| Sarah Holland | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sarah Holland November 1961 (age 50) Folkestone, Kent, England |
| Pen name | Sarah Holland, Abby Rhode |
| Occupation | Writer, actress, singer |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1982 – Ongoing |
| Relative(s) | Sheila Holland (mother), Richard Holland (father) [3] Jane Holland (sister) |
Sarah Holland (born November 1961 at Folkestone, Kent, England) is a writer, actress and singer best known for her 22 romantic novels for Harlequin which have been published in over 130 countries, selling millions of copies worldwide. She has also written for television, newspapers and the screen as well as appearing in films; most notably the award winning Texan movie Artois the Goat (2009). Holland wrote her first book, Too Hot To Handle at 18, and became one of the youngest romantic novelists in history when it was published in 1982.
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Holland was born on November 1961 at Folkestone, Kent, England. The daughter of Sheila Coates Holland (best-selling novelist Charlotte Lamb) and classical biographer, ex-Times journalist Richard Holland, she has two sisters; poet Jane Holland and artist Charlotte Holland, and two brothers Michael Holland and David Holland; both musicians. [4] [5]
Holland suffered epilepsy briefly in her teens and had to leave Wanstead High School, London with a handful of O levels at sixteen. Subsequently educated at home by her parents, who owned a private library of over 50,000 books, she moved to the Isle of Man with them in 1978 and, in 1980, began training to write at her mother's side.
Holland has travelled extensively, writing and researching in 56 countries and 5 continents, many of which feature in her books. She has lived in England, the Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Australia, Holland, France and the United States (Texas and San Francisco).
Because of the speed of her writing and the success of her books, Holland was nicknamed Mouton Cadet, a wordplay on Lamb's Daughter, by publishing brothers Alan Boon and John Boon, who then ran Mills & Boon. This industry nickname was later reported in the non-fiction book The Merchants of Venus: Inside Harlequin and the Empire of Romance by Paul Grescoe (1998). Holland was living in San Angelo, Texas in April 2008 when the FLDS Mormon-splinter sect case shot to international prominence and, as a Contributing Journalist, wrote about it for the San Angelo Standard-Times sparking a news debate as well as giving interviews to Texan news agencies including San Angelo Live. In late 2008, Holland moved to London, England where she worked as Publication Director for a national celebrity magazine empire for 2 years. [6] [7] In June 2011, she was appointed Editor-in-Chief of La Creme Magazine. [8]
Holland is also an actress and singer and many of her books reflect this. The heroines of Bluebeard's Bride (1985), Adult Love (1991) and Desert Destiny (1991) are all singers and the books have music business backgrounds. The Devil's Mistress (1982), Forbidden Passion (1991) and Blue Fire (1994) are all set in the film industry with both movie star heroes and heroines. The hero of Too Hot To Handle (1982) is a pop star; the hero of Red Hot Lover (1998) is a movie star.
In 1995, Holland studied screen writing at the Robert McKee Story Structure Course in London and was invited to write a 6 minute teleplay for Island of Dreams, part of the Granada Television series, Being There. Island of Dreams was nominated for Best Documentary of 1996 by The Royal Television Society (Northern) and sold to over 13 countries. In 1999, Holland wrote a film screenplay, Abuse Of A Dominant Position for Iron Pictures, Manchester Ltd.
At 20, Holland enrolled at the London E15 Acting School and embarked on an acting career which has included film, television and 4 years in leading roles in theatre. She performed Shakespeare for BBC 2's Bard On The Box series (1994) and won the supporting actress role opposite Hollywood superstar Jack Palance in Treasure Island (1999 film) directed by Peter Rowe; also starring Patrick Bergin and Kevin Ziegers. Her Equity registered stage name is Abigail Rhode (Abby Rhode). She has appeared in a number of films through the Isle of Man Film Commission. In 2008, Holland played French author Eva Verrane in the award winning film Artois The Goat, which she also narrated; it was directed by Cliff and Kyle Bogart and shot in Austin, Texas for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival with the world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival 2009 at Austin, Texas. Artois the Goat gained a string of nominations and awards at international film festivals in 2009/10.[1][2]
Holland is also a professional singer with over 20 years experience. She has performed blues, jazz and pop all over London and the Isle of Man.
Holland has been the subject of three television documentaries. In 1982, BBC1's Nationwide made a 10 minute programme about her: – Young Writer At Drama School. In 1993, BBC 2 filmed Sarah Holland and Charlotte Lamb for the 50 minute documentary Paradise Road directed by Phillipa Lowthorpe. In 1996, a 30 minute documentary was made about Sarah Holland and Charlotte Lamb; Island of Dreams, Granada Television.