Nicholas Holloway is an award-winning mystery thriller author based in Austin, proudly serving as TCK Publishing’s Fiction Editor.
Born and raised just outside Palm Springs, CA, Nick earned his masters degree from the MFA Screenwriting Program at California State University Fullerton.
He’s passionate about helping authors develop a strong sense of character and voice. He believes that any story’s plot can be explosive, but without a cast of memorably distinctive characters and a specific voice that readers can attribute to the author, the story quickly loses traction.
An avid traveler and nature enthusiast, Nick has previously lived in New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. He garners a love of dynamic landscapes and also believes a story’s terrain is just as important as its characters.
Favorite Books: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Favorite Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Favorite Time to Write: Being fairly nocturnal, my favorite time to write is between the hours of 9 PM – Midnight. I write mystery and thriller fiction, so nighttime and darkness help me to fully immerse in the dread and the danger associated with those genres.
Favorite Genre(s): Mystery/Thriller/Suspense, Literary Fiction
Writing Pet Peeve: I don’t like long, run-on sentences. I like “tight and toned” writing, with each thought or action serving as its own entity. Keep it tight!
Also, I can’t stand boring narratives that don’t possess a distinctive voice. Stephen King invents words, purposely misuses spelling and grammar, and speaks directly to the reader; get creative with the voice of your story. Don’t be afraid to say “gonna” or “ain’t”.
Favorite Hobbies: Pretty much anything that gets me out in nature: hiking, kayaking, SUPing (stand up paddle boarding), geocaching, bouldering, and chucking a ball to my doggo, Harvey.
Favorite Place: New Zealand, specifically the South Island.
