Subscribe in a reader

Previous Posts

Archives

Blog

This blog has moved

Friday, March 26, 2010


This blog is now located at http://blog.kristinhannah.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://blog.kristinhannah.com/feeds/posts/default.

posted by webmaster at 1:40 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Monday, March 8, 2010



Hello everyone!

Spring has finally come to the Pacific Northwest. To celebrate the sunshine, I'm sending you a favorite photograph from my very own yard. To the right is my driveway, full of flowering plum trees.
The good news is that it's stunningly beautiful this time of year--the bad news is that it turns out I'm allergic to these very same gorgeous trees. I guess it's sort of like wearing high heels to a cocktail party--sometimes you just have to pay the price for beauty. For me, that price is sneezing. :)

Here are some of my favorite signs of spring: my plum trees, the first green bulb shoots peeking up from the rich, dark earth, robins, the frogs chirping in my pond, pink lillies of the valley...and the Oscars.


You know me, I'm a popular culture junkie. I love books, tv, movies, and music. All of it speaks to me when it's done well, and the Oscars are the pinnacle of pop culture. Every year, I have a party with my closest girlfriends. We do what a lot of you probably do--we critique the dresses, the make up, the jewelry. We listen to every word and cry at an acceptace speech every year. I love every moment. This year, here are my favorites: I LOVED Jeff Bridges--the big Lebowski and Starman--finally taking home the golden statue. I LOVED Sandra Bullock for the same reasons that you all did--she seems to be a gracious, intelligent, funny, talented, down-to earth woman. But what I really love is that, after all these years and all these fab films, she was an underdog. Many of us who write novels for women about women know what it's like to be taken less seriously. So I say, go Sandra! Win for every woman who was not taken seriously enough. Also, I love any woman who can't avoid crying when she mentions her mother...

Gotta love Kathryn Bigelow, too! I've loved her since Point Break. And we love to see a woman finally win--and for a "guys" film. Woo hoo!

What were your favorite Oscar moments?
And now that the Oscars are over, I'm back to focusing almost entirely on Lost. I'm obsessed, what can I say? I'm also watching American Idol, as usual. What do you all think of Ellen?

Thanks to all of you for your support of Winter Garden. Already, it's success has been AMAZING. It's currently on it's fifth week on the NYT list. Honestly, I can't believe, and I am so incredibly grateful. What else have you all been reading? I'm still reading City of Bones and looking forward to Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. But I'm looking forward to spring in Hawaii, and I totally need some book recommendations, so let me know!


Aloha for now--


Kristin

posted by Kristin at 9:32 PM 38 Comments Links to this post

I will never complain about weather here again...

Saturday, February 20, 2010


Hey everyone!

I'm home from what my husband and I are now calling the "winter storm tour." You thought it was the Winter Garden tour. Oh no. Everywhere we went, it was cold, cold, cold. Honestly, I started to think I was bad luck. We landed in Chicago, and the snow immediately started to fall. If that wasn't enough, there was an EARTHQUAKE. Really. I'm not joking. The great news in Chicago was that I had an absolutely wonderful signing at Borders--and met some fabulous women for a little party before the signing. Thanks so much to the women who drove all the way from St. Louis for the event. I was worried about you driving home, and I was seriously impressed that you dared the road trip with snow falling.

From downtown Chicago, I headed to Naperville (which, I discover now is the hometown of Evan Lysacek--as a major Olympics junkie, I find that very cool). One of my favorite independent bookstores in the country, Anderson's, is on one of the most beautiful little suburban streets I've ever seen. The Anderson employees are really special to me--they embraced my books years and years ago, well before most people even knew who I was. So, thanks to Anderson's for a fun-filled event and a great crowd. And thanks to my Anderson's mystery guest--the fabulous, generous, talented Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I have discovered that Susan can literally make a booksigning fun just by showing up--I really think we should tour together. I have never laughed so much in a single day...

Then is was off to sunny Atlanta, where I had a TELEVISION interview. I should have brought my camera--that would have been the smart thing to do--but, of course, I was too nervous about the whole thing to think ahead. It wasn't just any tv, either--it was a network early morning show. Good Day Atlanta. I was worried about all of it--where to look, what to say, how to respond...oh, let's face it, I was worried about how I'd look at eight in the morning in High Def. :) Thank God, there was a make up artist who worked some early morning magic and even better, the host of the show, a lovely woman named Karen, actually GUSHED about the book. She immediately put me at ease by saying that she intended to skim Winter Garden and ended up reading it all at one sitting and crying... Phew!

