Award-winning writer Jane Holland has published over 78 novels under various pseudonyms, including: Jane Holland (thrillers, historical suspense); Betty Walker (WW II sagas ‘The Cornish Girls’); Beth Good (romance); and Victoria Lamb and Elizabeth Moss (historicals).
Her latest page-turning mysteries as Jane Holland are THE SPIRITUALIST’S DAUGHTER, SECRETS OF SYCAMORE HALL, and THE BRITTANY TREE.
She lives in Cornwall, England with two cats and a large family.
‘There’s no such thing as writer’s block,’ is her motto.
The middle child of romance legend Charlotte Lamb, Jane grew up in Essex and later the Isle of Man before returning to the British mainland. She read English at Oxford, but left early to concentrate on her developing career as a writer.
Poetry
Jane has published six collections of poetry, winning a major Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors. A former Warwick Poet Laureate, she was the editor of poetry magazine Blade from 1995-99, and arts journal Horizon Review 2008-10. For an overview of her work FLASH BANG: NEW & SELECTED POEMS is available from Amazon.
Fiction
Since her debut novel, KISSING THE PINK (Sceptre, 1999), set in the controversial world of women’s professional snooker, her commercial fiction has been published variously under the names Jane Holland (thrillers), Betty Walker (WWII sagas) Victoria Lamb (historicals/YA), Elizabeth Moss (historical romance), Beth Good (contemporary romance) and Hannah Coates (feel-good fiction) – among others! – and translated into numerous languages. She writes mainly in the following genres: psychological thrillers, historical fiction, historical romance, contemporary romcoms, and feel-good fiction.
Her novel WITCHSTRUCK won the RNA Young Adult Romantic Novel of the Year in 2013, and she is also the author of 21 WAYS TO WRITE A COMMERCIAL NOVEL.
GIRL NUMBER ONE is her bestselling debut thriller. It reached No. 1 in the UK Kindle chart in December 2015, and was later acquired by Thomas & Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing.
Subsequent thrillers are LOCK THE DOOR
FORGET HER NAME
ALL YOUR SECRETS
DEAD SIS
THE HIVE
UNDER AN EVIL STAR
THE TENTH HOUSE MURDERS
THE PART OF DEATH
MURDER BY MERCURY
THE CARER
THE SILVER RING
SECRETS OF SYCAMORE HALL
THE SPIRITUALIST’S DAUGHTER
THE BRITTANY TREE
THE BLACKWOOD GIRL
and many others. [See her Amazon Author Page for more details.]
Under her pseudonym for WWII sagas, Betty Walker, she has written a 9-book wartime saga series set in Cornwall, starting with WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS, followed by CHRISTMAS WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS (Avon Books, both 2021). The 9th book, THE CORNISH GIRLS BEFORE THE STORM, is a prequel set in 1939. Her newest saga is THE CORNISH SISTERS, a brand-new heartbreaking wartime saga series starting in 1940.
She also writes romances as Beth Good, including THE PARIS TRIP, WINTER WITHOUT YOU, ALL SUMMER WITH YOU, A VERY CORNISH CHRISTMAS, PURELY YOURS, THE CORNISH COLOURING BOOK CLUB, the 12-book Oddest Little Shop romcom series, and the lovely 7-book Wishing Well Cottage romance series.
Screenwriting
Jane has attended London Screenwriters’ Festival, plus numerous screenwriting and play writing courses, including several week-long Arvon courses tutored by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire), Simon Armitage (Poet Laureate and playwright), Amy Rosenthal (playwright) and Al Smith (playwight), and has been an attendee at Robert McKee’s industry essential 3-day STORY seminar. She has a number of screenplays in progress, mainly for television, and is also now writing audio drama.
Life
Nomadic by nature, Jane Holland currently resides in Cornwall with her husband and young family, and is a keen home schooler.
In a previous incarnation, she was a professional snooker player and reached No. 24 in the women’s world rankings – before being banned for life, for bringing the game into disrepute. Wacky, but true.
