Where Are They Now: Arlene Holland

We recently caught up with retired jail administrator and author Arlene Holland, who we first featured in Spring 2019 Connections.

Story by Rebecca L. Bennett

When we first met Erath County retiree and author Arlene Holland, the retired jail administrator had already penned and published her debut — a faith-based crime novel titled Sunshower.

Since then, she has published two more books: Moonbow (the sequel to Sunshower) and Firefly Bridge, a standalone, coming-of-age novel for young adult readers. “I wanted to try writing a different genre and spread my wings a little,” Arlene said of Firefly Bridge. “I found out writing for today’s youth was harder than I anticipated with all the technology, texting and social media available. It’s very different from when I was a teenager!”

After publishing Firefly Bridge, Arlene hit a wall. “I lost interest in writing for a couple years,” she says. “I’ve learned that I can’t force a story. I’ve got to be patient when I have writer’s block.”

Exercising patience meant focusing on other priorities for a time, like gardening and spending time with her husband, Jay, and their grandchildren. She also undertook a fitness challenge to walk 1,000 miles in 2025. “I need to get in my daily miles in order to not fall behind,” she says. “I feel pretty confident I’ll succeed!”

Now Arlene says she is reinspired and working on her fourth novel — a third installment in the Sunshower series that follows her original protagonists’ adult kids. “I decided I had at least one more book I needed to write.”

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