becoming an author

Back when I was teaching and designing architecture, I used to feel frustrated that so little of my time was spent being truly creative, and although I was always writing, I was never fully using my imagination.

One day, I realised that if I became an author, I could design whole worlds – not just buildings – and that by writing stories and poems I could let my imagination run wild every day.

Being a working mum with three children, I went on a quest to write my first novel, SeaBEAN, a children’s time-travel adventure story.

Once I had my first book published in 2013, I knew I had found my true vocation, but it wasn’t enough just to become an author, I wanted to help others uncover their talent for writing.

Ten years on, I feel totally fulfilled by my new career as a successful author, and I’ve also developed ‘Made Up’, an innovative programme of workshops for schools, offering exciting online and in-person sessions that inspire young writers to let their imaginations run wild too.

What People Are Saying

“Sarah Holding has come up with a different way of introducing young readers to environmental issues”

— Dame Jacqueline Wilson

“Sarah gave our first interview on ‘Stories for Earth’. Cli-fi is a powerful tool for raising awareness, and I’m thankful for people like Sarah for contributing to the ever-growing canon.”

— Stories for Earth, USA

“From a boy who hated reading, our son now wakes up every morning and reads a page of ‘SeaBEAN’. Sarah left a very big impression on him.”

— from a parent in Hulme

my fivefold purpose

conceiving and crafting compelling stories for our time

cherishing our natural environment through my fiction

inspiring young people to write and use their imaginations

empowering the teachers and schools I work with

championing right-brained activities in children and adults