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- [00:00]
Michaela
Foreign.
- [00:09]
Reggie
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to all. Read what she's reading. I'm Reggie.
- [00:12]
Michaela
I'm Michaela.
- [00:13]
Kennedy
And I'm Kennedy.
- [00:14]
Reggie
And today we have our very first romance author on the podcast, and we are big, big fans of her and are so excited for you guys to hear from her. We have Hannah Bonham Young. Hello and welcome.
- [00:27]
Hannah Bonham Young
Hi. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to be here.
- [00:30]
Michaela
We are so excited to have you Tell us a little bit about yourself and, like, your books.
- [00:35]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah. My name's Hannah. I always feel like I'm on, like, a dating show. I'm like, Hannah, I'm 28 years old. Yeah. I have been an author now for a few years. I started a way that I think a lot of people did. I'm so sorry about that. Let me put do not disturb on aggressive. You're.
- [01:03]
Reggie
We love this. Just go see. She's a wanted woman.
- [01:10]
Hannah Bonham Young
You know what I think it is? It's because my. I just restarted my computer after the holidays. I'm so sorry. You are just fine. I love you.
- [01:20]
Kennedy
Why would it stop?
- [01:24]
Hannah Bonham Young
Do not disturb. I'm done. Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh.
- [01:27]
Reggie
Oh, gosh.
- [01:28]
Michaela
A popular woman.
- [01:31]
Kennedy
That happened to me yesterday, so I get it. I get it.
- [01:33]
Hannah Bonham Young
Okay. I think we're in the clear.
- [01:37]
Reggie
Oh.
- [01:39]
Hannah Bonham Young
I'm so sorry.
- [01:41]
Michaela
Oh, gosh.
- [01:42]
Hannah Bonham Young
It's fine. Okay. Notifications. Let's do that. I'm, like, such a grandparent. I'm like, how do I. Is everyone okay?
- [01:52]
Reggie
Yes, we're great.
- [01:54]
Hannah Bonham Young
Okay. Yeah. Anyways, I feel like you should let that in. Just people. Really? Yeah.
- [02:01]
Reggie
I love it. I love it.
- [02:06]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah. My name is Hannah. I started my author journey. I think, like, a lot of people did kind of pandemic times. I was working a job that got changed to remote, and so I was home, and I had two toddlers, and they were home from daycare. And I needed something that was just for me. And I've been a lifelong reader and writer. Just, like, writer for me and nobody else. And eventually, after kind of, we were going through the pandemic and into 2021, I wrote something that I sent to some friends and family, and I felt, like, brave enough to, like, share it for the first time other than my husband, who's read everything. But after that, I wrote another book, and then I sent that one, and they were like, okay, like, we're not going to push you, but you should really think about maybe doing something with this one. And that was Next of Kin, which is my first book, except it had a terrible title. Then, which I can't even remember, and I wish I could, but. And I finished it and I felt pretty good about it and I decided to indie publish, and I really thought nobody would read it. And then people read it, which was great and terrifying, but mostly great. And then, yeah, after that, I wrote another book. And then June of. What year is it now? Oh, 2025. June, June of 2023, I released out on a Limb, which kind of had my career kind of become more of a solidified thing, which was amazing because even though at that point I had a really, like, lovely, small, dedicated reader base, I didn't think anyone would read it because I was writing about two people with disabilities and. And a blonde MMC, and people hate blonde MMCs. And I was like, okay, like, it's fine. This is for me, you know, like, it'll be great. And then people really took to it, which is so wonderful. Yeah. And then shortly after that, my books got picked up by Penguin Random House, so I'm now with them, with Dell, which is under Penguin Random House. And I have a whole team of people who are lovely and now trying to get my books out there. And it's been kind of the journey so far. In a very short, short version, I.
- [04:35]
Michaela
Think I found you from out on the limb, and I think we all did.
- [04:39]
Reggie
Yes.
- [04:40]
Michaela
Found. Yeah, we saw Adeline. We all read it. Yeah. And I just think it's the coolest thing ever. Personally, I like blonde.