By the time we left the tv station, the radios were started to predict snow. That's right. Snow in Atlanta. The storm of the decade was the line passed around. Again, we were bad luck. By the time I went to the signing, the predictions had increased, and once again, I want to thank the gutsy women who dared to drive into town. I'd especially like to thank my Mystery Guest--Emily Giffin. It was incredibly cool to get to meet her. She was great! If you haven't read Emily yet, look for Heart of the Matter coming soon...

They closed the Atlanta airport about thirty minutes after our plane took off...

From Atlanta, we were off to one of my favorite cities in the world: New York. There, I got to spend some time with the fabulous, talented, passionate, intelligent people who publish my novels. I am so lucky to be a part of this team, honestly. I've been in the business a long time, and I can't tell you how rocking it is to be published by people who love books as much as I do. I also had one of my best ever event signings on Long Island. A big crowd, great women, unusual questions--lots of fun! And yes, it was snowing!

After New York, my husband and I went to the airport again. Once again, we were seconds ahead of a storm. It was snowing in Detroit and Ann Arbor, but by now we hardly cared. We had a fun lunch with the "team" from Borders--and what's better than a bunch of women talking about the books we love? I had a blast. I also had a GREAT signing at the Borders in Ann Arbor. So thanks to everyone who showed up!

When we got home, it was sunny and 57 degrees. Let me say that again: sunny! I will never complain about our weather again. Okay. That's probably a lie. I no doubt will complain again--when the mist and rain and gray go on forever, but I hope I remember that its COLD in the rest of the country during the winter. But even with all of the bad weather and delayed flights and shivering moments, I have to say that it was so fun to meet so many of you. Honestly, I have the best readers in the world. We're so much alike. So often, I could talk longer than we actually have. I guess that's what the blog and facebook is for. Many of you mentioned on the road that you read the blog but didn't post. Dive in, I say! Join the firefly conversation. :)

Those of you who read this blog enough to know me, must know that I was on tour during a terrible time for me. LOST was on. Survivor started. And the OLYMPICS. Am I the only one who is an absolute Olympics junkie? I literally love the show and can't get enough of it. I laugh, I cry, I dream. Mostly, I cry. When Shaun White did his amazing, unbelievable "victory lap" with his secret jump--cried. When Apolo talked about the hard time he put his father through--cried--and then he skates like a champion--cried. Lindsay Vonn, fighting past pain to kick ass--cried. Johnny Weir, skating the program of his life, to music that moved me--cried. Yeah, you don't want to watch the Olympics with me. :)

In a stream of consciousness way, here are my pop culture thoughts for the missing two weeks. The survivor "heroes" are disappointing me...LOST is exactly what I expected and I LOVE it. I don't worry at all that they'll screw it up and I am willing to follow them anywhere, because they're telling a killer story and originality takes a commitment...I can't wait to watch Apolo skate again tonight...I totally love the Alice in Wonderland trailer and will be first in line to watch the movie...and just for the record, my personal choices for Best Pic for the Oscars are District Nine and Inglorious Basterds. Both were original, different, and relevant. What are your choices?

Finally, thanks to all of you who bought, talked about, blogged about, and/or recommended Winter Garden and True Colors. In all my years in this business, I have never felt so...embraced by readers. It's awesome to see how much people are loving Winter Garden. As you know, it's my favorite book so far, and I love discovering that I'm not alone in feeling that way. Thanks to all of you, I currently have three books on the New York Times list. At once. I still have to pinch myself when I hear that news. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Now, I better run, because the Olympics are starting. :) In the words of the great Aerosmith, I don't wanna miss a thing.

One last question---what are you reading now?


Aloha---



Kristin



posted by Kristin at 8:58 PM 34 Comments Links to this post

BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE!!!!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

While Kristin's away...Kim will play (with the blog, that is!)

A huge, HUGE congrats to Kristin and Winter Garden for debuting on the NY Times at #4!! NUMBER FOUR!! And for True Colors five weeks on the NY Times paperback trade list. FIVE WEEKS!!

AND...If all that wonderfulness wasn't enought, Firefly Lane is back on the NYT!!!!!!

