Firefly Lane hits the New York Times bestseller list!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Hello everyone--
Before I tell you where I've been for the last few weeks, let me thank you so, so much for all of your support and enthusiasm for Firefly Lane. Last week, as you know, the book came out in trade paperback, and it rocketed right onto the bestseller lists. I am honestly humbled and grateful. It takes a lot of behind the scenes work to put a novel on The List and my publisher has worked tirelessly to make the book succeed, but I'm well aware of how much YOU make a difference. The readers. Whenever you tell someone about the book or pass it along to a friend, you are a part of the publishing process. So thank you very much for your continued support.
And now, on to what else has been happening. As most of you know, the Pacific Northwest got hit with a big time storm this December. My family and I had been planning a short ski vacation, which turned into a long vacation due to road closures and falling snow and threatened avalanches. It doesn't sound like a bad thing--a longer vacation--but when you're apart from your beloved computer and apart from friends and family, it can get a little hectic. I missed my fireflies and talking to you all about everyday life. It was a great treat to come home and find your posts.
When we got home, we had to run around a make up for lost time and have all the family holiday get togethers that we'd missed when the snow hit in December. It was like the holidays always is--fun, crazy, busy, stressful, and flat out wonderful. You'll all be glad to know that I even managed to put together an Africa scrapbook for the gang. I used a fabulous online resource--Shutterfly.com--and honestly I can't recommend this site highly enough. As we know, I'm not great in cyberspace, and this site made it amazingly easy, and the scrapbook was a hit! I wish I could send it out to all of you. Although, you have seen some of the photos, I'll make sure you see more in the coming weeks.
When I got home, it was time to hit the ground running. I know it's hard to believe, but we writers work well in advance, and I've been kicking my own butt to finish the first draft of the book slated for 2010. (Kicking Kim's butt too--just ask her. I know she'll love to complain about how hard she had to work in January). There's still a lot of work ahead of me, but I can finally see the end. It's crazy to realize that right now I have a book out in paperback, a book coming out in hardcover in three weeks, and am finishing the novel for next year. It makes me feel like Nora Roberts. :) Woo hoo.
Now I'm finally slowing down enough to look around and see what's around me. It's a new year, with a new President, and a new hope. You all know the resolutions I've made (and yes, I'm still reaching for the same things--how about you?), but I'm thinking about the bigger picture. So here, in no particular order are some of my hopes for 2009, big and small.
First and foremost, I hope we all take President Obama's call to service seriously. We each are stronger when we band together. I hope our generation rises to become another greatest generation by showing our faith, our strength, and our commitment to the ideals upon which this country was founded. I know I'm sounding political--but how could anyone watch today's inauguration and not feel the power of this moment in history?
I hope Harlan Coben's new book is as good as his last one and keeps me up late into the night.
I hope they keep that cute kid who played Jacob in the next Twilight movie. I think his name is Taylor Lautner. I hate the idea that they'll he'll lose the chance to grow into the role. While I on Twilight, I'm bummed that Catherine Hardwicke isn't directing the sequel, but I'm staying hopeful that it will be okay.
I hope the new Harry Potter movie rocks the house.
I hope Fox TV keeps Prison Break around for a long time. What can I say, I still love that show! And as long as I'm talking tv, I hope Lost keeps me on the edge of my seat and answers my questions and blows my mind. I hope Kate ends up with Jack. Yes, yes, I'm on THAT side of that fence. I'm sure I'll hear from those of you who love bad boy Sawyer.
I hope the movie version of The Road has all the power and beauty and sadness of the novel.
And yes, I hope most of you love True Colors and tell your friends. I'd be lying if I didn't say I hope that, and I'd never lie to you. :)
I hope my son loves the rest of his junior year of college and begins to see the future that is waiting for him.
There's the start of a list. I hope you'll add to it and let me know what you're all hoping for this year.
