PHOTO: Dr Mike Hollows — Award-Winning Author and Scholar Crafting Immersive Historical and Speculative Fiction with Thoughtful Precision
Exploring The Art Of Storytelling Through Historical And Speculative Worlds
MJ Hollows discusses his deep historical research, seamless genre-switching, and character development, emphasizing storytelling’s power to explore humanity, history’s lessons, and the unique role of different genres in narrative.
Dr Mike Hollows, who writes as MJ Hollows, is a celebrated author and scholar known for his skillful weaving of historical and speculative fiction. His work spans World War II narratives and imaginative science fiction and fantasy, offering readers deeply researched stories that explore the complexity of humanity and history’s enduring lessons.
MJ Hollows’s novels, including Goodbye for Now, The German Nurse, The Violinist’s Secret, and The German Messenger, bring to life vivid wartime experiences, highlighting resilience and moral challenges faced by individuals during conflict. His speculative fiction works such as The Warp’s Curse and Ashes of Grimnir showcase his talent for world-building and imaginative storytelling.
MJ Hollows is a versatile, insightful storyteller whose rich narratives and scholarly depth elevate historical and speculative fiction to profound new heights.
A doctor of creative writing with a PhD focusing on the Golden Age of Science Fiction, Hollows balances scholarly research with creative expertise. This academic foundation enriches his narratives, allowing him to explore socio-political themes and the human condition with nuance and depth.
Hollows emphasizes the importance of learning from history, particularly through revisiting World War II themes. He explains that the rise of contemporary populism and xenophobia underscores why understanding the past remains critical. His novel The Violinist’s Secret focuses on women’s roles in Nazi Germany, revealing tensions between societal expectations and personal ambitions. Meanwhile, The German Messenger explores overlooked aspects of the Liverpool Blitz and draws parallels to pandemic-era human behavior.
When blending fact with fiction, Hollows relies on detailed research and real timelines to maintain historical accuracy. He advises writers to ground scenes plausibly in their period while exploring the themes they want to highlight.
Character creation is key to his storytelling. Hollows carefully chooses names and immerses himself in his characters’ worlds to ensure authenticity. “Making sure characters resonate with readers isn’t about making them likeable but about giving readers something to empathize with,” he explains.
Switching between historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy presents challenges, particularly in world-building details that evoke the setting’s time and place. Whether a hat stand in a historical setting or a space suit in a sci-fi story, these elements add realism and texture.
Hollows offers aspiring multi-genre authors this advice: understand why you write in a particular genre and what it allows you to explore. Genres are not mere backdrops but essential tools to tell stories with purpose and insight.
MJ Hollows’s work continues to captivate readers and writers alike, demonstrating how genre-spanning narratives can deepen our understanding of both history and imagination.
This article was adapted from an interview with MJ Hollows in the latest issue of Reader’s House.