All those exclamation marks, all those reasons to celebrate. :) I'm so happy for your, Kristin! Could not happen to a more talented author or a nicer person! (But now come home, I miss you!)


Aurora T. & Jonelle W. meet up with Kristin

in New York. Thanks, Aurora, for the great pic!

posted by Kristin at 1:45 PM 6 Comments Links to this post

Winter Garden on sale!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Hello everyone!


Happy February to you. As you know, there's a lot going on in the old Hannah homestead this month. My favorite novel to date, Winter Garden, is finally coming out tomorrow and I am really excited to hear what you all think of it. One of the interesting things about being a writer is that you never really know how your work is going to be perceived. We spend all these months, or in some cases, years, sitting alone scribbling words that accumulated into a version of the story in our head. Then we hope that the story we wrote resonates with readers, but we don't know until we hear from you. So let me know--the good, the bad, the ugly, and the great. I can take it all, and I learn from it all.



As if having two books coming out in a short period of time isn't exciting enough, I also had the House Parties this past weekend. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you must be new to the blog (welcome!), and you might want to read some of the earlier posts. Anyway, I was lucky enough to get to "crash" one of the parties. This photo is of yours truly and the party hostess, Mitzi. Look at her beautiful smile. She created an absolutely wonderful party--with "fireflies" in mason jars going up the stairs. It gave the entrance a magical feel. And once inside, I got to meet some of Mitzi's friends...


Here's the whole Snohomish Firefly gang. Beth, Linda, Francine, Nancy, Lorraine, and Mitzi. You tell by the smiles that we had a killer time. My friend and fellow author Megan Chance came with me--it was, after all, a girlfriends party--but someone had to take the photo. Thanks, Megan--you rock.




And thanks, of course, to my new friends. You were all so welcoming and warm. I had a blast.


I'd love to hear about some of YOUR house parties, fireflies. How did they go?? For a lot of talk about the parties, and some cool pics, check out my facebook page. There's some great chatter going on over there. :) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kristin-Hannah/96071972905?ref=ts


Thanks again to everyone who entered the Winter Memories contest. Kim and I are in the process of getting several of them posted on the site. Unfortunately, the upcoming tour is making me nuts with things that need to be done. So, be patient. We haven't forgotten.
Speaking of the tour--here's the link. http://www.kristinhannah.com/content/about_kristin.php?id=Tour%20Dates. I hope to meet some of you on the road. :)
My first event is tonight. THE SAME NIGHT AS LOST????? Yes, I am insane. Thank God for dvr's. I never could figure out how to record to tape in the old days...
And finally, I'm conducting an informal poll: What are you all reading? Looking forward to reading?
I don't know if I'll be posting from the road--given my techie unskills, I rather doubt it--but hopefully I'll be able to read your posts. Talk to you all soon---
aloha,
Krisitn






















































































posted by Kristin at 8:22 PM 21 Comments Links to this post

Six days until 1001 Firefly Lane house parties!!!!

Sunday, January 24, 2010



Hey everyone---

I woke today to the sight of this sunrise outside my window. When you see a sky like this, you just know it's going to be a good day, don't you? I have to admit, I'm not usually an early riser, so maybe I'm missing skies like this a lot. (I'm really more of a sunset girl). But I saw this and then I remembered that the house parties were coming up, and I thought it had to be a good sign.

I don't know how many of you are hostesses, but I've been checking out the house party site in the past few weeks, and I LOVE hearing all the ideas for the parties. There is so much creativity going on out there. Hat parties, pajama parties, seventies-themed parties; there's music and food and fun on the horizon, I can tell. I especially adore the groups that are choosing to wear pink ribbons. It's such a perfect touch for Firefly Lane. As most of you know, breast cancer is a subject that has touched my life on a profound level, so it truly touches me that it has become a part of the parties. Last year, I began a fund to help out in my own small way, and thanks to the fireflies, we raised a lot of money to help women battling breast cancer in outlying areas, and this year, I'm focusing on raising awareness of IBC. All the women wearing pink ribbons to the parties are like warriors, joinging with me. So THANKS!!! You guys rock. And if you'd like to help me make a difference, you know you can go to my site and make a small donation in the name of your party, your group, or anyone whom you'd like to honor. http://www.kristinhannah.com/content/firefly_fund.php

For anyone who hasn't checking out the whole house party scoop, check out http://houseparty.com/celebratingstories. There's a lot of fun ideas there and some really great women. I especially love all the photographs that have been posted. I need to find a way to put them on my site...