Thanks again for staying in touch while I was incommunicado. But I'm baaaaackkk now and here for the duration.
aloha and firefly out--
Kristin
Before I tell you where I've been for the last few weeks, let me thank you so, so much for all of your support and enthusiasm for Firefly Lane. Last week, as you know, the book came out in trade paperback, and it rocketed right onto the bestseller lists. I am honestly humbled and grateful. It takes a lot of behind the scenes work to put a novel on The List and my publisher has worked tirelessly to make the book succeed, but I'm well aware of how much YOU make a difference. The readers. Whenever you tell someone about the book or pass it along to a friend, you are a part of the publishing process. So thank you very much for your continued support.
And now, on to what else has been happening. As most of you know, the Pacific Northwest got hit with a big time storm this December. My family and I had been planning a short ski vacation, which turned into a long vacation due to road closures and falling snow and threatened avalanches. It doesn't sound like a bad thing--a longer vacation--but when you're apart from your beloved computer and apart from friends and family, it can get a little hectic. I missed my fireflies and talking to you all about everyday life. It was a great treat to come home and find your posts.
When we got home, we had to run around a make up for lost time and have all the family holiday get togethers that we'd missed when the snow hit in December. It was like the holidays always is--fun, crazy, busy, stressful, and flat out wonderful. You'll all be glad to know that I even managed to put together an Africa scrapbook for the gang. I used a fabulous online resource--Shutterfly.com--and honestly I can't recommend this site highly enough. As we know, I'm not great in cyberspace, and this site made it amazingly easy, and the scrapbook was a hit! I wish I could send it out to all of you. Although, you have seen some of the photos, I'll make sure you see more in the coming weeks.
When I got home, it was time to hit the ground running. I know it's hard to believe, but we writers work well in advance, and I've been kicking my own butt to finish the first draft of the book slated for 2010. (Kicking Kim's butt too--just ask her. I know she'll love to complain about how hard she had to work in January). There's still a lot of work ahead of me, but I can finally see the end. It's crazy to realize that right now I have a book out in paperback, a book coming out in hardcover in three weeks, and am finishing the novel for next year. It makes me feel like Nora Roberts. :) Woo hoo.
Now I'm finally slowing down enough to look around and see what's around me. It's a new year, with a new President, and a new hope. You all know the resolutions I've made (and yes, I'm still reaching for the same things--how about you?), but I'm thinking about the bigger picture. So here, in no particular order are some of my hopes for 2009, big and small.
First and foremost, I hope we all take President Obama's call to service seriously. We each are stronger when we band together. I hope our generation rises to become another greatest generation by showing our faith, our strength, and our commitment to the ideals upon which this country was founded. I know I'm sounding political--but how could anyone watch today's inauguration and not feel the power of this moment in history?
I hope Harlan Coben's new book is as good as his last one and keeps me up late into the night.
I hope they keep that cute kid who played Jacob in the next Twilight movie. I think his name is Taylor Lautner. I hate the idea that they'll he'll lose the chance to grow into the role. While I on Twilight, I'm bummed that Catherine Hardwicke isn't directing the sequel, but I'm staying hopeful that it will be okay.
I hope the new Harry Potter movie rocks the house.
I hope Fox TV keeps Prison Break around for a long time. What can I say, I still love that show! And as long as I'm talking tv, I hope Lost keeps me on the edge of my seat and answers my questions and blows my mind. I hope Kate ends up with Jack. Yes, yes, I'm on THAT side of that fence. I'm sure I'll hear from those of you who love bad boy Sawyer.
I hope the movie version of The Road has all the power and beauty and sadness of the novel.
And yes, I hope most of you love True Colors and tell your friends. I'd be lying if I didn't say I hope that, and I'd never lie to you. :)
I hope my son loves the rest of his junior year of college and begins to see the future that is waiting for him.
There's the start of a list. I hope you'll add to it and let me know what you're all hoping for this year.
Thanks again for staying in touch while I was incommunicado. But I'm baaaaackkk now and here for the duration.
aloha and firefly out--
Kristin
23 Comments:
Well, I'm sure we are all glad you are back safe and sound!
