Dowagiac native Sylvia Holloman has always written what she knows and that is evident in her fourth, self-published book, “Our Love,” which is now available.

Holloman, a mother of three and grandmother of two as of Oct. 1, first began writing in 2004. Calling herself an avid reader, Holloman took pieces of her life in Dowagiac and the stories she read in books and formed her own tales. Through self-publishing companies like Publish America and Asta, out of Georgia, Holloman is now the author of four adult chapter books. The most recent, “Our Love,” chronicles a young girl who moves to Dowagiac after a violent attack. The character finds love with a man from Georgia who also moved to Dowagiac.

“It’s a tragedy turned romance,” Holloman said Tuesday. “I let my imagination get the best of me when I write.”

Holloman, who works at Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union, said Dowagiac served as a good setting for her story after she began to realize what the town has to offer.

“If you take a second and look around, you learn about all this stuff that’s happening around you,” Holloman said.

Some Dowagiac staples included in the story are Track Side, 109 W. Railroad St., the Dowagiac District Library, the popular tradition Steve’s Run and the famous collection of sculptures throughout the city.

“One other book of mine is set in Dowagiac but I don’t give any details,” Holloman said. “This (book) is going deeper into Dowagiac.”

The story took more than two and a half years to finish and Holloman said she struggled the most with writing out the attack after becoming fearful of scaring readers away.

“I don’t want to scare people off but I also want it to be realistic,” Holloman said. “I wanted to show that while you can be nice, not everyone will be. There are mean people out there.”

Holloman said the biggest reward she can receive is that readers let her known what they thought of the book.

“I really want people to enjoy my writing,” Holloman said. “It’s a huge reward when they tell me their thoughts and they see what I see when I write it.”

The next project Holloman is hoping to publish is a children’s book, dedicated to her granddaughter, Khamari, and her husband, Khamari’s grandfather.

“I wrote a poem for my granddaughter about how special her grandfather is,” Holloman said.

The poem is something Holloman said may help other blended families explain that “it doesn’t make a difference what blood is in them, they’re loved and special either way.”

Another Dowagiac native, Kendall Rucker, completed the art for both her new adult book and her future children’s book.

“I went to high school with his parents,” Holloman said. “He’s very, very talented.”

While Holloman maintains a job during the day, she said other writers interested in publishing their work should do it for the right reasons.

“If it’s something you want to do, don’t do it for money,” Holloman said. “Do what you can and do it to get out there, then let the rest fall where it may.”

“Our Love” is available on Amazon.com, PublishAmerica.com or through Holloman.