Meet Jean Holloway
Jean Holloway's debut novel Ace of Hearts started over 30 years ago in answer to a bet. Her sister, Lori said, "You read so much, I bet you could write a book" and Jean answered, "I bet I could." Her oldest memories are of reading. She let the words carry her away to places only her imagination could take her. Stephen King and Dean Koontz are her ultimate tour guides and honorable mentions go to Jean Auel and Agatha Christie. Jean sometimes felt more at home in their cleverly crafted worlds than in her own.
Life's Detours
Jean's biological mother died when she was thirteen, the age when puberty reared its ugly head. Needless to say, she was a wife and mother at seventeen and divorced at twenty. She later met her second, current, and final husband, Fred. They’ve been together over 46 years.
Pen to Paper
Accepting her sister's bet would prove more challenging than easily merging her love for reading great horror and mystery classics. In 1980, she wrote the first draft of Ace of Hearts longhand. Over the next two decades the manuscript matured with technology, going from long hand to typewriter to word processor and finally to computer in 2003.
Bet Accepted...Again
In 2004, Lori once again challenged Jean to introduce Ace of Hearts to the world. She pushed Jean to print several copies of her manuscript and she even paid for her attendance to the National Book Club Conference in Atlanta, GA. Not willing to say no to such a tempting challenge, Jean went and handed her manuscripts out in a room full of Zane fans and book clubs began talking! She met her soon-to-be publisher that weekend. Three months later, Jean signed a contract, went through the editing process yet again and "Ace of Hearts" was born!
Dream Deferred
Jean's sophomore novel, Black Jack was published July, 2009 and she just completed the third installment in her Deck of Cardz series. Deuces Wild was released on 10/10/10, her 60th birthday. The fourth and final (maybe not?) novel of the series Full House was released 11/22/11. Most importantly, Jean's story is one of hope and a testament to never giving up your dream.
She lives in Villa Rica, GA with her husband, Fred and their dog, Max, an Afghan. Their five grown children all live nearby. Together, they have been blessed with eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
In September, 2010, Jean became Managing Partner and In-House Managing Editor for PHE Ink Writing Solution Firm, her new publishing family. They published SUSPECT: A Confessional Anthology (their first) June 9, 2012 and followed it with DEADLY SINS: A Political Anthology.
She is no longer filling that role and has decided to concentrate on converting her novels to screenplays. She feels two of her greatest accomplishments: "Ace of Hearts" being nominated for Best Mystery against Walter Mosley's "The Tempest Tale" (Don't get too impressed. He beat me like a bad child) and the fact that the Texas Department of Justice declared "Ace of Hearts" and "Deuces Wild" contraband! Don't let the Gramma fool ya!
