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.
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
21 Comments:
Aw, that kitty looks just like my old kitty. Everyone looks like they had a blast. I'll have to check out Facebook later this evening.
I'm reading Power Play by Deirdre Martin. Nothing else interested me, and her books are always fun. I'm looking forward to Winter Garden which shipped as well as Fantasy in Death. My bookclub is reading Wench this month (which I thought was appropriate for Black History Month).
Good luck with the event this evening!
We had a great time with our House Party. Everyone loved the book, and the fellowship. It was fun to have ladies ranging in age from 16 - 80 and talking about relationships between women & between mother & daughters.
I read your other 2 books also, True Colors & Winter Garden; I loved them both. I think True Colors is my favorite and I will be reading that one again soon. I do think a box of kleenex needs to be sold with Winter Garden. I cried through the entire book. What a great story.
Right now, I'm slowly reading a Fannie Flag book I'm not sure what it's called, it based in Missouri.
Thank you again for allowing us to have your book & to host a House Party.
I am so pumped for the new book!! :-)
As I am a high school reading specialist I read a lot of weird stuff. I just finished reading Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. (I know..I'm old...but they were so good!) I JUST finished 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I am WAITING to read Winter Garden! I can hardly wait!!
Just one more thing....
I am so bummed out that you are not coming to Minnesota!! I would LOVE to meet you and have you sign my books!!
Even so...I hope your tour goes well Kristin! :-)
So excited for Winter Gardens!! I'm either getting it for my birthday (Feb. 20!!!!!) or I'm going to get it for myself. At the moment I'm reading Nefertiti, very good. I got Between Sister's for Christmas from my mom and she won;t let me read it! It makes me so mad! She said it was too old for me :(. Oh well! Good luck with the event!!
-Erin
I had my house party and it was a wonderful success. We had some bad weather so I was afraid I would have to postpone but it went off well. I had 6 attendees and we spent several hours discuss Firefly Lane, the resilience of the female spirit, and how our female friendships have touched and shaped our lives. There was music - a nice mix of songs mentioned in the book and other favorites from my guests. I had everyone bring their "soundtrack" and we played them throughout the night. Food and beverages, naturally. I had champagne and we had as many mixed champagne drinks as we could dream up. It's the one alcoholic beverage we can all agree on. :)
I don't have pictures, sadly, because my camera died and I didn't have time to replace it. I am going to get the girls together to take a picture of us and our books and will be posting that as soon as I can.
Thank you for this amazing experience. I have some extra copies of Firefly Lane that I'm going to be giving out to friends and family to encourage them to read your books.
I'm currently reading The Thirteenth Tale by...I forget the author. It's for bookclub on Friday and I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm looking forward to some more romance this month. Connie Brockway has a new historical coming out and Michele Albert has another romantic adventure - her first in a few years. And, of course, there's Winter Garden, which I read over the weekend. OMG, so moving! I am going to read it again when my copy ships from B&N. Maybe without the water works this time.
Erin,
Your mom is doing her job as a good parent. Between Sisters *is* too old for you! She must have checked it out and decided it was not time for you to read that. It was almost too old for me and *I* could be your mom ;-)
I applaud all the time you put into reading and reading great books. It will well pay off for you in life.
Have you ever read the classic Gone with the Wind?
I was one of the lucky hostesses! I had never read any of your books until I got them in the party pack from House Party. I am a bookworm and so discovering a new author that I enjoy so much is like finding a gold mine! Winter Garden was amazing! I am definitely a fan of yours now and so are the women who came to my party! Thanks so much for this great opportunity!
Melissa Henderson
P.S.
You can check my blog for the post about the party!
www.pathb4me.blogspot.com
I finished "The Things We Do for Love" last week. I read most of it throughout the week and then finished it in the span of one night. I loved it and couldn't get enough of it. I still can't stop thinking about it! After reading 3 of your books, I took a quick author break before diving into some more of your books that I recently bought. Prior to "The Things...," I read "On Mystic Lake" and "Between Sisters." I like your books more and more as I read each one. I've recommended them to family and friends. My mom and sister both like your books now, as well. :)
Anyway, in order to not ignore other authors, I am now reading "The Accidental Family" by Rowan Coleman. It's cute so far.
I had the pleasure to host a houseparty for FireFly Lane. We all loved the book! Everyone said they were sobbing at the end. We followed the discussion guide and it really opened a wonderful dialog with the group. We sang some songs, drank margaritas and had a really great time. I finished True Colors and can't wait to read Winter Garden but it went home with one of my guests!I will be blogging about this on my blog,
findingmeplease.blogspot.com
Kristin,
WOW! WOW! WOW! Winter Garden is your very best novel to date! I say this because I feel a very strong shift in your writing and know it will continue. Winter Garden is so compelling, raw, honest, heartbreaking, thought provoking, and yet filled with so much grace. And yes, you managed to catch me off guard twice. The research you undertook must have been phenomenal. I studied Russian language for two years in college, along with Russian history and political science and I have always been very drawn to this period in history. Dr. Zivago is one of my favorite movies. The details of your story were so real, I had to keep reminding myself it was fiction and not a memoir. I want to read it again! I have loved watching you grow as a novelist. It is very apparent to me that you are entering your power years as a writer, and you have begun to travel a new path. You certainly knocked this one out of the ball park! Congratulations!!