And now, onto the Winter Memories contest. I have read all of the entries, and I have to say, I am blown away. Once again, you guys have have touched my heart with your personal stories. As a writer, I spend a good part of my life in the hazy world of make believe, and it is so wonderful to be grounded again by honest, heartfelt memories. I am so sad that I can't call every single Winter Memory author a winner and send her a signed copy of Winter Garden. But there were simply too many entries for that. So, what I've done is pick two winners (and yes one is a firefly) to whom I'm going to send my last two advanced reading copies. Because I simply loved so many of the entries, though, I've also chosen several Honorable Mentions who will recieve signed copies of another of my recent titles. To everyone else, I'm going to send a signed book plate.

Thanks again so so much for taking the time to enter this contest and share small pieces of your life with me. As soon as Kim and I can figure out how to do it, we're going to post quite a few of the essays on the site, so keep your eye out for them. You know what's really interesting, is how much the essays have in common. We all, it seems, remember snow days and Christmas mornings and being with our loved ones. That, most of all. Our best memories all surround times spent with our families. It's a great reminders to make memories whenever and wherever we can. Even though our families some times drive us crazy, they also complete and uplift us.

The winners are--drum roll, please--Patricia Tilton and Naomi Bliss. Thanks for two truly touching Winter Memories. Honorable mentions go out to Julie Benson, Brenda Ivester, Rebecca Hamarode, Kim Griffith, Nancy Gillingham, Nicole Rosati, Karen Haney, Kelly Branyik, Kay Harms, Virgina Camden, Dawn Kleckner, and Sharon MacDonald. A special shout out goes to my cousin, Leslie, who slipped in a Winter Memory that included me. :) I will mail out the advance reading copies tomorrow. So, enjoy! The other books will go out as soon as Kim and I can get them all in the mail. With the tour coming up, things are a little crazy around here, so I hope you'll be patient with us.


And now, because Kim will come in and yell at me if I don't do this (she really does, too--you should see her when she's mad), I want to tell you all that True Colors went up to number 5 on the New York Times list. Wow! What a champagne moment. Thanks to all of you who made it possible....and to those of you who bought and read Kim's book, Lake Magic, another big thanks. She made the Barnes and Noble romance bestseller list--quite a feat for a first novel. Brava, Kim!

LOST is only a few days away....I just had to say that. :)

And what do we all think about the changes on American Idol now that it's actually coming? Looking forward to Ellen?

The parties aren't the only countdown going on, btw. Don't forget that Winter Garden comes out 2/2 and I am DYING to hear what you all think. This is my favorite book to date and I really wonder if you'll all agree. And I hope to meet as many of you as possible on my upcoming tour. I'll be in Portland, Oregon, Chicago, Atlanta, NYC, Long Island, and Ann Arbor. The complete listing is at http://www.kristinhannah.com/content/about_kristin.php?id=Tour%20Dates. If you live close, come see me, and be sure and tell me you read the blog!

That's all for now, I guess. Aloha from the Pacific Northwest==

Kristin

posted by Kristin at 12:20 PM 18 Comments Links to this post

True Colors hits the New York Times best seller list!!!!

Friday, January 15, 2010


Hey everyone---


THANKS SO MUCH!! Honestly, I have the best readers in the world. And as if that isn't great enough news---and it certainly is--there's even more. (I guess when it rains, it pours). Firefly Lane was listed as one of the one hundred best selling books of 2009. Again, my heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who read the book and recommended it to your friends.




I've been getting lots of emails and facebook comments from people who have been chosen as house party hostesses. I'd love to know how many fireflies were chosen. How many of you are having parties on the 30th? What have you planned for the festivities? I hope you'll send us some photos of the big night!


Now, I'm putting the finishing touches on my edits for the 2011 novel. As soon as I finish, I'll check back with a new post. To be honest, when I'm this close to the end, i have trouble concentrating on anything except the book. My mind is full of random sentences/motivations/plot points.


Talk to you all soon,


Aloha,



Kristin

posted by Kristin at 9:31 PM 9 Comments Links to this post