Literary Agent: LBA.
Jane Holland is an award-winning poet and #1 bestselling novelist with dozens of published novels since 1999, plus numerous novellas and short stories, under this name and others. ‘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, and KEEP ME CLOSE. See her Amazon Author Page for details.
A brand-new pseudonym for WWII sagas, Betty Walker, launches with the publication of WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS, followed by CHRISTMAS WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS (Avon Books, both 2021).
Also, for dog-lovers, she is Hannah Coates: BERTIE’S GIFT (Hodder).
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.
For enquiries about these, or to option any of her books, please contact her agent at LBA.
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.
Jane Holland Thrillers 