chance to follow their dream of being a published author. A small press dedicated to finding and nurturing raw talent. I have found some amazing Australian authors and since 2018, I have published the following, all of which are included in my payload.
A Nose for Trouble by D.D. Line, Ghosts of Grace Cottage and Purr-Fect Pitch by Carolyn Wren, The Dog Next Door by Tabetha Rogers-Beggs, Paw Prints of Love Anthology – Lisa Knight, Fiona Greene, Helen Walton, Teena Raffa, Leah Kinninmont, Susan Dunn, Jenny Lynch, Lisa Wolstenholme, Carolyn Wren and P.L. Harris.
Negativity will kill any dream and I realised I very much wanted to be a published author and to share this with people was extremely hard. I received a lot of ridicule and negativity because I was challenging the norm of my life and trying to step out of my comfort zone. I was letting negative people choose my life path for me rather than withdrawing myself from the negative influences and crafting my own journey. My lack of belief in myself and my abilities lead to many hours, days, and months of procrastination. Something that, if it grabs hold of you, can shatter your dreams.
This is where my support system kicked in. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by some very special people in my life. I’ve included the following photos of my family and friends, those I hold dear to my heart and my biggest supporters of my writing and publishing.
Three important friends in my life
The sky’s the limit, as they say. There is no telling where my journey will end, however, I know it is far from the final curtain call. My future is yet to be written.
You’ll find my author bio below. Thank you for taking the time to read about me and the inspiration behind the evolution of Polly Holmes and P.L. Harris.
Peta Flanigan
(AKA P.L. Harris and Polly Holmes)
Perth, Western Australia
Polly Holmes and P.L. Harris Author Bio 2021
Polly Holmes is the multi award-winning cheeky, sassy alter ego of Amazon best-selling author, P.L. Harris. When she’s not writing her next romantic suspense novel as P.L. Harris, she is planning the next murder in one of Polly’s cozy mysteries.
According to Polly, the best part about writing cozy mysteries is researching. Finding the best way to hook the reader, a great way to murder someone, a plethora of suspects and of course a good dose of sweet treats thrown in for good measure.
Her books are rich in storyline and location with characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of Australia and America, Peter Cowan Writers Centre, Making Magic Happen Academy and has a Certificate in Romance Writing. She has published stories with Serenity Press, Blue Swan Publishing, Evernight Publishing and now publishes her books with Gumnut Press. Peta is proud to have received silver in the 2020 ROAR! Business Awards in the Best Blogger/Writer/Author category.
As P.L. Harris, her books have been finalists in the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America’s 2017 IDA International Digital Awards, the Virginia Romance Writers of America’s 2017 Fools of Love Contest, the Romance Writers of Australia 2019 Emerald Pro Award and a double finalist in the 2020 RWA Sapphire Award.
As Polly Holmes, Cupcakes and Corpses won 1st Place in the Oklahoma RWA’s 2019 IDA International Digital Awards, short suspense category. Cupcakes and Curses claimed second place, and Cupcakes and Cyanide gained third place, making it a clean sweep in the category.
She lives in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, with her Bichon Friese, Bella. When she’s not writing, you can find her sipping coffee in her favourite cafe, watching reruns of Murder, She Wrote or taking long walks along the beach soaking up the fresh salty air.
Websites: P.L. Harris – www.plharris.com.au
Polly Holmes – www.pollyholmesmysteries.com
Gumnut Press – www.gumnutpress.com
Social Media: Facebook – www.facebook.com/plharrisauthor
https://www.facebook.com/GumnutPress
https://www.Magic, Mystery, Romance: Reader Group of Polly Holmes & P.L. Harris | Facebook
Instagram – @ https://www.instagram.com/plharris_author/
Works copyright (c) 2017-2021 by Peta Flanigan or their respective copyright-holders.
All rights reserved. All works and covers reproduced by permission.