Blessings,
Patricia
I finished Winter Garden this morning. I read most of it yesterday and finished it up this morning. I totally was good and didn't cry until towards the end and then all was lost. I'll just say I liked it and come back later with more detail. I'm still basking. I will say it reminded me a lot of The Bronze Horseman and was rough to read after Sarah's Key. I'm just exhausted after the heavy reading but in a good way. :)
Hi guys.
First I'd love to say thanks for your prayers and good wishes regarding my sis. I love this community, and I'll keep you posted.
At the Super Bowl party yesterday, my friend Greg kept playing "fireflies" on his mp3 for me. Wow, wow.
I'm going to NYC on a train, ALONE, to see Kristin. None of my friends want to go without their hubbies. I say are you nuts?
I'm just finishing up "Kiss the Girls" by James Patterson. And next is The Client by John Grisham.
And I cannot wait to get my hands on that new book by Kristin Hannah... what's it called again? Just kidding. Can't wait, can't wait. Although...
Yes I've definitely seen the growth pattern of your novels, Kristin, PROBABLY starting with On Mystic Lake. I loved Waiting for the Moon, though. True Colors is the book my heart grabbed and won't let go of. But EVERYONE is RAVING about Winter Garden. Once again I find myself loving a previous book so much that I don't wish to be disillusioned.
And when I meet Kristin, I think I'll buy a copy of Between Sisters for my sis. Excellent Valentine's gift, don't you think?
I just loved Winter Garden...it was like two stories for the price of one! I loved the way you wove the "fary tale" into the "real story"..how cleaver and interesting for the reader! The amount of research you had to do on Russinan History was incredible...i got so caught up in the story that I actually felt cold and hungry! Well done again!On my bedside table to read? Lake Magic and Prima Donna per your recommendation...I read The Reliable Wife before Winter Garden..great read...against another cold/winter backdrop....I think i need to read something set at the beach to warm up! Ha! Hoping to meet you in Buckhead at Borders on Wednesday...Do you do a reading? discussion?
Lynn,
My mom got my Gone With the Wind just before Christmas and gave it to me just for the heck of it, I have it on my to read list for the summer when I have more time since I have multiply lone plane/train trips for vacation and reading is the thing that keeps me more occupied than most other things.
It sounds like Kristin is making her way through the incredible winter storms to her book signings. Find it amusing that she is being true to the "cold winter" setting her new novel -- a summer tour wouldn't have had the same impact. I'm sure she will return with many of her own "winter memories" to share!
Just wanted to congratulate all of the winners of the "winter memories" contest. In case you haven't noticed, the stories were posted earlier in the week.
I read each story and was very moved by each entry. Naomi, your story really was about miracles and the power of love. Kristin was right, all of the selected stories really were about Christmas, family, relationships, miracles and love. Kelly, your story was very creative -- what a wonderful surprise and gift it must have been. And, Dawn, the Santa letter was precious. Shouldn't single people out, because truly each story was very unique.
Again, congratulations to everyone!
Blessings,
Patricia
I wish i could come and meet you..would be amazing but unfortunately school conflicts with everything and exams are coming up. Wish you were stopping by closer to my city but oh well..Congratulations on releasing Winter Garden :) I pre-ordered it way in advance and had a count down calendar. Im reading it now and so far love it! The next book on my list to read is Summer Island..Thank you so much for writing amazing books and im going to be so sad after ive finished reading all of them :D
Just a note that Susan Elizabeth Phillips posted a photo to her Facebook page of Kristin in her snowy backyard. I know at least one of her bulletin board members made it to the Chicago signing though weather kept a few others from showing. I heard it was a success.
A friend of mine also read Winter Garden during the giant DC blizzard (the entire city shut down for about a week - today is my first day at work in a week). She loved it and cried through most of the end.
Thanks for the heads up, Patricia. I'll check out the Winter Memories contest now. Too bad the contest wasn't next year because this winter definitely will be a winter we'll be talking about for the rest of our lives, I think - at least in terms of weather.
Grrrrr...
I Missed Kristin! I had about a million inches of snow to navigate through....
I am SO not happy. Yes, it was amusing, Ok, see you next year I guess.
So sorry to have missed you...
I finished Winter Garden and it is now among my favorite books of all time. What a wonderful, satisfying read. Such a great story. I could go on and on, but I don't want to inadvertently give away anything. However, I just loved it.
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