Hi, I'm Holly Ostara.
And I'm a total nerd for books.
I love books.
I’ll cut to the plot twist: I worked in publishing, I went to grad school for publishing, and I’ve published both myself and dozens of other authors. I work with dedicated, aspiring authors who are frustrated because they are struggling to finish their book.
I can help you get your book into the world, and you can enjoy doing it.
I’m an author of epic, sapphic, romantic fantasy, with a special interest in second chance romance, mythical fantasy, Arthurian retellings, magical lore, setting as a character, and magic as a character.
I’m also a book-lover and the founder of Books & Alchemy. I’ve been writing fiction since 2002 and my first publication was a poem that made it into TeenInk magazine in April, 2002. I’m published as a ghostwriter and under my own pen names. I’ve helped hundreds of other writers figure out how to outline and plan their books, both fiction and nonfiction, the right way so they understand their book structures better.

Get some focus.
Create your opus.
This free Writing Ritual Tracker will not only track your word count, it'll help you build the foundation you need to write your book this year.
You’ll also join my weekly newsletter, the Author Alchemy Lab, where each week, I’ll send you tips, tricks, and inspiration. All actionable, all actually useful.
This is the place to be if you need help finishing your book.
I spent 13 years working on my “first” novel. Over 5 years on the first draft, 4 complete rewrites, dozens of edits, and much frustration. Over the course of that time, I started on and finished a number of other novels in way less time using the lessons I was learning along the way. Now, I’ve figured out a few keys to making writing easy, fun, and fast, and I’ve seen this method work for dozens of other writers, too.
You can find me most often on Instagram or TikTok, where I share tips, mindset hacks, and all my silly quirks.
Books & Alchemy serves to help every single struggling writer finally finish their book.
That's the alchemy.
We all start with lead, but you can make gold.
I started Books & Alchemy because I saw, again and again, how amazing writer friends were struggling to finish their works because of mindset and outlining issues.
It’s the result of everything I learned guiding those amazing friends, and myself, to happier writing lives that resulted in more interesting and engaging books that needed less revising at the end.
Now it’s your turn.
Are you a writer who needs some help getting your book into the world?
- Teach you super easy story structuring, so that you know exactly what to write with each scene
- Help you figure out super exciting details to add to your story that keep both your reader and you excited and passionate about your book
- Show you how to outline the right way, so that you never ever have to go through multiple revisions again
- Help you fix your writing mindset, so that you rediscover the passion you had for writing when you started
- Teach you how to snap off the sexiest answer ever to the dreaded, “What’s your book about?” question, so that you’re never left red-faced and uncomfortable at social gatherings again
- And, most importantly, teach you how to draft your book fast, so that you can actually make a living off your writing
Then I can...
- Teach you super easy story structuring, so that you know exactly what to write with each scene
- Help you figure out super exciting details to add to your story that keep both your reader and you excited and passionate about your book
- Show you how to outline the right way, so that you never ever have to go through multiple revisions again
- Help you fix your writing mindset, so that you rediscover the passion you had for writing when you started
- Teach you how to snap off the sexiest answer ever to the dreaded, “What’s your book about?” question, so that you’re never left red-faced and uncomfortable at social gatherings again
- And, most importantly, teach you how to draft your book fast, so that you can actually make a living off your writing
Together we can make writing your book so much easier, faster, and tons more fun. You want your story out in the world and you want it to sell. We’ll get you there. You’ll finally be excited to answer whenever your brother-in-law asks if your book is done yet.
Past authors have come to me confused and ready to throw in the towel despite the pull to tell a story. Like you, most wanted to get their book out into the world so that they could actually make a living off your writing.
By learning how to outline the right way, you’ll never have to go through tons of painful revisions again and you’ll get your masterpiece into the world faster.