FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

General FAQs

Holden answers some of his most frequently asked questions from readers.

Q: Is Invisible Boys based on your own life?

A: Yes and no. Invisible Boys is fictional - the events and characters are made up. This isn't a memoir. However, I did grow up gay in Geraldton, Western Australia, so the journeys of the boys in this book are heavily drawn from the emotional truth of my own life.

Q: Which of the main characters in Invisible Boys are you most like?

A: All three boys. Zeke, Charlie and Hammer are all aspects of myself. At high school, I was most like Zeke - a shy, repressed, Sicilian Catholic schoolboy. After I left home, I became an angry, outspoken punk like Charlie. These days, I'm more confident, and my two hobbies are working out at the gym and footy, which is where the Hammer part of me comes from.

Q: You've said Jack Brolo is the character closest to you in real life, so is King of Dirt a true story?

A: Jack Brolo is definitely the closest to myself I have ever written in a novel. We're both Italian-Australian, ute-driving, Collingwood-supporting, bourbon-drinking, same-sex-attracted men from Geraldton who have worked as labourers and have some trauma to work through. Jack is the first time I've written a novel protagonist who, instead of being a teenage character, is more a reflection of where I am in my own life: a bloke in his mid-thirties.

But Jack's story is fiction: I was not exiled from my hometown, and I don't have a potential illegitimate love child (uh, to my knowledge ... :P).

Q: Will there be a sequel to King of Dirt?

A: I've been asked this a lot since the book came out. Without being spoilery about the ending, lots of people want to see what happens three years after KOD. I don't have any plans to write a standalone sequel to King of Dirt, but never say never.

Q: Will there be a sequel to Invisible Boys?

Yes. My forthcoming fourth novel Yeah the Boys is the sequel to Invisible Boys. And the characters of Jack and Brick from King of Dirt, and Mason and Brayden from The Brink, all appear in Yeah the Boys, too - so it's kind of a super-sequel in a way. Or the Aussie gay version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: a big crossover book I am tongue-in-cheek referring to as The Sheppardverse.

Q: I love your work - what's the best way I can help support it and support you as an author?

A: Buying my books from a bookseller, or borrowing them from a library, helps me a lot. If you buy a copy from your local independent bookseller, that helps me and also helps a local business.

The very best way to support a book is by spreading the word. Leaving a review on Goodreads (or other sites) lets more readers know about it. You can also share your review on social media or tell your friends about it - word of mouth helps authors a lot.

Q: Are your books available in audiobook format?

A: Yes! The audiobook of Invisible Boys (Wavesound Australia, 2021) is narrated by Nic English. The audiobook of The Brink (Wavesound Australia, 2022) is narrated by Nic English, Josh Anderson and Maddy Withington. The audiobook of King of Dirt (Wavesound Australia, 2025) is narrated by Barton Welch. All are available anywhere you buy audiobooks, including Audible.

Q: Is there a TV adaptation of Invisible Boys ?

A: Yes! Invisible Boys is now a ten-episode TV series on Stan Australia. The series is produced by Tania Chambers OAM (How to Please a Woman), and directed by Nicholas Verso (Crazy Fun Park, Boys in the Trees). Invisible Boys premiered in February 2025, and the official trailer can be viewed here.

Q: Are your books available overseas or just in Australia and New Zealand?

A: My novels are available globally in eBook and audiobook form. Outside Australia and New Zealand, paperbacks can be ordered in by your local bookshop or via Amazon.

The French language territory rights for Invisible Boys were sold in 2023 to Editions Akata, with that book to be translated into French and published in various European countries in November 2025.

Publishers interested in acquiring international rights for my books can contact my agent Gaby Naher at Left Bank Literary.

Q: Can I book you for events or public appearances?

A: Yes! I love doing panel appearances, in-conversation appearances and keynote speeches, when my availability permits. Enquire about my availability and appearance fees via my Contact page.

Q: I'm from the media - can we interview you?

A: Yes. Please reach out via my Contact page.

Q: I'm a reader - can I send you fan mail or is that weird?

A: You can send fan mail via my Contact page. I love hearing from readers and do my best to reply.

Q: I'd like to read more of your work. What else have you had published?

A: Check out the Bibliography page for all my published books, stories and books I'm featured in.

Q: I'm a high school teacher or librarian. Are your books appropriate for my library or classroom?

A: Both Invisible Boys and The Brink are pitched at older teenagers aged 15 and over, and adults, due to the graphic content in terms of sex, substance use, swearing and violence.

Both books are in many high school libraries and classrooms across Australia and have even been used as exam texts. Both books have been taught in classrooms at Year 11 & Year 12 level.

Teaching notes have been developed for both books, aligned to the Australian curriculum:

Teaching notes for Invisible Boys
Teaching notes for The Brink

My later novels King of Dirt and Yeah the Boys are contemporary fiction pitched at adults.

Q: I am struggling with my sexuality. Where can I go for help?

