Me
You probably came to this website because you were lured in by a book or e-book under one of these names.
- Skylar Darkprism
- Sarah Holzmann
My real name is Sarah Holzmann. I’m 18 years old. The reason I have different author names is because I write in a couple of different genres. My dream– same as most self-published young authors– is to make a living off my writing. Although I know that’s rather unlikely, my writing brought you here, so maybe I stand a chance?
I started writing things other than essays my freshman year in high school with a semester long creative writing class. Our last project was the teacher assigning a short story. She didn’t explain what a short story was since most of the class was upperclassmen and they’d already read plenty of them, and I always read long things, so relied on google to tell me how short it should be. Google said up to 50 pages. So I -naively believing the internet- wrote 50 pages and turned it in right before winter break. I didn’t find out until that summer that I’d done it wrong.
This one incident led to a series of other incidents that ended up with a cycle of me writing, my mom reading my latest chapter aloud with funny accents, the entire family enjoying, and then me hurrying to write more. After a while, it dawned on me that I could go on doing this for life and potentially get paid for it. My other life dreams involved a lot of student debt, and this one seemed only a little less attainable but a lot more entertaining, so I started getting more involved in the writing world around me. I found clubs, I looked around online, I began to make plans and save up money, and eventually it led me here.
Some things other than reading and writing that I enjoy are kayaking, biking, learning German, D&D, Beat Saber, and doodling while taking notes. I’m a proud nerd in a school for nerds who’d probably die of culture shock in a regular high school.
My Family
Most of my life I was home schooled with no TV, limited computer access, only one neighbor that I knew, a large home library, and an even larger backyard. It was only natural that I grew close to the people around me in that sort of environment. Since they’ve played such an important part in my life story–and therefore will probably be mentioned in multiple posts–I thought it wise to introduce them here. (This list is in age order).
Dad:
“Come to me if you need computer help”
- Tech help go-to
- Good with people & seeing the big picture.
- Encouraged me to take a gap year to write.
Mom:
“Honestly, I make a better fan-girl than editor.”
- 1st Alpha reader ever.
- Still my go-to Alpha reader.
- Known for reading aloud & making Briareth sound Scottish.
J:
“Just five more minutes!”
- Big Brother #1
- Former tech help go-to
- Currently living away from home for college
An:
“I’m not chaotic, I’m lawful evil.”
- Big Brother #2
- Claims both HMMH and Smay were based off him (They weren’t).
- Quite Punny
ABe:
“What have I told you about quotation punctuation, Sarah!”
- Little Brother #1
- Favorite Brother & Best Friend
- Alpha reader, Editor Buddy, & Brainstorming Buddy
- Encourages me to kill off characters
N:
“What you’re doing is more interesting than what I’m doing. Can I join you?”
- Little Sister #1
- Self-assured and fun-loving
- Changes mind a lot
Joy:
“Want to see my latest project?”
- Little Sister #2
- Sweet & hardworking
- Favorite Sister
M:
“Sarah, can I read your textbooks? Mine are too boring.”
- Little Brother #2
- Probably has highest IQ in the family
- Reads 300+ pg books in 90 minutes
- Big fan, never misses a reading if he can help it.
Mephi
Mephi requires a bit of explanation. He is a character I created while doing a different assignment wrong. The teacher requested a narrative letter of our ‘tale of learning’ for the quarter, telling her how we tried to fulfill different goals that we had chosen at the beginning of the school year, and the problems that we had faced. Luckily, this time I realized that I was doing the assignment wrong before I turned it in. Mephi appeared in the wrong version as the “manifestation of [my] fears” and “inner demon” but he is notoriously bad at his job. He claims he was there to torment, mock and lead me down the wrong path but he turned out to be an excellent writing companion, sounding board, and ridiculously fun to mess with.
As the saying goes -Keep your friends close and your demons closer- so Mephi got to stick around. We create commentary on the going-ons in my life; he helps me make decisions and provides entertainment for all my family members. Occasionally, Mephi even gets an appearance throughout my different stories, so keep an eye out for him.
The first ever Mephi story (that horribly messed up assignment) can be found here!