Congrats on the NYTimes Bestseller List!
My hopes are really all quite simple. That everyone I love has a good HEALTHY prosperous year. The end of 2008 ended up being quite rocky for my immediate family. So we're all hoping 2009 (and in the New Year because Chinese New Year is this weekend!!!) is so much better.
On a selfish note; I hope I get my a$$ in gear for the Intern Development Program(it's a program all intern architects go through before taking the licensure exam) and that the BF sneaks in a proposal! Ha! Even though realistically it won't happen till 2010. =P
And oh because I've got it on the brain that some point I'm in NYC during a Vera Wang Sample Sale. Or Jimmy Choo would do too. =D
Wendy---
LOL!!! How did I not think of a sample sale???? And I'll add a sample sale where all the shoes are size seven and all the dresses are big enough for a real, human woman. :)
And definitely, to health and to getting butts in gear for our dreams.
Good luck!!
aloha,
k
Welcome Back! I'm not surprised a bit about the NYT bestseller list! I have a co-worker who is trying to start a book club JUST to begin with Firefly Lane! Gotta love it!
Your adventures sound fun, and I'm glad you've been hard at work. We will be the lucky ones in 2010! Thank you!
My resolutions/hopes are the same ones I listed before, but I've been too busy to focus on them. Not a good excuse, but the truth. I'll do better.
Congrats to you and Kim for a very productive January!
I will, again, break the bad news that Prison Break was cancelled a week or two ago.
They did keep the actor who played Jacob last week.
I'm trying to budget my February. I kind of threw caution to the wind and just bought everybody's book. The rest of the year is light so it'll all even out. I did take advantage of some post-holiday sales and bought a new suit and a couple of handbags. I'm now trying to curb spending until I get my raise/promotion. Technically, I got promoted last Fall, but I don't get the money part until my review in March.
My other goal is to buy 2 or so more placesettings of my (discontinued) china. My mom bought 2 for me. I decided to save up for 2 more just in case some break.
Otherwise, things have been going well and I hope they continue to do so. Little Miss started walking/running and is on the brink of talking or rather communicating with words we know. She's also developing the fine art of the temper tantrum. Last night, Husband rolled over and sighed and just said "I thought we'd have more time." The credo of every parent be it until the temper shows itself, until braces, until the first date, until they move out. :)
I asked in a previous post, but I'll ask again. Are you and/or Kim planning on coming to DC this summer?
Hi Fireflies. Congrats to all the winners. Glad everyone is safe and back home and back on schedule. My goal this year is to manage my health. Spend more time w/ the family and get a license I've been wanting to get for 10 years!
Best of luck on True Colors, I'm posting the review on my blog the day before release day to drum up some PR!
We haven't been watching many movies, just The new Mummy Movie, pretty good. We got guitar hero for Christmas so the family has been playing that.
Book: Broken Wing by Judith James- It's incredible. Amazing. WOW. I bought 3 copies when I was done reading to gift.
Hope everyone is well, Kim, you need a vacation, right?! Kristin, I bet you can't wait to be on that beach with a breather! I can't wait to hear what the next book is going to be about. I can't wait to hear about Kim's too!
I hope that Jason and Stephanie end up together on the Bachelor.
I hope I gain more independence this year and start to feel like a real woman at 34.
I hope John McCain, my "friend", Joe the Plumber and Miss Sarah are all doing well.(I say this with a smile)
I hope my former President can move beyond some of the hostility that seems to be eminating toward him.
I hope my new President can help us get back on track, because I believe we all truly love our country.
Give him time to BRING THEM HOME!
As I read Winona Grey's story, I HOPE TO LOSE WEIGHT. There! I finally said the words!
Gee, I feel like I have Twenty Wishes :) Oh, what a good book that was!
My turn to do one of these "hope"-lists... sounds like a fun thing to do, in each case, even though I'm one of those people who can be very hopeful one day and feel like there's no hope left in this entire world the next. But anyway... I'll give it my best shot!
