I write novels, essays, and articles under my own name, but I also work behind the curtain as a ghostwriter and developmental editor, taking books from the brainstorming stage to a completed manuscript.
For busy professionals and celebrities, ours is often a phone and online relationship. I have conducted interviews with people in their cars, on set, and even while they’re getting their hair done. Once I’ve gathered the material I need, I become a quilter, taking these fascinating scraps of material and piecing them together into a whole. I might add my own touches with the hand stitching, but that is strictly ornamental. My goal is to create a voice on the page that belongs distinctly to my client.
It’s an honor to help my clients create powerful stories that deserve to be told. If you have a story and are wondering how to put it on the page, or you have a finished manuscript you’re ready to polish for publication, let’s chat.
HOLLY ROBINSON
hollyrob1 at gmail dot com
Ghostwriting and Editorial Experience
Ghostwriter
The House that Cheese Built: The Unusual Life of the Mexican Immigrant Who Defined a Multibillion-Dollar Global Industry, by Miguel Leal
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., September 2023
A heartfelt success story that illustrates the isolation, fear, and ambition for a better life shared by many immigrants, as well as a thoughtful personal account of entrepreneurship and all of its benefits and costs.
Ghostwriter
One in Five: How We’re Fighting for Our Dyslexic Kids in a System That’s Failing Them by Micki Boas
Simon and Schuster, August 2020
Both a rallying cry and invaluable resource, this book details the national education crisis impacting the one in five children who have dyslexia, and delivers solutions to help parents fight back.
Ghostwriter
St. Martin’s Press, October 2018
Part memoir, part inspirational success story, this is a no-holds-barred account of Ruth Katzka Zukerman’s unexpected rise, as single mother with no business training, to become an indoor cycling pioneer and co-founder of two national fitness chains.
Ghostwriter
Skyhorse, April 2017
“A riveting read about a dynamic public health warrior.” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
A moving, inspirational story about one father’s struggle to solve his own medical mystery and advocate for environmental health. Alan Bell, a former Miami prosecutor who fought against the “Cocaine Cowboys,” makes a unique and profound contribution to our understanding of how technology’s toxic residue is poisoning our planet and what we can do about it.
Ghostwriter
Celebra, October 2014
As one of the first successful crossover Latino artists, Jon Secada dominated the pop charts in the 1990s. A moving, inspirational story of Secada’s rise to fame from Cuban immigrant to a Grammy-award winning artist.
Developmental Editor
Elvis and Ginger, by Ginger Alden
New York Times Bestseller
Amazon Editor’s Pick
Berkeley, September 2014
Elvis Presley’s last great love finally tells her story.
Ghostwriter
Rita Moreno: A Memoir
New York Times Bestseller
Celebra, March 2013
In this moving memoir, legend Rita Moreno tells the remarkable story
of her journey from a simple childhood in Puerto Rico through her career
as one of the few performers, and the only Hispanic, to win a Tony, Oscar
and two Emmy awards.
Ghostwriter
To Selena, with Love, by Chris Perez
Celebra, March 2012
Top 20 National Nonfiction Hardcover Bookscan Bestseller
The New York Times Extended Bestseller List
#1 Spanish-language book worldwide
The tragic murder of Selena, one of the most compelling and adored superstars in Latin American history, robbed the world of her talent and devastated her husband, guitarist Chris Perez, who finally breaks his silence with this book and shares his most intimate stories about life with Selena. This tragic love story immortalizes the heart and soul of an extraordinary music legend.
Developmental Editor
The Roots of Style: Weaving Together Life, Love, and Fashion
By Isabel Toledo
Celebra, March 2012
First Lady Michelle Obama walked down Pennsylvania Avenue on
Inauguration Day 2009 wearing a sensational lace coat and dress designed by fashion icon Isabel Toledo. The reaction to Toledo’s ensemble caused the designer’s computers to crash and made Toledo a global household name. In Roots of Style, she opens up for the first time about her life, process, and inspiration.
“Isabel Toledo’s bewitching new memoir is…both prescriptive (how to negotiate
textile prices) and lovingly descriptive, as when the designer evokes
her first studio, across from a porn palace in 1980’s Times Square.”
– Judith Thurman, The New York Times
Ghostwriter
Extra Lean Family, by Mario Lopez
Celebra, May 2011
Mario Lopez was the host of the long-running entertainment program Extra and Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew. In 2008, People named him “Sexiest Bachelor,” and he competed as one of America’s favorite contestants in Dancing with the Stars. In Extra Lean Family, Mario shows readers how to use the vital resources from his first book, Extra Lean, to broaden the spectrum of foods your family eats and cook healthy, quick, and delicious
meals.
Developmental Editor
Dilemma: A Priest’s Struggle with Faith and Love, by Father Albert Cutie
Celebra, January 2011
Top 20 National Nonfiction Hardcover Bookscan Bestseller
The New York Times Extended Bestseller List
A charismatic Roman Catholic priest who entered millions of homes around
the world each day with his television and radio talk shows, Father Albert Cutie faced a devastating struggle between upholding his sacred promises as a priest and falling in love. Those very private struggles abruptly became public when he was photographed on the beach embracing the woman he would later call his wife. He tells his story in this deeply personal and controversial memoir.
“Dilemma is a sensitive, engaging book…It is a quick read, conversational in tone, with excellent stories and tender insights. It is written for a popular audience, but scholars of ministry might also find this useful.” – G.F. De Leeuw
Ghostwriter
You and Your Baby: A Week-by-Week Pregnancy Guide, by Dr. Laura Riley
Meredith Books, 2006
Ghostwriter
The New Betters Homes and Gardens Cookbook
Better Homes and Gardens, 2005
Author
Folly Cove (novel)
Berkley/Penguin Random House, October 2016
Chance Harbor (novel)
NAL/Penguin Random House, October 2015
Haven Lake (novel)
NAL/Penguin Random House, April 2015
Beach Plum Island (novel)
NAL/Penguin Random House, April 2014
The Wishing Hill (novel)
NAL/Penguin Random House, July 2013
The Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter: A Memoir
Crown/Random House, hardcover 2009, paperback 2010
Magazines
2001-present Freelance Writer
Published hundreds of feature articles, essays, and advice columns for various national newspapers and magazines, including American Baby, Better Homes & Gardens, Cognoscenti, Family Circle, Fitness, Good Housekeeping, The Huffington Post, Parents, Publishers Weekly and Salon.
1998-2001 Contributing Editor, Parents Magazine & Ladies’ Home Journal
Researched and wrote monthly advice columns, features stories, essays
Additional Professional Experience
2009-present Public interviews and appearances, including The Today Show, NPR, US, and various other radio, magazine, newspaper and television venues
2007-present Guest Speaker at various colleges and universities, including Boston College, Emerson College and the University of New Hampshire
1998-present Marketing Copywriter
Keating Associates
South Natick, MA
Produced and edited copy for brochures, web sites, advertisements, speeches, video scripts and other promotional materials for private educational institutions
1990-1998 Adjunct Faculty Member
Northeastern University
Taught Creative Writing, Business Writing, Freshman English,
English Literature classes to undergraduates
1988-1990 Science and Health Writer
The University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, MA
1986-1988 Communications Director
The Richmond Unified School District
Richmond, CA
Education
1978 B.A., Biology Clark University
1984 M.F.A., English University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Additional Skills
Fluent in Spanish
Stand-up Comic