Who is Holly Thorne from Cold Fire and what is their importance?

Holly is an entertainment reporter for the Press in Portland. She enjoys walking, and has been a reporter for twelve years but only a year of it in Portland. The rest of her career was worked in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle. She is determined and not used to having her efforts thwarted. Holly has occasional bouts of self deprecation - times she spends alternately chastising herself for wallowing in self pity and feeling sorry for herself for not becoming the Pulitzer Prize winning author she had hopes of becoming. All of that changes shortly after meeting Jim Ironheart. After that incredible incident, she begins the pursuit of a career making story about courage and hope, wonder and amazement.