GET TO KNOW LAURA HOLIAN
Biography
Born and raised in South Texas, Laura Holian had the unique privilege of growing up in an area rich with the convergence of two cultures. Surrounded by a family of teachers, Laura developed a love of learning and a passion for reading. But the greatest lesson she ever learned came from her mother who taught her the value of an education, “It’s something that no one can ever take from you.”
As a child, one of her fondest memories was when her aunt, who was a librarian, would come home with a tote full of books for her. As a teenager, Laura would raid her sister’s closet for more books to read. In high school, she was fortunate enough to have an eccentric teacher, Sir Novo, who introduced the class to the joys and challenges of creative writing. His enthusiasm for learning, writing and life was contagious. His teachings encouraged her to stretch beyond the hum drum book reports and delve into the heart of a story. Encouraged to excel in school, Laura graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University. After graduation, she worked as a cost analyst for over ten years before resigning her position to stay home and raise her children.
Moving from Texas to Colorado and most recently Florida, Laura uses social media to connect with her friends, sharing amusing posts of life with her family. Their positive feedback inspired her to continue writing. She hopes that through her writing journey, her children will be encouraged to venture out, try new things and keep reaching for those stars.
I STILL WANTED TO BE A WRITER
Rummaging through an old box containing mementos of my youth, I found a third-grade project I did. It was a little handmade book with a green cardboard cover. The assignment had been for me to rewrite a story, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, and illustrate it. Even though a part of me wanted to write my own story, I remember being eight and being so excited about the project. We got to have our name on the cover, we learned about publishing companies and even wrote our own biography at the end of the book. As I sat on the carpet, surrounded by my old memories, and read my little hand drawn book, I wondered why I had never pursued writing.
People always ask kids what they want to be when they grow up...firefighter, dancer, astronaut, but then you go through life and become something else entirely. Maybe it was something you sought or maybe you just rode the wave and that’s where it took you. But that moment, sitting by my bed, I realized I still wanted to be a writer. I was blessed to have had a career. Then I was blessed with my husband and kids. I wanted my kids to grow up doing something they loved. And what better way to have them follow their dreams than to have them share my journey and hopefully, see that anything is possible.
