Many writers identify as introverts and seek comfort in books and the solitary act of writing. Chris Holmes started out that way until she became involved in a successful and supportive critique group. Chris utilized her new group while writing and polishing up a wonderfully unique storyline that became the book Light a Candle, Chase the Devil Away. It won Gold for Blended Genre in the 2019 Royal Palm Literary Awards. Chris talks bravery, developing a different twist, and the importance of grammar on this week’s RPLA showcase.
Chris’s Writing Journey
Writing has always been a friend I could rely on. As an introvert, I found it easier to write a letter rather than speak my heart, to keep a dream diary, to write angsty teenage poems in a private journal and to score A’s during my school years as long as I could write an essay. Unfortunately, algebra didn’t require essays.
I wrote my first “novel” at age eight while on a family trip from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Bored with coloring in the back seat I begged for writing materials from my mom. She handed me a pencil and a small notepad from her purse. In tiny writing, I filled all the pages with a story about a governess arriving at an old Victorian mansion and falling in love with the man of the house—who happened to be a vampire.
My mother also encouraged me to read. I grew up in a small apartment with bookshelves on every wall and stacks of books on every table. On rainy days or quiet nights, I read everything from Shakespeare to National Geographic magazines to Heloise’s Housekeeping tips. My love of classic horror stories soon led me to Dark Shadows, a low-budget 1970’s soap opera, and later on to books by H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King and Anne Rice.
My first love was always art, and I have worked in advertising as a graphic designer for the past thirty-seven years. Writing was always involved, whether in composing ad copy or writing magazine articles and production reports.
Eight years ago, I discovered the Daytona Writers group. I was hooked from my very first meeting. With the group’s support and encouragement, I decided to try writing a full-length fiction novel. After much critiquing, rewriting and editing, the result is Light A Candle, Chase the Devil Away.
The Winning Entry, Light a Candle, Chase the Devil Away 
Logline: An aspiring horror author signs a contract with a promotional agency with a reputation for skyrocketing clients to fame and fortune—if they don’t die in the process.
The most difficult part of writing a horror story is it seemed everything had been done before. The idea of the struggle between good and evil intrigued me. In Light A Candle, I created an average guy with a dream who stumbles unknowingly into a contract with the devil. To put a different twist on things, I imagined how the devil might use modern promotional events and technology to achieve his nefarious goals. And rather than just taking the protagonist’s soul, the devil plans to use his victims as hosts for a myriad of evil souls to possess and maximize his chaotic influence on humanity.
Characters are important to me. I’m not drawn into a book or a movie if I don’t feel an emotional connection to the characters—good or bad—so I strive to create characters that readers want to root for, or hate. I don’t care for unnecessary gore or bloodshed. I believe horror can be many things in many forms, and I only use violence when it’s necessary to the story.
The spark for Light A Candle actually came from a song. It’s about a man who has a monster hiding under his bed and at the same time, an angel placing her hand on his head. That figurative line epitomized the inner conflict of good and evil to me. The visuals grew from there, and I saw each scene playing like a movie in my mind.
Winning first place for a published, blended genre book in the RPLA was a huge surprise and a great honor. The win validated me as a writer and motivates me to keep writing stories. To paraphrase Sally Field, ‘they liked it, they really liked it’! It’s both a sobering and exhilarating feeling.
“Dear Me,” (Advice to My Younger Writing Self)
If I could travel back in time, I would tell my new fiction-writing self these three tips.
Number one: Don’t hold back. When I first attended my critique group, I worried what people would think of my stories—and of me. Would they think I was weird for writing horror stores? Would they wonder if I was writing about myself? In the beginning, I would edit out any words or phrases I thought people might find objectionable or strange. The result was a bland, non-emotional story. The critiques I received were also rather bland. As my comfort level with the group grew, so did my confidence. Imaginative and emotional writing is what drew the most reactions, and to my surprise and relief, they were good reactions. I learned that writers are some of the most open-minded and non-judgmental folks around. And even if they do think I’m a little weird, I’m okay with that now.
Number two: I wish I had found my critique group sooner. I had no idea such groups existed. I have learned so much from the members, both by receiving their critiques of my work and by reading and critiquing their work. I now read genres I never would have read before. Each meeting leaves me feeling energized, and I leave eager to write more or research information we discussed at the meeting to improve my skills. Being around other writers and taking the risk to have them read your work and offer supportive suggestions is an incredibly valuable experience.
Number three: I would tell myself to take an English grammar course! I received A‘s in English throughout my school years, but that was a very long time ago. I’ve forgotten a lot. Working in advertising, we routinely mangle grammar and remove punctuation because “it’s too long or doesn’t look good visually.” Those bad habits linger. I also believe many of us write how we speak and my years of Jersey slang invade my vocabulary. After editing and correcting a 130,000 word novel—several times—I understand how crucial it is to use proper grammar and punctuation skills. Words are how we build stories and getting the words on paper correctly is a must.
Other Works by Chris
I have published two novels and one novelette. Inky, Nice Neighborhood. Bad Cat. is a novelette available in ebook only. It’s about a quiet Florida cul-de-sac invaded by a horde of feral cats. They are led by a strange, possibly murderous, cat named Inky. One man decides to take a stand against Inky and his destructive gang. It doesn’t work out quite as he planned.
Light A Candle, Chase The Devil Away is my first full length published novel. (Paranormalice Press, LLC) A blend of horror and urban fantasy, it pits a young man against the devil himself. A supporting cast of characters include his fearless Italian grandmother and a best-selling horror writer possessed by demons.
My second novel, Vamped, The Turning was published at the end of 2019 by Paranormalice Press, LLC. Also a blend of horror and urban fantasy, this story is told by Tim, a socially inept, IT technician who yearns to become a sexy, powerful vampire. His journey to achieve his goal is humorous, heart-breaking and at times life-threatening. It’s a “be careful what you wish for” story with romance, vampires and yes, some blood.
A third novel, Veil of Thorns is currently in the editing process. A female landscaper and her male co-worker unearth an ancient chained coffin while excavating a hole to install a pool. When the chains are removed, they release a powerful witch driven by a fierce vengeance to destroy the descendants of the men who buried her alive. While attempting to solve the mystery, a cast of unusual characters are brought together and forced to reveal hidden secrets of their own. Harley, the German Shepherd, is a favorite supporting character.
I am currently working on a new novel, working title, Soul Desire. It follows protagonist Kat’s coming of age journey in the turbulent 1970s through1980s. While not a horror story, it does have ghosts who play a prominent role in her life.
All of my books are available on Amazon.com
Stay Connected with this Author
Please visit my author page on Amazon.com/author/holmesc and my publisher’s site: http://paranormalice.fictionandart.com/index.html
More about RPLA
The Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in members’ published and unpublished works while providing objective and constructive written assessments for all entrants. Judges include literary agents, publishers, film producers, current or retired professors, teachers, librarians, editors, bestselling and award-winning authors, and journalists from across the nation. Entries are scored against the criteria set by RPLA using rubrics tailored to each genre. Winners are announced at the annual FWA conference during the RPLA awards banquet. To learn more about RPLA, click here for the guidelines.
