Kristin Hannah Books

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Kristin Hannah is a bestselling author whose novels have been translated into over three dozen languages. Born in 1960 in Garden Grove, California, Hannah attended the University of Washington from where she got her degree in Communication before attending Law School at the University of Puget Sound.

Her career includes a stint at a Seattle Advertising Agency. This was before she became a lawyer and then a writer. As a child, Hannah was drawn to novels like Dune and The Lord of the Rings. She was particularly enamored with the works of Roald Dahl.

However, she wasn’t necessarily determined to write fiction for a living. Her decision to write fiction can be partly blamed on her mother. The author was in Law School when a breast cancer diagnosis placed her mother in the hospital.

Whenever her classes ended, Hannah would immediately rush to her mother’s bedside. When the idea of a mother/daughter writing endeavor was first floated, Hanner wanted to experiment with horror.

However, her mother was more interested in historical romance. And because she was sick, she got her way. The pair spent the duration of her mother’s hospital stay filling papers with ideas. Her mother grew weaker with each passing day. Their brainstorming sessions became the highlight of her stay in the hospital.

The pair’s novel never saw the light of day. Once Hannah’s mother died, she locked their notes away and injected her efforts into her legal career. The author had no intention of abandoning the law in favor of publishing.

But then she fell pregnant and everything changed. After she was prescribed bed rest. Hannah found that she needed a hobby to keep her occupied. So she retrieved the notes she had made with her mother.

As she browsed the information, Hannah realized that she enjoyed telling stories. So she started writing her first novel. Before she knew it, what started as a hobby had become a full-time career. Hannah reached a point in her life where she couldn’t go more than a few days without writing.

Fortunately, her career had already taken off. Her first novel was published in 1991. By 2004, she had scored her first New York Times bestseller. In the years that followed, she attained and even exceeded the dream her mother had set for her.

She became a renowned author with fans in international markets. Despite her success, the author lives a relatively simple life. She prefers to maintain a low profile. Her objective is to write one book each year, though some novels take much longer.

She spends the first three months crafting her idea and doing the necessary research. She tries to create a loose plan before she sits down to write. She spends the next few months writing multiple drafts.

At the start of her career, the author’s outlines were quite detailed. But she found that the approach restricted her creativity which is why she abandoned it in favor of a method that gives her plot the freedom to evolve over time.

Kristin Hannah Awards

Hannah has won the RT Reviewers Choice Award, Romance Readers Anonymous Award, Goodreads Choice Award, and a Rita Award.

Best Kristin Hannah Books

Hannah writes heart-rending stories filled with strong women that have to make difficult decisions. The author’s best novels include:

The Nightingale: Vianne’s life changed in 1939. Like everyone, she was certain that the Nazi’s would never invade France. Her confidence was shattered when they poured into her quiet village. Vianne was helpless. Her husband had gone to the front and she had no choice but to open her home to the enemy.

Meanwhile, her sister, Isabelle, was a reckless 18-year-old that had fallen for a passionate man who wanted France to fight back. When he betrayed her, Isabelle joined the resistance.

The Great Alone: The war destroyed Ernt Allbright. When the former POW left Vietnam, he wasn’t the same man his family knew. He couldn’t fully acclimate to civilian life. After another job slipped through his fingers, Ernt did the unthinkable.

He moved his family to a community in Alaska, a harsh, isolated place filled with strong men and women. His family wanted to believe that their new home would change things for the better. But then winter came and Ernt’s mental state deteriorated.

When Does The Next Kristin Hannah book come out?

Kristin Hannah doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Women and was released on February, 6th 2024.

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