Debra Nelson Holm lives and breathes family dynamics. She was the "lucky seventh" child of ten siblings who grew up in a canyon that meanders down from Idaho's Bighole Mountains. The Nelson family read voraciously and acted out scenes from books and movies, tossing seeds of imagination onto the fertile ground of Debra's creativity. She hoped to write fantasy like her idol, J.R.R. Tolkien. Unknown to her, a tiny family member would shift the direction of her writing goals.
Baby sister Holly was born with severe congenital problems, and twelve-year-old Debra watched her parents care for the baby with courage and faith in God. Debra discerned that life didn't grind to a halt to accommodate little Holly. Her parents juggled financial woes, hilarious moments, their children's petty worries, and Holly's needs, confirming that ordinary people battling life's challenges produce drama as gripping as Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee approaching Mount Doom.
Debra graduated from Ricks College with an associate degree and graduated from Boise State University with a bachelor's degree in English with a writing emphasis. She made family her focal point while raising five children with her husband, Norman Holm. They have eight granddaughters and eight grandsons.
Debra edited a 300-page volume of the history of Nampa, Idaho: Nampa's People: Discovering Our Heritage. She wrote and self-published numerous family history books, newsletters, and a column in the Idaho Press newspaper. Debra has received short story and poetry awards, and has taught family history writing, creative writing, and poetry writing. A former journalist with The Rexburg Standard-Journal, she served on the Nampa Public Library Board of Directors for nine years. Faith and family continue to be her guiding stars. Holy Holly: One Tiny Life is her first self-published book on Amazon.