Leen hopes for... (in no particular order)
* a chance for this country (Belgium) to fight back against the attack against the innocent kinda like the city of New York showed its greatness and the inhabitants showed how united they could be after the 9/11 attacks - a little more love is probably a very good beginning
* an opportunity to really talk to some people (as in: having them listening for real, this time) and get the feeling that things might actually change around this time, so that I can feel happy with the situation again (side note: I know this is rather vague, but I'd rather not elaborate on this subject)
* lots of time together (in person or online or over the phone) with my sweet friend in Canada - I so miss her all the time
* "back to the basics" in my job: more actual teaching, less administrational work, meetings and definitely less corrections! - ok, maybe I can handle the corrections, but change that one class to a course I enjoy more, so that those exams aren't too bad either
* dreams coming true for me and all those I care for... in fact: let reality be even better than the dreams were!
* good health, love and friendship - translated to my own life: I could definitely use a couple more friends and I wouldn't say "no" to meeting a nice guy and getting involved in a love story which leads to a nice little family with a couple of kids in the next few years
* lots of great books to read, amazing music to listen to and other new things to discover - starting out with my online bookstore putting "True Colors" in my mailbox REAL soon!
* being able to get exactly what I want in life without having to feel guilty about spending too much and without changing this healthy attitude of mine that there's just some things I need sometimes, even though there's just as many things that I can easily do without also - and finding a great balance between those two
* spring coming soon, 'cause I'm now officially tired of these dark days without a sun and with lots of rain, wind and other stupid and cold stuff!
Actually... maybe it all comes down to just some more joy and laughter in my life? That would be nice, in each case!
Back to the corrections - I should be done tomorrow or the day after, so I have hope where that's concerned too!
Love,
Leen
PS. Congrats Kristin - of course you are and have written a bestseller! Who's Nora Roberts anyway? Just kidding: I know who she is, but compared to you... hey, if you continue to work so diligently, I swear everybody will have YOUR name on the top of their lips soon... if they haven't already!
Gotta add one more thing on the "hope" list...
Even though I'm STILL not done correcting (last 5% of it has to be done sometime today!) and everything else in my world is upside down, so that I feel stressed and annoyed and ..., there's this one little silver lining in my stormy sky: Kristin and Kim... you guys RULE!!! (And I bet you know why too!)
Got so much more to write about, but for the moment I'll just savour it and then I'll figure out a way to let ya know why my heart is playing hopscotch right now. Thank God for people who know how to give you a warm feeling when you need it most!
For now, just the one word, but from the bottom of my heart: THANKS! :)
Love,
Firefly #13
So it's 11pm here and I'm looking at 3 hours of physiology reading to go. BUT I just wanted to say how much I LOVED reading True Colors!
I started reading the day I got it and couldn't put it down. When I finsihed at 3:30 in the morning I was sad. I didn't want the book to end! I'll just say that it's different from the previous books - a little more edge- in an absolutely page turning way. Just when I thought I knew where things were headed, wow, it got even better!
Kristin is a great storyteller and I found myself getting involved with the characters - feeling their hope, anger, fear, and love. The characters were vivid and I found myself in conflict, understanding both sides of the fence and unsure of who to root for. True Colors is a wonderful story of lives woven together.
Born and raised on the Kitsap peninsula, Kristin's books are a special treat for me. I recognize the local landmarks she uses and I can say with certainty she does a marvelous job capturing our beautiful corner of the world in words. Her writing makes me proud to be from the PNW. (I also laughed when Gorst got a shout-out...just don't mention the Natte Latte there!)
Now if only I could find a handsome, single, male vet....
Thank you, Kristin!!!!! You rock!!!
As a People magazine subscriber for years, Thursday's mail delivery is like Christmas to me. I have an insane routine - flip through the pages at light speed, viewing pictures, intending to go back and read the stories, and go directly to the book reviews. OMGosh !!! How excited was I today when our own Kristin Hannah was at the very top of page 53, with a whopping 3 1/2 stars and a GREAT review !!!
