Kristin Hannah Book Signing This Week

If you’ve ever wanted to meet best-selling author, Kristin Hannah, now is your chance. She’s going to be at the Atlanta Marriott Norcross on April 1 at 7 p.m. She’ll be autographing books and reading an excerpt from her newest book, “Night Road,” which was just released last week.

“Night Road” is to readers what heroine is to junkies, addictive. I personally had trouble putting the book down to write this article.

It’s about Jude Farraday, the loving mother of two bright, well-adjusted 18-year-old twins, Zach and Mia. It’s their senior year of high school and Jude can’t help but to worry about them constantly. Will they get into the right college? Will they be safe and stay out of trouble? 

When Lexi Baill, a former foster child with a harrowing past and a sweet disposition, moves to town, she instantly becomes best friends with Mia and Jude who welcome her into the Farraday family with open arms. Zach and Lexi fall in love and the three become inseparable.

Then, one night, Jude’s worst fears come to fruition when a single reckless decision changes their lives forever. The Faraday family is torn apart in an instant and Lexi loses everything. You can read the first chapter of "Night Road" here.

Hannah is known for her memorable and captivating characters which immediately draw you in and take you on an emotional journey through their lives. She mainly writes tearjerker novels but thinks of herself as a funny person and loves to leave readers with a happy ending.

“I’m a happy ending kind of person,” she said. “I really believe in the power of the positive and the importance of stories that make you feel something but leave you, you know, on a happy note.”  

Hannah said, “Night Road,” is the least research-driven novel she’s ever written.  She did study the foster care system and criminal trials but this book came more from her own life. Most of the research she did was simply living through her son’s high school years and having his friends spend a lot of time at her house. She watched what they were doing and heard their conversations like a fly on the wall. 

Then, when her son graduated from college, she started thinking back to his senior year of high school. She had never really realized just how stressful that year had been until she looked back in retrospect. Watching the news at night also made her ponder all the dangers kids face today.

“You’re trying to keep them safe and keep them on the straight and narrow. So that they graduate and get into college or get a job or, you know, become productive adults,” Hannah explained. “It’s just a very challenging time. They’re trying so hard to break free and they come up with that sentence ‘I’m 18 and you can’t tell me what to do’ or ‘Can I please have some money to go to the bar.’”

Hannah was able to call her son’s friends now that they’re older and ask them questions about what went on in high school. “And their very forthcoming,” she stated.

She wrote this book the way she always writes novels now – in long-hand. Hannah really loves to write and can easily spend eight to nine hours a day writing. “It just got to be too difficult sitting in the chair for that length of time. So, I think that was the beginning of it…but as I’ve gone on with the career, it releases my creativity and stifles the internal critic a little bit, and I can also write on the beach which is one of my favorite places in the world to write.”

You can ask Hannah any questions you may have about her books and writing process on Friday. There will be a special pre-event mini party at 6 p.m available to anyone who is a book club member; you can enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks while mingling with Hannah.

To ensure your pre-event spot, RSVP to Sarah.Goldstein@StMartins.com. Admission to the event is free; however, Eagle Eye Books requests that you buy a copy of, “Night Road,” at the book signing where they will be providing books for sale on-site.