A smiling woman with gray hair, wearing earrings, a purple shirt, and standing outdoors near a tree with blurred green and yellow background.

I’ve begun a new novel set in 2014 in Ripplewood, a fictional town in Sonoma County, California. It begins with university student Emlyn Grady rushing home from San Francisco because someone dear to her has gone missing.

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  • "If you haven't yet enjoyed Laura McHale Holland's writing, start now! In my world, Holland is the most creative writer I know."

    — Skye Blaine, author of Unleashed, Must Like Dogs and Born to Love

  • "Richly written, full of magical realism and deeply atmospheric, The Kiminee Dream is as much a love letter to the interconnected lives of small town residents as it is a testament to how inexplicably linked our lives are, no matter how far removed."

    — Kristin Fields, Author of A Lily in the Light

  • "I thought I would take my time and just read a little at a time. Nope, each of Aunt Truly's Tales was so fun; I powered through the entire book in one sitting!"

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  • "I was hooked on this story from the first page and carried along to the end by a fast-paced plot, believable, dynamic characters, and vivid sensory details."

    — Kathleen Pooler, author of Ever Faithful to his Lead

  • "Reversible Skirt is the tender telling of a odyssey through an abusive childhood. The voice is honest. I feel as if I've known her all my life."

    — Harry Reid, author of The Connected

  • "This book is for writers who want to see the craft at its best and for readers who want to be titillated and thoroughly amazed. I know I was."

    — Linda Loveland Reid, author of Touch of Magenta and Something in Stone

  • "Reversible Skirt is the tender telling of a odyssey through an abusive childhood. The voice is honest. I feel as if I've known her all my life."

    — Harry Reid, author of The Connected

  • "The Kiminee Dream remains a deeply poetic and riveting novel, full of family secrets and the complex relationships right underneath the cheery façade of American normalcy."

    — Royal Young for Indie Reader

  • "Aunt Truly's Tales is such a wonderful escape from the stress of life. And the illustrations are absolutely beautiful with an old-world feel, yet timeless. This is the kind of book to curl up with and savor the magical moments."

    — Tanya Savko, author of Slip and Enough to Go Around

  • "If you love stories of perseverance and survival, if you love books that celebrate the human spirit, if you love books whose words bring the characters to life, you must read Reversible Skirt."

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  • "I haven't got a clue how the author gets to these mysterious locales, but she has surprises in store for me when I get there, and it's always a fascinating ride."

    — Barbara Toboni, author of Light the Way and The Bunny Poets

  • "Magical yet grounded, Laura McHale's flash fiction packs a gratifying punch."

    — Olivia Boler, author of The Flower Bowl Spell

  • "The author is an extraordinary storyteller. The slow-building of the story, the twists in the path, and how it all ties together in unexpected ways at the end make The Kiminee Dream one of the best books I've read in a while."

    — Gina R. Mitchell, iReadBook Tours

Work in progress

I’ve begun writing a new magical realism novel set in 2014 in Ripplewood, a fictional town in Sonoma County, California:

Emlyn Grady braked her biodiesel-powered Jeep Liberty, turned off of Fort Ross Road and, for the first time since she'd rushed outside with her pullover on backwards and straw hat slapped on to hide a tangle of unbrushed hair, she smiled. The Ripplewood sign was gone again….

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Thank you, Literary Titan!
Thank you, Literary Titan!

Laura McHale Holland writes San Francisco with such affection that I could almost smell the mix of diesel, ocean air, and bakery sweets, especially when the scent of those famous Star Bakery scones with their butterscotch maple glaze drifts up the hill.

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The Gift
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In December winter was new. We hadn't yet faced January's mercury hovering mercilessly near zero, February's dark, brutal nights closing in forever, or the gray slush of March slopping at roadsides.

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The Red Sweater
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What I remember most about that night is driving up a winding dirt road so devoid of light it seemed as though I’d crossed into an alternate universe at the last turn.

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