Frank Turner Hollon

Frank Turner Hollon, a talented author, has works that vary from suspenseful novels, to short stories, to children’s books. Frank Hollon was born on July 24th, 1963 in Huntsville, Alabama. Although born in Alabama, Hollon soon became a Louisiana native when he moved to Slidell, Louisiana, or as he says “the ugliest town in America,” when he was 5 years old. Hollon attended Slidell High School and graduated in 1981. Hollon went to Louisiana Tech University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude, which earned him a scholarship to Tulane Law School.

Frank Turner Hollon began writing at an early age, usually composing short stories and poetry. He wrote his first book, The Pains of April, in the 1980s, while still in law school. Hollon never really wanted to be a lawyer, but he opted for law school when offered a scholarship, rather than having a full-time job. At the time, he worked at the St. Charles Guesthouse on Prytania Street. Always a free spirit, he even showed up at law school barefooted.

Hollon lived in Louisiana from the age of 5 until he graduated from law school when he was 24. The book, The Pains of April, was Frank Turner Hollon’s first book to be published, and was written while he was in law school in New Orleans. Only a few friends and family read his manuscript while the book sat under his bed for 12 years. This book was published by an Alabama publisher, Sonny Brewer. Another one of Hollon’s books, Life is a Strange Place, is set in New Orleans. This book is currently being made into a movie, called Barry Munday. Hollon has said that Walker Percy, a prestigious Southern author and one of Hollon’s favorite authors, has influenced and greatly affected his writings. Hollon read Percy’s books in New Orleans, and many Walker Percy quotes can be found throughout Hollon’s novels.

Throughout his books, Hollon’s style of writing is very unique, and his stories broadly range. In the psychological suspense story, Blood and Circumstance, the novel is written in the form of a transcript of interviews. Hollon says this is because, “The art of conversation is dying amongst cell phones, e-mails, and text messages. Our minds and bodies are geared instinctively for face-to-face communication.” His second book, The God File, consisted of 47 brief chapters. Throughout Hollon’s collections of writings, each book is notably different than the last. He has established a wide variety of readers, with dark, psychological suspenseful novels, to children’s books, to short stories. Each book seems to be a response to the previous one. Hollon creates intriguing and dynamic characters. From dysfunctional “mercy killers” to lawyers and psychiatrists, the book Blood and Circumstance challenges the reader to evaluate their own beliefs and keeps the reader interested. Strong opinions are voiced in many of the books about subjects like religion and legal matters, but usually they are not Hollon’s beliefs. He says that he writes through the eyes of his characters, thus investigating opinions that are not really his own. Hollon says, “After drowning in a very serious subject or character, I sometimes seek the lightness of a funny novel or children's book.”

Today, Frank Turner Hollon lives in Baldwin County, Alabama, with his wife and family. He still practices law, yet manages to keep a successful writing career and continues to write books.

(source: faculty.ashrosary.org/faculty/wohl/20...)