- [04:49]
Reggie
Yep.
- [04:50]
Michaela
I have a blonde husband, too.
- [04:52]
Kennedy
Good.
- [04:53]
Hannah Bonham Young
Okay. We're safe here. Okay.
- [04:56]
Reggie
Yeah. Well, and also your. Your books just. They have. What I love about them is that you. I can go in expecting to have something that I haven't seen before, and I feel like it's very easy to, you know, a lot of books, you know, similar tropes, similar hair color, but it's. It's so, so cool to see the representation you have in your books. And. Yeah, it makes me just excited to see more that's going to come from you because I just know that it's gonna. It's always a fun. It's a fun read, but something that I can be like, oh, I haven't seen this before, so.
- [05:42]
Kennedy
And I think, too.
- [05:43]
Hannah Bonham Young
I'm sorry.
- [05:44]
Kennedy
No, sorry. I think, too, the way you write, the dynamic of the couples is so special. There's always, you know, you have that fun banter, but then there's always that underlying depth to them. I swear, all of your female main characters always have something that just adds an emotional element to Your books, which I really appreciate. So you have that fun. You have that fun side. But then also, I think I've read three of your books and I think I cried in two of them. So I'm always crying now.
- [06:16]
Hannah Bonham Young
I'm like, which one didn't make you cry? Wait, yeah, I. Yeah. Which. Which is it? I don't know. Next to kid, next to you or have you read out of the Way?
- [06:27]
Kennedy
Yep, I read. I've read those three.
- [06:29]
Michaela
Yeah.
- [06:29]
Kennedy
And all of them are incredible. I actually got extremely baby hungry reading out on a Limb, so.
- [06:35]
Hannah Bonham Young
So many people have told me that. And it's like, I never know how to like. I had a lovely reader come up to me at an event I did a couple months ago and she was like, yeah, I read on a limb and then got pregnant. And I was like, I was like, you're welcome. I was like, hell yeah.
- [06:53]
Michaela
Yeah, love that for you.
- [06:55]
Reggie
I mean, I got a nine month old, so. Yeah. Written very well.
- [07:02]
Kennedy
You just. That just bow. Bow in general, just, you know, setting standards. That is the standard for my husband when we have kids.
- [07:09]
Michaela
Yeah.
- [07:09]
Kennedy
Just so you know, I think a.
- [07:10]
Michaela
Lot of people don't romanticize having a baby. And I feel like people. It say it comes with a lot of weight. And I feel like with that book you romanticized but also showed the struggles with having a child and. But you romanticized it, which is so beautiful because I think people should. Because it's so beautiful.
- [07:33]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah. And it's also terrifying.
- [07:36]
Reggie
Yes.
- [07:37]
Hannah Bonham Young
Like, I love reading accidental pregnancy romances. Like, but I found that for the majority of them, it was like, kind of. They just roll with the punches a bit. A bit too much. And I'm not a cool, casual person. Like, I'm not someone who's like, I have a lot of anxiety on any given day. So, like, the idea of like, well, when I went through a pregnancy, I was like, this isn't something I would be like, cavalier about. Like, and I really wanted to write a book where it was like, genuinely, like, you could feel the romanticism behind it and the way that it brought them closer. But also just this way of, like, it wasn't taken lightly. Like, it was like something scary that deserved, like, an amount of respect as, like, oh, we're gonna take this seriously. And I think that's why people love Beau so much, is because he met her there and, like, took it so seriously as well and cared so deeply and. And that's. Yeah, like, you're bringing a human into the world. Like, you better care about it, like, it's cool, but it's. It's romantic and it's wonderful, but it's also a big deal. Yeah, it is.
- [08:43]
Reggie
Well, as. I mean, I. I. You have two. You said you have two kids?
- [08:46]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah, I have two kids.
