Hockey romance fans, please join us in saying, “Thank you!” to Hannah Grace (she/her), #1 New York Times bestselling author for yet another great book. Daydream, out today, is so good (thanks for the early look!), but you’re in luck because she’s got more where that came from. So read this interview and then add Icebreaker and Wildfire to your cart as well. 💜

Let us first say how excited we are to chat with you as big fans of your books! Can you give us a non-spoilery look into what Daydream is about?
Daydream starts shortly after the beginning of the new college year, and we’re back in Maple Hills with a brand new character: Halle. She’s freshly single and on a mission to finally start putting herself first, beginning with completing her goal of writing a novel. The problem is she’s spent her entire life prioritizing everyone else—eldest daughters, I’m looking at you—so she lacks life experiences to use as inspiration. Halle meets Icebreaker fan fave, Henry, when he accidentally gate-crashes her book club. He’s mistakenly landed himself in a difficult class, and he’s desperate to keep his grades up so he doesn’t jeopardize his position as hockey captain and let all his friends down. The pair quickly become friends and strike up a deal to help each other. Halle will help Henry study, and he will make sure she has enough experiences to write her novel. What could possibly go wrong…?

We’ll always recommend the first and second books in the series, but are they necessary to read first for someone who is picking the third up?
I’m the woman who will buy a five-book series because the fourth book caught my eye, so I always encourage people to start with book one of any series. However, I know from talking to my readers that plenty of people have started with book two, and many of my advance readers have only read Daydream. Starting with Icebreaker will give you a good background to the recurring characters, but you’ll work things out either way.

We were really touched by the authentic neurodivergence representation in the book. Why is that kind of content important in your writing?
In the most Henry-esque way, I’ve procrastinated answering this question. There’s an author’s letter at the beginning of Daydream that explains a little about my own journey. Since it still feels so fresh for me, it makes it hard for me to put into words what reading this kind of character would have done for me when I was 20, and how important readers having books they can see themselves in is. I’m fortunate that I’ve found books with neurodivergent characters in my late 20s, by authors like Talia Hibbert and Ki Stephens, and I hope I continue to find more books to read and more characters to write.

You weren’t always intending to be an author. What prompted this change and how has it been to get such an incredible reception online?
I always joke that I just girlbossed too close to the sun, but the reality is my pandemic hobby went a little further than a hobby. I’ve always loved reading and spent a lot of time in the library as a kid, but I was firmly in the “I could never write a book” camp. A writer friend encouraged me to give it a go and here we are. I’ve always struggled with anxiety and I found writing helped me escape to someone else’s life for a little while. The reception I received—and continue to receive—has been so incredible, and I’m very lucky that my readers have been patient with me while I adjust to the change.

After finishing Daydream, we already want to dive back into the Maple Hills world again. Any plans on future books?
As much as I’d love to share, I’m keeping my next projects under wraps. It’s nice to write and have nobody have a clue what’s coming! It’s making me excited to reveal.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I just want to say thanks so much to everyone sending love and positive energy my way, and remember to support indie bookstores and libraries when you’re filling up your TBR!