Interview by Sharon Swathi Gaddala
DANIELLE HOLIAN
Danielle Holian is an Irish writer and photographer, born in the West of Ireland. She studied media in college, moving on to flourish her creativity through art. She continues her passion for words through her media work, documenting her interests and amusements as she captures moments she relives through her art.
With her journalism and photography work, she’s covered music festivals and worked with some of the hottest acts to date such as The Clockworks, FINNEAS, Hudson Taylor, Logan J Parker, and Kodaline, to name a few. Over the years, she has been published in The ModernRetro Magazine, Unclear Magazine, and Goss.ie, as well as appearing on the band's websites. Most recently she has worked on the Pure M Magazine team for Galway International Arts Festival 2019.
With her poetry, she's been featured in the Poets Speak Magazine, Ambient Heights: A Collective Anthology, World On Trial: The Earth's Grand Vengeance, AND Misplaced Devotion: Works About Love. She released her debut book, Beautifully Chaotic, in 2019. And her second book, The Dilemma, in 2020.
In 2020, she became more involved in digital creation leading her to work with brands close to her heart, focusing on her photography skills and social media presence. Still keeping up with music journalism, she has ventured in music public relations working with up-and-coming stars.
Sharon - Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Author Danielle Holian - A relationship.
Sharon - Tell us more about your book?
Author Danielle Holian -This book sees a journey from the beginning to the end of a relationship showing the loving, the breaking, and the healing side of what I went through that I know will resonate with many.
Sharon - What Genre is your book and why did you make that choice?
Author Danielle Holian - Poetry - I find I’m able to express myself through poetry form much better than short stories, song material, or art.
Sharon - How long did it take for you to complete this book?
Author Danielle Holian - I wrote the manuscript in 2017, and released it in 2020 when I felt I was ready to almost let go of this story.
Sharon - What was the hardest part while writing this book?
Author Danielle Holian - It’s written over three parts - the loving, the breaking, the healing - so I think writing about the breakup and the aftermath was the hardest part of writing this book. And maybe revisiting it all once it was completed to see what I experienced.
Sharon - How did you come up with the Title of this book?
Author Danielle Holian - During this relationship I was torn between loving this person and knowing I deserved better, in-turn ‘The Dilemma’ seemed like the perfect title, as well as being a poem in the book.
Sharon - Did you design your book cover or hire a professional?
Author Danielle Holian - I designed the book myself, while my sister Britney did the front cover photography.
Sharon - Did you self-Publish or use a publisher? Who was the publisher and how much time did they take to publish your book?
Author Danielle Holian - I self-published The Dilemma - I felt I wanted to own 100% of my work and have control over my story and how I wanted the process to work, etc. As I mentioned, I wrote it in 2017 and finished it quite quickly, and published it in 2020 once I knew I was ready to release it.
Sharon - How did you celebrate after you completed your book?
Author Danielle Holian - I released The Dilemma during the global pandemic of COVID-19, so any plans I had couldn’t happen - what I then did was do an Instagram live and virtually celebrated with my followers.
Sharon - How do you deal with negative reviews on your book review?
Author Danielle Holian - I take every review on board, but don’t let it dictate my art moving forward.
Sharon - When did you start writing?
Author Danielle Holian - I’ve written for as long as I can remember - but I started taking writing seriously when I was in my teens mostly as a release, but once I wanted to see where I could take my writing I was in my late teens with a passion for every medium of writing like poetry, songwriting, journalism.
Sharon - How many books have you written?
Author Danielle Holian - I have written two books - Beautifully Chaotic, and The Dilemma - and am currently working on my third book which will be out this fall.
Sharon - Who is your favourite Author and why?
Author Danielle Holian - At the moment I would say Olivia Gatwood, Lauren Eden, Zoe Miller, Louise O’Neill, and Isabel Rocio - I resonate with these authors who have similar stories to mine which inspire me to keep being creative and giving voice to my story.
Sharon - Can you tell us exclusively about your next book or projects around writing?
Author Danielle Holian - Yes, I’m still writing the manuscript so I don’t have much more to stay in current time other than it will be out this fall - stay tuned!
Sharon - What advice would you give to a writer, for their first book?
Author Danielle Holian - Write for you. Create for you. Do it all for you. Don’t give up, especially when other’s opinions are trying to overwhelm you.
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To Follow the Author
FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/missdanielleholian
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/danielleholian_/
TWITTER
https://twitter.com/danielleholian_
SELF- WEBSITE https://danielleholian.wixsite.com/danielleholian
LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-holian-56a138124/
TUMBLR - https://missdanielleholian.tumblr.com/