- [08:47]
Reggie
I have two kids. And it was crazy how I started this book, and I. I did not know much about it because I like to go in blind, and, you know, it really starts off with a bang. And I. Quite literally. And literally, I was. I think it was like. Well, after, like, chapter three, I was already, like, crying because I could just feel that, like, as if you can make these two feel like that when they're, like, not a mom yet. But then for me to, like. I just think that that's so special. And you can just tell that you put a lot of your probably some real life, you know, into the book, which I loved, because I've definitely read books where, you know, elements of, you know, pregnancy are in there, and it's not something I've always been a fan of. But after I finished your book, I was like, I need to read another book about that. Because it felt good to have something that I could relate to to a certain degree. So very beautifully, beautifully done.
- [09:54]
Michaela
We're big fans of you. If you can't tell.
- [09:56]
Hannah Bonham Young
I'm, like, getting all, like, shy, like, hey, thanks, guys.
- [10:01]
Kennedy
So this isn't on the list of questions, but obviously out on a limb and next of kin kind of both have that the children element. And then you have. Next to you, that's a little bit more friends to lovers. So you and your husband are childhood friends to lovers?
- [10:19]
Hannah Bonham Young
Correct? Yeah.
- [10:20]
Reggie
Okay.
- [10:21]
Hannah Bonham Young
He loves to brag that he knew my parents before I did because my. We were, like, family friends. And he's a bit older than me, not a lot, but, like, so he. That's his, like, reigning line. It's like, yeah, he, like, came to the hospital with his mom when I was born because he was, like, too little to be in school yet.
- [10:42]
Michaela
That's adorable.
- [10:44]
Reggie
Feel free to expand.
- [10:45]
Kennedy
That is so cute. So how much do you feel like, of yourself? Do you put into your romance books? Just because from the three that I've read and just reading up on you, it feels like there's always a little bit of you in every single book you write. Do you feel like that's true?
- [10:58]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah, I don't know how to not do it that way, and I wish I did. I think it would be really nice to take a vacation from my mind instead of trying to get deeper in there. But I. Every time I try to, like, come up with a cutesy, fun, simple concept that has nothing to do with my personal experience, I don't want to write it. Um, and so I think, like, all of my books probably and forever will be related to some aspect of my life. Like, Like Next of Kin is a lot about, like, difficult family dynamics and a lot about found family and friends that you choose as your family to help you through difficult situations. Next to you came from this, like, place of, like, Lane explores a lot of her grief in that book. And kind of like, that was the phase of life I was in. I just lost my grandmother and was very close with her and was feeling a lot of big feelings and just kind of wanted to process them. Out on a limb is probably the closest of the element of, like, I have the same limb difference as the main character. Win does. Also had an accidental pregnancy. Very different situation. I was married, you know, whatever else. But, like, it's a very strange thing to process becoming apparent when you didn't plan on it, especially when you add the layer of being disabled on top of that. Because I wrote a bit about it in my author's note, so I won't bore everybody because they can just read it. But it. There's just like an added layer of whether you can or can't do something when it's not planned and you've not. You've never really been sure if you could anyways. Like, a lack of confidence that I had to work through and got to process with Bow and Win and the way they found each other and loved each other through that was like, very cathartic and fun for me to write. And then my new book that comes out in January. Oh, my gosh, it's January now. We're in January.
- [12:56]
Reggie
So.
- [12:57]
Hannah Bonham Young
Used to sing in January because of this month, it's called out of the woods. And that is the second book in the out series following out on a Limb. And that's Sarah and Caleb, who are Bowen, Win's best friends. And they got married very, very young and are now deep into their marriage. Like, they're in their mid-30s. And so they've been married a hot minute. And they're kind of like, what now? And that's something else that's very personal to me because I got married when I was 18 and grew up with my person. Like, Sarah and Caleb met in high school as well, and my husband and I started dating in high school. And so it's just all of these feelings about what does it look like to keep a marriage going? And it was my favorite book to write because I got to put so much of my husband and I in there and what we've learned in hard lessons and therapy and. Yeah, I. I'm really excited for that one. And then the book I just finished writing is also about something. It's just. I think that it's just gonna be. Eventually I'll run out of things to talk to my therapist about, which is the goal. Right. And then I'll probably stop writing books. I'll be like, wow, I did it. I graduated my mental health. I can be done.