Like the Invisible Boys, coming to terms with my sexuality was not easy. As a teen, I worried my sexuality made me less manly, but accepting and owning my attraction to guys made me feel more confident and masculine. We can't change which sex we're attracted to, and that's okay. Worrying about your sexuality won't change it - trust me, I've been there. You're fine just as you are. And it gets better. I've been with my husband, Raphael, for over a decade and we've built a happy life together.

Some same-sex attracted men don't even identify as "gay" or "bi" or label their sexuality at all. I personally call myself "homosexual" or a "same-sex attracted man". More casually I often call myself "bromosexual" (a gym bro who is homosexual) or "rough trade". There's no one way to be anything, and you don't have to justify it to anyone. Call yourself what feels right to you.

If you're struggling, I recommend reaching out for help. I got help from a mental health service when I was at my lowest, and it helped me get better. Lifeline offers a free and anonymous crisis counselling service via phone and instant chat. The Samaritans offer a similar service with the added option of writing a whole email to an anonymous counsellor if you want to offload something complex without needing an instant response.

Q: What are you writing next and when can I read it?

A: I'm currently editing my fourth novel, Yeah the Boys, which is the sequel to Invisible Boys and will be published by Pantera Press in 2026.

Follow me on the socials for news and updates about my upcoming projects.

FAQs for Aspiring and Emerging Writers

Q: I have an extraordinary story to tell, could you ghostwrite my life story for me?

No, I am not a ghostwriter and I don't offer this service. I only write my own stories. I recommend researching ghostwriters online if you have a story to tell but don't intend to write it yourself.

My caveat: if you are much-loved Australian alt-rock band Killing Heidi and want the band's biography written one day, hit me up.

Q: I'm a writer. Can I send you my book manuscript/TV show script/collection of Hungarian spoken word song cycles for your feedback/advice?

No, please don't send me your manuscripts. I won't read them. I get these requests very often and I'm afraid I just don't have the time to help with this.

Q: But how can I get feedback on my writing? Don't writers help other writers?

Yes, writers help each other out. I wouldn't be where I am without the mentorship, advice and guidance of fellow writers. Many writers offer manuscript appraisals, structural edits and mentorships, but they do charge a fee for these services as they are professionals being asked to use their expertise. I have done mentorships and manuscript appraisals for a fee in the past, but currently I am finding it too hard to fit in this work around my own writing projects and so I am not usually able to take on mentees.

The Australian Society of Authors has an amazing range of mentors you can look into, and they are listed here. WritingWA has a Literati database of West Australian writers here who offer a range of services including mentorships.

For more informal arrangements - or if you're broke, as many of us writers are - consider joining a writer's centre or writing group. Lots of these will offer feedback and critiques for free. Also, once you make friends with fellow authors, they may be happy to read your manuscript - or part of it - for free, though they might want you to do the same for them in return.

Q: In that case, what advice can you give me about how to get started with my own writing?

The best advice I can give you when you're starting out as a writer is to read a lot in your genre, so you learn more from what other writers in that area. This will also help you understand the expectations of that genre and help you identify the gaps in what's being published at the moment (i.e. the niche your book might be able to fill for readers).

The second thing is to start writing - now. Lots of budding writers - including myself - spend a really long time on planning and making notes but often being too scared to take the plunge and start writing. Just start. You can spend years, even decades, making notes and planning, but you won't get any closer to your dreams of having a book published if you don't just start writing it. There's never a perfect time that a writer is 'ready' to start that first draft. Start now. Don't delay it.

And when you do start writing, give yourself permission to write a terrible first draft - let it be absolute horseshit - and this will free your headspace creatively. The first draft is you just shovelling the sand into the sand pit; the second draft is where you will build a proper sandcastle. Or to paraphrase Stephen King's words, the first draft is the writer telling himself the story; the second draft is telling the story to the reader.

In terms of resources, join your local writer's centre - these are a great way to connect with the local writing scene and tap into a community of fellow writers. It's hard to get proper encouragement from non-writer friends and family - they don't always 'get' it. Fellow writers will understand the ups and downs and can offer helpful advice. You can also find a strong writer's community on Twitter and other social media.

When you're ready, consider taking workshops or longer courses to hone your writing skills. And getting a manuscript appraisal or mentorship is a great way to help develop a full-length book draft.

I contributed my knowledge about writing and publishing to a book called How to be an Author: The Business of Being A Writer in Australia (Fremantle Press, 2021). It features insights from a wide range of published authors and the book's editors, Georgia Richter and Deborah Hunn. I strongly recommend it as a resource to aspiring and emerging writers. It is available here.

Q: I see you have a literary agent. Can I send you my manuscript for you to forward on to her?

A: My literary agent is Gaby Naher of The Naher Agency, however I can't act as a broker for your manuscript. If you want to pitch to The Naher Agency, see the submission guidelines on their website.

If you want to learn more about how to query agents, check out the blog of the late and much-missed New York literary agent Janet Reid (vale), which is a total gold mine. Her brilliant Query Shark blog, where she deconstructed authors' query letters for them over many years and helped make them better, is also a valuable resource.