I’ve put up a StoryOrigin review request for Secrets in the Blood. If you enjoy magical academies, institutional secrets, and morally complicated characters, I’d love to hear what you think.

#writingfantasy

There’s something endlessly intriguing about tarot decks. I keep one on my desk and use it like an alternative Rorschach — everyone always wants to look through it.

This year, The Hermit feels right: insight through solitude. That’s the energy I’m making room for.

Reminder to every creative person making anything.

Having hope and creating in the face of horror is rebellion too.

It's also one of the bravest things we can ever do.

Please remember that.

Oh... and that all art is innately political.

So Merriam-Webster did me dirty for 2026 and gave me the word mid.

Which… honestly feels fitting, since I frequently tell people I’m a pessimist who thinks he’s a realist.

It’s that special time of year: the time when my wife and I try to beat our reading goals for the year in a single week. One of the advantages of living with an introvert.

Anyone else doing a last-minute reading sprint?

The cat who died - but got better - is having his corrective surgery today to finish the work they started before he died (but got better).

I'm well into five digits for pet bills this year, so please RT a book from this long book thread.

One of the reasons I fell in love with fantasy as a kid was Bilbo Baggins. Even then, I knew I was a hobbit at heart—and Tolkien made me believe that even hobbits can go on adventures.

#Tolkien
#Fantasy

One of the biggest surprises while writing my book was realizing that one of the most supportive, kind-seeming characters had quietly become the antagonist.

I’m still not ready to call her the villain — and that’s part of why Galdur Academy: Secrets in the Blood means so much to me.

If you’re tired of fantasy that defaults to pseudo-medieval England, Throne of the Crescent Moon is such a breath of fresh air! I wish it was the first of a 10 book series.
What’s your favorite fantasy set outside the usual medieval-Europe mold?

“Fantasy books feel so empty lately.”

Not indie fantasy.

“Everyone’s just trying to rewrite ACOTAR.”

Not indie authors.

“No one’s writing anything new!”

Indie authors are.

In the Holliman household, the engine that drives fantasy writing is simple: cold Diet Dr Pepper, warm cats, and an AC blasting while I’m buried under blankets.

A small teaser from [Galdur Academy: Secrets in the Blood] (www.amazon.com/Galdur-Acade...).

Indie fiction is punk rock. You may not be blowing away the bestseller lists, but you’re still important and you still matter greatly. And as always, it’s the work that counts.

I was a professor and half the faculty stopped speaking to each other. We hadn’t had a meeting in over a year. Mediation rejected. And administration said, "Just give the aggressor what he wants."
That’s when I knew I had to leave—so I wrote "Secrets in the Blood" about staying and fighting.

Galdur Academy: Secrets in the Blood is officially live on Amazon. If you like magical academies, flawed heroes, hidden histories, and a touch of danger, this one’s for you. Swing by www.rpholliman.com to explore the world of Galdur Academy and the stalwart mages in the academy!

My co-author insisted on this photo shoot.