- [14:20]
Michaela
I feel like a lot of people will be able to appreciate out of the woods, right? Because, I mean, we read a lot of romance about them beginning their relationship. And so I think it will be. I mean, we've all been married for a while, and so I'm actually really, really excited to see a perspective of a couple who's been married and, like, keeping the flame going. And just, like, you know, because I feel like it's not talked about a lot. You have to continue to work through issues because we just see the beginning of a relationship. They either get married or they continue to stay together. And that's all we see of couples. And so I love. I love that idea. I love it. I'm so excited to read.
- [15:03]
Hannah Bonham Young
Was so fun to write because I think. Because, yeah, we're so used to reading and writing these books where it's like, you start with the meet cute, you work away from there. Right. Which is obviously such a fun formula. I love doing that. But this was much more of a challenge in the sense of, okay, we're meeting two very established people. Like, people who, like, pop pimples in the mirror next to each other and, like, pee with the door open. Yes. Like, how do we get back to the like? So I got to do a little bit of, like, dual timeline. Like, kind of showing them, like, in, like, little glances throughout the years of meeting and working through some stuff in their teenage years. The idea of them getting engaged, getting married, all of these things that were happening kind of in the. In between, that kind of helps the reader understand where they're at and why they're at now. But what I love about out of the woods and what it became is that I think so often when we see romance novels that are about married couples or couples that have been together a long time, it's often a second chance. Like, they've broken apart and they're trying to come back together. But with out of the woods, it's two people who are very much in love. Like there is not a moment in this book that they are not in love. They're just trying to be better for each other and for their future. And so it was challenging in the ways of like trying to write a book that has the highs and the lows and the ups and the downs and the meet cutes and the, you know, like hitting all of these kind of soft spots that readers want and I want to give them, but also creating something where it was very consistent and very, you know, like they love each other so deeply, they just have to learn how to love each other better or learning love each other well. And it's fun and it's crazy and it's sad and I love it very much and I hope people like it. So far, so good as far as what I've been allowed to see. My team is very good at giving me just the nice hoodies probably. But I'm really excited about it. It's something different and I think out of after out on a limb, I had to be careful and cognizant to write something different to go in a slightly different direction. But it was also so lovely to bring Beau and Win back and hang out with them and see more of their family dynamics play out and write an epilogue so far in the future that it's like, you know, how it goes for everybody for the rest of their lives, you know, and it's, it's just really nice.
- [17:25]
Kennedy
But yeah, I am so excited to read that.
- [17:29]
Michaela
Yeah.
- [17:30]
Kennedy
While you were talking, this sounds super lame, but like I got full body chills.
- [17:33]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah.
- [17:33]
Reggie
Yes.
- [17:34]
Kennedy
Just because like you genuinely don't see. You had already kind of touched on this, but you genuinely don't see marriage romances, like you said, they're second chance romances. But to be able to like as someone who's been married for a long time, it's fun to read romance novels with the meet cute and all those things. But there's nothing out there that shows a long term marriage. And I like, I am so excited. I am so hyped. Which the day that this goes live is January 26th and your book comes out January 29th.
- [18:06]
Hannah Bonham Young
Correct? Eight. Yeah.
- [18:07]
Kennedy
January 28th. So everybody listening run right now. I have it pre ordered. I'm ready. I am so ready because I think it's gonna make me cry.
- [18:17]
Reggie
Oh, I'm ready. I already want to cry.
- [18:19]
Michaela
I know.
- [18:19]
Hannah Bonham Young
Same.
- [18:19]
Michaela
I was getting teary.
