Holly Bellebuono
Accredited Herbal Medicine School
Coaching for Writers & Authors
+ Global Travel & Retreats
Press Kit
Bio
Holly Bellebuono is the author of six books published in three languages, the most recent being Once Upon a Place: Forests, Caverns, and Other Places of Transformation in Myth, Fairy Tales, and Film (Llewellyn Worldwide and Tantor Media, 2025). She is a frequent speaker at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including storytelling, herbal medicine, natural health, and women's empowerment. She directs The Bellebuono School of Medicine and the Integrative Mental Health Academy, and coaches writers and aspiring authors in fiction, setting, Sense of Place, and the publishing process.
Holly's work has been featured in Parabola, Taproot, The Writer's Voice, Aromaculture, Juno, Sage Woman and others, and she has taught or lectured in Canada, England, Costa Rica, Italy, Greece, and across the US.
Her goal is "to get writers--and their characters--off the couch and into transformative places."
Published Books & Audiobooks
Once Upon A Place:
Forests, Caverns, and Other Places of Transformation
in Myths, Fairy Tales and Film
foreword by Dr. Jack Zipes
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide (print) 2025
Publisher: Tantor Media (Audiobook) 2025
Product Details:
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Language: English
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Print Paperback: 264 pages
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ISBN-10: 0738779377
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ISBN-13: 978-0738779379
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Item Weight: 1.11 pounds
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An Herbalist's Guide to Formulary
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2017
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The Healing Kitchen
Publisher: Shambhala Publishers (Roost Imprint), 2016
ISBN-13: 9781611802788
Hardcover: 256 pages
Women Healers of the World: The Traditions, History, and Geography of Herbal Medicine
foreword by Rosemary Gladstar
Publisher: Skyhorse HC 2014, PB 2017
Product Details:
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Language: English
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Print Paperback: 304 pages
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ISBN-13: 9781510717367
AWARDS: Thomas DiBaggio Book of the Year by the International Herb Association
Llewellyn's Little Book of Herbs
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2020
The Essential Herbal for Natural Health
Publisher: Shambhala Publishers (Roost Imprint), 2012
ISBN-13: 9781590309476
Hardcover: 336 pages
Most Recent Book: Once Upon a Place
Holly Bellebuono's Once Upon a Place: Forests, Caverns & Other Places of Transformation in Myths, Fairy Tales & Film is an acclaimed exploration of symbolic storytelling. It is published as an audiobook by Tantor Media, narrated by April Doty, and features a foreword by renowned folklorist Dr. Jack Zipes. It is an in-depth literary criticism analyzing how five core landscapes (the forest, cavern, deep, vessel, and labyrinth) function within myths, fairy tales, and modern cinema to represent the hero's journey and psychological transformation.
The book reaches broad audiences seeking personal growth and specifically writers seeking skill development, storytelling craft, and authors of novels and screenplays, especially epics, quests and adventures. Available as a curriculum extension for colleges and universities, Once Upon a Place grounds writers in the setting of their stories, teaching how to integrate either a tangible or metaphorical PLACE where action happens into a successful story.
"A must for any college library." Susanne Evens, Indiana University
Author Photos, Bio, Blurbs and more
Go here to a Google Folder with high-res photos available for journalists, blurbs, an author bio, and OUAP book synopsis.
Author Videos, Interviews & Podcasts
Go here to Holly's YouTube Channel for video and interview content
Go here to download a transcribed interview from Holly's interview with the Pan Society
Interview Questions
Suggested interview questions about the writing process and Sense of Place:
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Is setting just as important as character development for an author?
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What is the secret sauce for creating a setting with tension?
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What are 3 types of settings writers need to know about?
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How does a strong Sense of Place impact a reader?
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What are examples of stories with strong settings?
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What is your criteria for a “strong setting”?
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Is it true that setting can actually “be” a character in a story?
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Explain the difference between cinematic setting in a novel and in a screenplay.
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What are the 5 mythic settings found throughout epic literature?
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How can mythic settings influence a character’s personal growth?
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What if a writer can’t come up with a strong setting? Should they write anyway? What are tips for crafting a story’s setting if one has writer’s block?
Sample Quotes by Holly
"My goal is to get writers--and their characters--of the couch and into transformative places."
"The Forest is a fantastic opportunity to get lost, and then to find yourself. It’s a great place, symbolically, for these epic journeys to begin. The forest is both familiar and a little bit terrifying at the same time, especially if you're there alone or if you're lost, so it’s a great symbol for our own personal journeys."
"Setting in a story is all about impact; what challenges will your character face? What decisions will they make? Would they make the same decisions if they were in a different place? As the author, your job is to put them in the absolute right landscape to wring the most powerful decisions from them that lead to the greatest impact."
Speaker Sheet download PDF
Holly is prepared and available to speak at your event, even on short notice! Past speaking events include Walden Forum (US), Botanica2018 (England), The Open Center NY, Michigan Herb Associates, The Association for the Study of Women & Myth, and many more. She has taught and keynoted for conferences and universities in England, Canada, Costa Rica, Italy, Greece (2026), and across the US. Download her Speaker Sheet with previous clients here.
Social Media
Upcoming Events
Contact
Holly Bellebuono
Phone: 774-563-9677
Email: Holly@HollyBellebuono.com
Jody Kahn, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agency, New York
Phone:
Email:
Publisher: Liz Stewart, Llewellyn Worldwide
Phone: 651-312-8575
Email: lizs@llewellyn.com