For those that don't read People, it says:
"In this big juicy novel, bestselling author Hannah (Firefly Lane) scores again with a tale of three sisters set in the sprawling ranchlands of Washington state. The girls, who lose their mother early on, are thick as thieves, but their bond is fractured when the oldest - sturdy, can-do Winona - loses her crush to the younger, prettier Vivi Ann. Disobeying their credo "Sisters trump men," the trio is nearly undone by sibling rivalry, social injustice and a gossip-mad small town. Deliciously romantic and often heartbreaking, this is a book you'll want to climb inside of and stay as long as possible."
FIREFLY UP !!!! Congratulations Kristin. You have to be on top of the world with your success moving at light speed. You deserve every bit of it! Your talent is amazing.
Thank you for the time you take in reaching out to us. At the rate the world is discovering you're the best, we are destined to hear from you less often. It's how it should be, and us Fireflies will savor in watching you shine! My only request is that if you keep Kim too busy to let us know how things are going, she should absolutely have an assistant. Let me know where to send my resume (smile).
Big Hugs!
Lisa - Proud to be a Firefly!
Lisa--Thank you SO much for sharing the People Review. Whoooooo Hooooooo. That is so awesome. (The assistant is *always* the last to know!) And with the way Kristin has been tearing it up lately, she absolutely needs two assistants. I let you know where to report!! ha ha ha ha
April--Kristin is obviously in denial about Prison Break. I saw your earlier post. LOL
Leen, I hope you are finally done correcting papers. I can barely help me three kids; I am in awe of you teachers!! You have my eternal gratitude.
Michelle, I love your list!!!
Sheila, while you're scouting out a handsome, single vet for you--please keep your eyes open for another one for my daughter!! :)
Cindy, with that kind of an endorsement for Broken Wing--I'm definitely going to pick it up. Thanks for the suggestion. I love finding new authors. And you are so right--I do need a vacation (slave driver of a boss that I have :) But with Lisa already vying for my job, I'm a little scared to tell you all about the working (wink...wink) vacation my wonderful boss is taking me on in a few months. Oi. The pain I must endure!!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha
Kim
Dang...
I forget to check on here often enough.
I hope I can remember to stay in touch with you people...
because you guys ROCK!
I've sort of gotten all hooked into Facebook...and that's where I spenda good majority of my time online.
My book suggestion: (besides Kristin's books)
The Shack by William P Young
It is an amazing read. Check it out!
Well, guys, I finished reading True Colors Wednesday after a week of total obsession with the book.
I'm not sure quite where to post my review, but here goes:
This book was filled with heart-wrenching relationships: Among sisters, "bad Boys", and the guy-next-door type.
I understand what someone else wrote about reading about the tension and understanding where both sides were coming from. I did find myself gasping with shock a few times, laughing at some things, and crying my eyes out many times.
Kristin has always(to me) seemed to have an ability to hook a reader from page one with her larger-than-life characters, to engage readers in feeling they know these people. In fact, I had a thought that this book read as a musical and I couldn't wait 'till the curtain call to applaud All these beautiful characters:
Aurora, with a name like the Northern Lights, trying to make and sustain peace in such a whirlwind of events...
Ice-Cream loving Winona, whom I felt so much for... I ached for her as she loved Luke. Men can be blind, right?
To prove that point, Henry Grey, I'm sure he must love his daughters, well, he's got to, right?
Vivi Ann, the sunshine and sunlight, learns the most about love...
And Dallas, he's just exotically excellent, and troubled, and he cares so much...
Noah, I think I'll let Noah speak for himself. He's good at that.
In the end, this is a book about rescuing more than horses, about hearts that are wild and free and looking for a place to anchor.
It's reminiscent of a Neil Diamond song:
"So Good. So good. So Good."
I'm now in a kind of depression that comes from the end of reading someting that amazing.
I am very excited to read True Colors from Sheila's review (it's an excitement renewal, really). I then started reading Lisa's quote of the People review and then stopped...it started giving out too much for my taste. But, BIG CONGRATS on the People review...that's awesome!
