author Holly J. Wood

By Layla Wood 6th grade student at MGMS

Holly J. Wood didn’t always plan on being an author. Growing up she loved to read, and had English teachers who encouraged her writing, but she never considered becoming a writer until her late twenties.

Wood writes young adult fiction and sweet romance. She wrote her first book Invaluable in 2009, and it was published by Deseret Book in 2011. Since then, she has written four books and one novella under the name Holly J. Wood, and 17 books and one novella under the pen name Holly Stevenson.

Wood gets inspiration for her stories from lots of different things: dreams, songs, an overheard conversation, or a thought that comes to her mind. “There are story ideas everywhere, once you start looking,” she said.

Wood attended Viewmont High School and then Rick’s College where she studied Public Health. She transferred to Brigham Young University, including a semester at BYU Jerusalem. She took a break from school to become a flight attendant and “life kept happening,” but she’s planning to finish her degree through BYU Pathways this fall.

Wood and her husband Steve have four children: Trevor, 16; Lucy, 13;

Layla, 11; and Tyler, 8. They have lived in Mountain Green for 13 years. Her advice to aspiring writers is,

“If you want to be a good writer, be a good reader. Nothing will improve your writing quite like reading can. I’m also a big proponent of writing consistently. A lot of people talk about wanting to write a book, but they’re reluctant to get started. The writing doesn’t have to