- [18:20]
Hannah Bonham Young
I was like it like I. I have been tagged in many crying videos at this point from our creators. So I would. I. I think that it's. It's hard because it's like, I never want to sound like, like, unkind to be like, I hope you cry. But also like, I, like, I cried so much writing it that it's kind of like the feeling of when you go to a friend's house and you start crying and they start crying because you're crying. It's like that mutual, like, everyone's safe here feeling. So, like, I don't hope you cry to feel sad. I hope you cry because it makes you feel something that, you know, releases that from your body. Like, yes. But like, Sarah really goes on like, a big journey for her. Like, a big part of her journey is like, finding her own independence in this relationship she's become so comfortable with because they have been together since they were teenagers. And what I wrote in the author's note, which, like, I feel like is just the easiest and simplest way to pitch this book, is like, it is my love letter to those of us who met their soulmate a little too young. Because it's just like, how do you meet yourself when you've met your other half? And how do you be half of a person for half of your life? And how do you, you know, like, in all of these things? And she has to figure out a lot for herself. So I feel like it's. It's definitely a romance. There's a lot of romance, there's a lot of spice, there's a lot of fun and shenanigans, but also, like, it's kind of teetering on this, like, women's fiction self discovery journey that I really love. And I loved getting to write. So I feel like it'll be interesting to see what you know.
- [20:01]
Reggie
Well, I'm already crying, so literally, there you go. And I. We both met our husbands in high school. And so. And I don't mean this in like a not. I don't know, sometimes I finish a romance book, you know, your typical meet cute, whatever. And I finish it and I'm kind of like, oh, I really miss that, like, beginning stage of being in love. And then I have to like, have this reality check where I'm like, wait, I can still romanticize the relationship I have. Like, just because.
- [20:34]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah, I feel like when I think about, like, oh, like the early stages of me and my husband, I'm like, I'm thinking about children, right? Like, I'm thinking about teenagers. And it's like, yes, it felt so Romantic. And yes, my feelings felt so strong and I, and obviously that was my person, still is my person. But it's strange to be like there was no wooing, there was no like dating. It was like he could pick me up in his parents minivan. Do you know what I mean? Like, it's like, so it's just, it's, it's a very different thing to have. Like, it's a wonderful thing to share a life with somebody and grow up with somebody. And you know, I joke all the time about like, how I got to like build my own husband because like, I met him young enough where I was like, no, don't do that. Do do this right? And, and like, yeah, you're all nodding like, yeah, like, it's just, it's kind of lovely in that way. And I think that that's the fun of getting to write that into the book is like showing these two people who have all of this comfortability and all of the shared history and, and get each other. And there's such privilege in that too. Like, and it was nice to remind myself writing the book, like, yeah, there's so much to be grateful for. Even though it would have maybe been nice to like, yeah, have the sexy bar, meet cute or the, you know, fake dating at my grown up job, whatever. It's also nice to think, like, oh yeah, I have someone who gets me and sees me and understands me and, and will wait and hold my hand as I go a little bit off the rails and take us into the wilderness and try to figure out what I want to do with my life. Like, it's, it's, there's comfort and love in that too. And it was nice.
- [22:20]
Reggie
You want someone that like, is going to be with you through all the stages, all the grief, all the, all the hard moments as well as like the good ones. And so that's what I'm looking, yeah, I'm looking forward to reading that for just, you know, another book I can relate to. But also how cool that you're showing.
- [22:41]
Kennedy
I mean, obviously all of us right here are married. But also it'll be such a cool way for readers who aren't married to be able to see what marriage is like before getting married. I don't know, I just genuinely, I can't say enough good things about this book because I am so incredibly excited.
- [23:00]
Hannah Bonham Young
You'll have to tell me what you think.
- [23:03]
Kennedy
I think I'm gonna love it. I really do. I feel like genuinely, I'm just gonna cry throughout the entire thing. Anything that's remotely somewhat similar to my life. Immediate tears. So. So in this realm, of all of.
- [23:16]
Hannah Bonham Young
Your books that you've.
- [23:17]
Kennedy
You've written, would you say out of the woods was the most challenging to write or which book out of the books, out of the ones that you've written has been the most challenging?
