6 days Ago
Name: Lorna Hollifield Title: Author and Editor Business: Writing and Magazine PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND What inspired you to pursue your current career path? I was always a writer. I was an extroverted only child, so I always say I just made up people to talk to..
.especially when things got rough. Childhood was a mix of happy and sad times.
My parents divorced when I was young, and my mom's second marriage made me a witness to domestic violence. So, I wrote what I couldn't speak. I wrote to escape.
I wrote to dream. I also have to thank my grandmother for teaching me to read at 4 years old and then making me watch soap operas all day. That is the recipe for a writer.
I'm unsure I had a choice in the desire, but the fight was an uphill battle. Writing is a hard career path, but I didn't know how to stop. I'm glad now that I didn't.
Have any key mentors or role models influenced your professional growth? I already stated that my grandmother was a huge influence. Also, my first-grade teacher was the first person to call me an author. I ran with that.
It matters what you say to children. My husband is also a big supporter. We started dating when I was 17, and he taught me a lot about taking risks and dealing with rejection before reward.
He's why I submitted my first manuscript (it took three more novels to land a deal). What is the most important lesson you’ve learned as a leader in your field? I've learned that there's enough room for everyone. I vowed to help others if I ever "made it.
" As I navigated this world, I found women in high places who were unwilling to help, but I found many more who were. They are angels. Mary Alice Monroe endorsed my first novel.
Patti Callahan Henry endorsed my novel, which is coming this spring. They didn't have to do that. They are two powerful women who've always been willing to help without it benefitting them.
They've shown me how to make more room at the table and never to compete with my peers. PERSONAL INSIGHTS What personal values or beliefs have driven your success? My superpower is that I truly don't care what others think. I care how they feel, so I never want to be unkind.
However, I'm not deterred if someone thinks my actions aren't logical. That doesn't matter. The really big goals aren't logical.
That goes for business and dare-to-be-great situations where that instinct to do more can help others. What motivates you to keep striving for excellence? I'm motivated by the innate passion, but now that I'm a mom, it's the fact that my daughter is watching. I want to do my best to show her it's what we do.
My mom struggled to overcome, and things weren't perfect growing up. However, she always fought, and she always eventually won. She didn't become an RN until she was 50.
She worked hard, and I saw that. It matters. It matters to work hard for ourselves and for others, too.
We aren't alone on this planet, and responsibility increases with success. ADVICE FOR OTHERS What advice would you give young women who aspire to achieve similar success in their careers? Swim in one lane and swim hard. Most people know what their passion is, but they let talk, logic, or circumstance sway them.
Don't sway; swim. What is the key to fostering more opportunities for women in leadership roles? It's all about women supporting other women. Men have been fraternal with one another for forever.
Women have been historically a little bit conditioned to compete, but we're stronger together. Befriend one another, connect one another. Hush the jealousy when it tries to sneak in and remember to celebrate your strong female peers.
And that means sticking your neck out for her. Help her get the job. Invite her to the event.
Be a girl's girl. I've met a lot of women in Summerville who are great at this! VISION AND LEGACY What is one long-term goal or dream you still hope to achieve? My "all about me" dream is to make the New York Times Best-seller list! My dream of giving back is to do something huge for mental health, though I don't know what it looks like. It might be a nonprofit that supports mental and self-care.
I've dealt with crippling anxiety in a couple of different bouts. I quit jobs. I refused to leave my house for a while (which is so not me).
Without support and education about what I was going through, I'm unsure how that would have turned out. I do believe that all mental health treatment should be covered by insurance, just like any doctor visit. Perhaps I'll lobby? What legacy do you hope to leave for the next generation of women in your industry? I hope people are inspired to grab it if they want it.
I was a college dropout who fought my way into a managing editor position. I have my third novel about to come out. I've battled health, financial and personal struggles.
But, back to that superpower...
I didn't care what anyone thought. They didn't need to understand my circumstances or why I took the path I did. I just had to deliver on what I knew I could do.
So, I did. I hope people will see that and fight from where they are because I did. Everyone needs a good example.
I hope to be that. MISCELLANEOUS What makes you happy? I'm happy as a clam walking on the beach with my family, letting the ocean make everything in the world alright. I'm also happy when I'm writing when characters start talking.
Those are leisure happies. But there's a time to experience the joy of gifting that leisure to someone else. I'm thrilled to volunteer at the Timrod Library (founded by women seeking education).
That's my "happy place" each week. I also love contributing to a good cause, knowing something small I do could be huge for someone else. My favorite charities are Doors to Freedom and The Ark.
I truly do not feel whole if I don't help where I can. It's another level of happy..