Sheila...I have a very handsome son who plans on being a vet. Unfortunately, he's only 11 ;-)
April--
I have to say--again, from your post--I am having a mothering flashback. Oh, the discovery of the temper tantrum. And life will never be quite the same again. There's nothing quite like a child realizing how much power they have and how much noise they can make. :)
Keep us up on it--I don't think I speak for only myself when I say I love hearing about the little ones...
And yes, I KNOW they've cancelled Prison Break, but I'm trying to live in a world of denial and you're making it very hard... :)
aloha,
K
Dear Leen---
As usual, your post makes me smile. I love your honest, thoughtful caring list. You give us all something to think about. Your friends are very lucky to have you...as are we fireflies...
aloha,
k
Dear Michelle--
I love your "hope to feel like a real woman at 34." What a remarkably cool statement. I can honestly say that you're really on the ball just to realize that settling comfortably into your own skin is a goal worth striving for. I don't think I really got there until forty. that was really the year for me. The time I started caring less about the impression I was making and more about the difference I was making. It's too bad that self realization and self acceptace came just before the wrinkles set in. :) So good for you!
aloha,
K
Dear Sheila---
thank you so, so much for your kind words about True Colors. It is especially cool that you are so knowledgeable about the setting. I have a particular fondness for the Hood Canal--my husband grew up water skiing on those beautiful, flat calm waters. And I love--and am a part of--the horse community in Western Washington. I have a lot of girflfriends who are barrel racers and horsewomen, and I wrote this book as kind of a valentine to them. You could tell, I'll bet, how deeply I understand the bond between a girl and her horse. And I'll keep an eye out for that vet for you!
aloha and thanks again,
Kristin
ps: send your review on to Kim and she'll post it. Thanks!
Dear Lisa---
WOW!!! I have heard about the People magazine review, but I haven't actually seen it. I got a barrage of emails from my editor, publicist, agent, etc. but none of them sent me the content, and in this rural little hometown of mine, the new People isn't in yet. GRRRRR!!! I should have known that I all had to do was go to my blog and check out the fireflies. You guys always have my back. You have totally made me smile. Hearing about the review is almost as good as reading it.
aloha. I guess I better go back to Safeway again. not that I'm obsessive or anything, but I REALLY want to actually SEE it...
xo
Kim---
You're cracking me up. First of all, just for the record, since you came to the blog before I did, you knew the content of the review before I did. So THERE. And yes, great minds do think alike. I AM in denial about Prison Break, and frankly, I think it's very rude of you and April to keep poking the force field. :) You're just happy because you never got around to watching the show.
Aloha---
Countdown to Hawaii, btw. Kim is coming with me for a week this spring. Don't be shy to give her travel advice, everyone. I know she's already worried about what to pack. :) Tell her all she needs is books...
k
Dear Kari--
What's the Shack about? Of course, I'm seeing it all over the place, but I haven't picked it up yet. I am, however, actively stocking up for spring in Hawaii and I'm looking for books, so let us all know why you liked it.
Also--you aren't Julie's friend, Kari, are you?
aloha,
K
Dear Michelle---
thanks so much for reading True Colors so quickly--and thanks for loving it. You are so eloquent in your thoughts. It's so strange as a writer because you spend a long time inhabiting a make believe world--for me, more than a year--and you study every single scene and chapter on a sentence by sentence basis and yet somehow you never quite know what you've created. I'm always just a little bit stuck with scenes that ended up getting cut and characters who changed along the way, and often I lose my own perspective. So it really means a lot to hear from readers that the book works, that the characters are compelling, and especially that its a page turner.
You and Sheila made my day. Thanks!!!!
Aloha--and mahalo--
Kristin
Lynn--
I'm laughing out loud about your eleven year old son! Too bad for Sheila.. Oh well, fireflies, keep a lookout for a vet in the right age range...
still giggling...
aloha,
K
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