Bervie native, best-selling author Steena Holmes coming home for book-signing
Best-selling author Steena Holmes (right) is coming home to do her first book-signing in Kincardine.
The daughter of Doug and Leona Jack, she grew up in Bervie and now lives in Calgary, Alberta.
“I am so looking forward to coming home,” said Holmes, “even for a short visit.
“I left Bervie when I was 18 to attend Bible College, and moved back when my children were small before we moved to Calgary 13 years ago. I attended Kincardine District Secondary School and then went to Peterborough for a Bachelor's Degree in Theology.”
Holmes and her husband have three teenage daughters and have been married for 21 years.
“I started writing in 2005 when my husband challenged me to enter a contest,” said Holmes. “I wrote an inspirational romance and won. That’s what really started this journey. I began writing full-time in 2010 when I would write while my kids were asleep, during my lunches at work, etc. I was able to quit my full-time job in 2011 and write full-time.”
She has 30 published titles, and has sold more than two-million copies of her books. Her novels have been translated into seven different languages and she has hit both the New York Times and USA Today best-selling lists.
“My break-out novel was 'Finding Emma' in 2011,” said Holmes. “Before that, I’d worked with some small presses for romance novellas. I’d spent two years trying to land an agent and publisher for 'Finding Emma,' my first women’s fiction novel, before I decided to self-publish it.
“That first month, I sold 10,000 copies - just blew me away! Three months later, I hit No. 3 on Amazon and all of a sudden, I had editors and agents contacting me. It was so surreal. It’s still surreal.
“To be able to live my dream, to pursue my passion and be successful at it - this really wasn’t something I ever thought I could do. I’m a small-town girl who grew up in the country. Who would have thought I’d sell more than two-million copies, be on the New York Times list and USA Today, and have my books translated into seven different languages? It’s honestly a dream come true!”
Her most recent book, “The Forgotten Ones,” was released May 1, and Kincardine is her first stop in Ontario.
“So far, I've driven through Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia for my book tour,” said Holmes. “My goal is to introduce myself to Canadian readers since I'm a Canadian author. This will be my first book-signing in Kincardine and I’m so excited to come back ‘home’.”
“The Forgotten Ones” is set in Kincardine, as are several of her books.
“I’ve based a lot of my books in Kincardine or close to it,” said Holmes. “'Finding Emma' was set in Kincardine but I changed the name. 'Saving Abby' and 'Abby’s Journey' were also set in the area. 'The Forgotten Ones' is so close to my heart - it poured out of me during a difficult time in my family. My middle daughter was suicidal and had been in the hospital following an attempt. I think I was just pulled to place this story where my heart has always been. I have the story set not just in Kincardine, but I use the hospital as a main setting, the beach area, and even my old childhood home in Bervie!”
Holmes will be at Fincher's in downtown Kincardine, Saturday, Sept. 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for a book-signing of “The Forgotten Ones.”
She is currently working on edits for her next novel, “The Patients,” a psychological suspense/domestic suspense, which will be released late next spring.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
Related Stories
No related stories.