I’m so happy to introduce Andie Holman to Dragonfly. Andie writes contemporary fantasy fiction with sassy female leads and three chili spice, but the main character is always Nature. The science in her stories is real. She’s an Earth roamer from Bermuda and lived in London and Colorado before nestling in western Canada with her husband and menagerie of animals. When she’s not writing, she feeds the bees and talks to trees.
Mary: Tell us something about your life that not many people know about.
Andie: I grew up in Bermuda, learning to swim in pristine turquoise water. I always looked for mermaids. I also checked the snapdragons for faeries, hoping they’d show me their world.
Mary: I hear you on that! I’m also a little obsessed with faeries. What led you to the creative outlet of writing?
Andie: My friends tuned out when I talked about climate issues, and one day, I said, “Can you imagine how angry the mermaids must be?” It led to a fantastic conversation about how it would feel to live in the pollution-choked oceans. As soon as I made the story make-believe, they were willing to talk about the environment. My main character, Jelly, came from that.
Mary: That’s a great way to engage on climate stuff, actually. What’s your super power (something that’s real but also something you can do that’s unique)?
Andie: I make science fun. I had a regular newspaper column in London, England, where I wrote about natural health, and people told me I made technical science enjoyable rather than a lecture. It’s how I write my books now. I use science as the world-building for my magical cast of characters.
Mary: That is a superpower. Science is fun, and I’ve always thought so. Tell us about your books and what inspired them.
Andie: In The Laughter of the Sun series, I’d already covered ocean pollution, pollinators, and melting glaciers, and wanted to dive into the soil. In the newest addition—book four, Symphony of Soil and Salt—tree roots guard magical gates and need mushroom mycelium to stay strong.
We are losing trees at an alarming rate, whether through harvesting, agriculture, or fires, and I wanted to raise awareness of how trees hold our planet together.
Mary: Thank you for doing that in fiction, which is an inspirational way to share awareness. What’s your greatest experience in nature that somehow profoundly moves your work?
Andie: I was in a double kayak with a friend in Alaska, and two orcas approached us at speed. I thought we were goners, but they dove under us at the last second. I loved that moment of feeling so small and vulnerable in the face of Nature. Did you know orcas don’t chew their food?
Mary: Amazing! Finally, I’m curious: What dreams to you have about your future?
Andie: I’d love to see eco-fantasy grow as a genre. The Mermaid’s Wrath has won two awards in the general fantasy fiction category, and people are hungry for books that educate while entertaining. My readers tell me how much they learn about science, almost through osmosis, and if it takes Warrior Mermaids, Witches, Shifters, and Scottish mages to raise awareness, I’m all in.
Mary: Me too, and best of luck with your books. Thanks so much for adding to Dragonfly!
Where you can find The Laughter of the Sun series
- The Mermaid’s Wrath
- The Sorrow of Bees
- The Unbearable Melt
- Symphony of Soil and Salt: Not live yet. Anticipated Oct 18, 2026
