Sheila Holder has done a lot in the past 12 months.

The former educator earned her PhD and retired — and then decided to write a children’s book.

Samantha’s Secret Hiding Place is the result. It’s set in Bermuda at Sinky Bay, Southampton where Dr Holder grew up.

“I think books are great places for kids to go,” said the former Bermuda Institute principal who most recently served as Superintendent of Education for the Bermuda Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

“I loved to read when I was young and always had that dream in the back of my head of writing a book, but I didn’t have the opportunity because I’ve been working hard with life.”

She earned her PhD in educational leadership last year. She studied for it while holding a full-time job — from 2002 until her retirement this year Dr Holder was in charge of all educational matters related to the Bermuda Conference.

“People kept telling me I needed something to do and so I took a New York University class about children’s reading. [As part of that] I had to write a story. The instructor really liked it and asked if she could have it.”

Dr Holder kept the story for herself, figuring it must be a good one. It became the basis for Samantha’s Secret Hiding Place.

“It’s a children’s book that’s filled with mystery and adventure and has a Bermuda setting. Samantha loves to play hide and seek and hides where no one can find here. I wrote it in a couple of weeks.”

She asked Bermuda Institute art teacher Richard Sutton to create a Bermuda scene for the cover. He drew a picture of Samantha at Sinky Bay, using one of Dr Holder’s young relatives as a model.

She decided to publish the book herself rather than go the once traditional route.

“Once it was written it was like I’d had a baby,” she explained. “I didn’t want people to reject my book!

“So I went online and looked at self-publishing [and found] AuthorHouse. They called me back and said they’d publish it for me.”

The company provided an illustrator for the inside pages. “I told them I wanted to keep it as local as possible and sent [them] pictures of oleanders and poinciana; I explained that the sand had to be pink.”

She sent the company her completed manuscript in April and got it back in September.

“One day I went to the mailbox and it was there. I started acting like I was ten, jumping around. I was really excited,” Dr Holder said.

“I showed it to my family, my grandkids, my husband. I was so excited I had a party — Samantha’s party at Sinky Bay — and invited kids and I read the book.”

The book is designed for children ages four through eight. It’s available for $16 from Dr Holder (sheila.v.holder@gmail.com) or Brown & Co. It’s also available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.