- [23:26]
Hannah Bonham Young
I think, in a technical sense, out of the woods was the most challenging to write because I didn't get to kind of follow any sort of formula or any sort of. Kind of expected beats of a romance novel that you have to hit. It's also just not a trope that I've read a lot of myself or a trope that I've read in the way of, like, again, like, a lot of marriage in crisis or marriage in turmoil or whatever, you know, people want to call it. I find it to be pretty different from the ones I've read in the sense that, like, again, there isn't a moment where you're wondering if these two people are headed for divorce. Like, they are very much in love. So it was just challenging because I felt like I was questioning myself a lot more about, okay, well, this was what feels right for the story, but is that boring? Is this not going to be interesting to people who aren't married? Is this too much inner thoughts and inner monologue? And. And it was just a bit more of a challenge in terms of, like, the writing and editing process of it and making sure it. It turned into something that really had, like, a beginning, middle, and end and stakes and all of these things. I would still say, like, emotionally. So out on a limb was the most difficult because it's really, like, I always describe it, like, it's just putting, like, your journal out on Goodreads. Like, it's very personal. It's very intimate to me and who I am. And I wanted to make sure that I was honoring the community that I'm a part of and making people feel seen while also remaining true to how I feel. Feel about my disability, which is that it's not the most interesting thing about me. So trying to kind of balance the fact that it is mentioned and it's prevalent and it's. It's referenced and it's. It's there, but also, like, these are two fully formed people. And that was just very vulnerable and difficult, just in a way of feeling a lot of pressure to get it right. But, I mean, I'm so grateful for that book now, in hindsight. And it's now I feel so warm and fuzzy about it. But for a Little bit there. I was a little bit like. I don't know if anyone should read it. It's a very. I just, it's. It's like going to therapy and receiving like a. A star review after like it's a very like strange sensation. But yeah, I think I'm excited now because the book I just finished watching, which is called Reading Writing. There we go. It's called People Watching. And that one was just like still very personal but able to kind of get away from this. Like it's a little bit more in the realm of what I'm like comfortable sharing. A little bit more fun, a little bit more sexy. And so like that's kind of a well welcomed break. And now I'm going back in for the next book which is probably the most vulnerable thing I'll ever write. So, you know, I don't. I can't seem to stay away. So I don't know.
- [26:29]
Kennedy
You are really feeding your readers. You're just book after book and I'm just gonna keep eating them up.
- [26:35]
Hannah Bonham Young
Keep it up.
- [26:36]
Michaela
I mean, obviously, I mean I'm just.
- [26:38]
Hannah Bonham Young
Trying to, you know, ride the wave while I'm relevant and then I can retire. No, I'm just kidding.
- [26:46]
Reggie
No, keep them coming, please.
- [26:47]
Hannah Bonham Young
Aren't we all though? Aren't we all just trying to ride the wave? I'm just like. I don't know. You guys want more? Okay. For sure. I've got a lot to say apparently.
- [26:57]
Michaela
So if we. If our listeners or. Or find you through wherever. Do you have a preferred reading order or would you. Do you recommend like a book you would read first of yours?
- [27:15]
Hannah Bonham Young
I. So I write duets, so. So Next of Kin and Next to youo are Connected. Out on a Limb out of the woods are Connected. My next set of books are a connected duet as well. I would recommend starting with out on a Limb because I feel like it's. I think it's like most reflective of my writing style and the stories I want to tell and the tone of my writing. I feel like I was the most me writing that book. But it's the first in the series so it's like you should in the duet. So you should start there and if you enjoy it, go back and Next of Kin and next to you. It doesn't matter reading those out of order or not. And if you don't enjoy it still read the next one. I think, I think out on a Limb probably just because it's also just my more popular one. So it's. You're gonna find More people you want to chat about it with. And it's. Yeah, it's kind of taken on a life of its own, which is a very cool thing. So I would say out on a limb and then see where you go from there. But if you wanted to start my very. With my very first book, that would be Next of Kin.
- [28:23]
Michaela
Okay. Both. Very good. Both. I haven't read the second Next to Kin.
- [28:30]
Hannah Bonham Young
Next to you.
- [28:31]
Michaela
Next to you. I haven't read that one yet.
- [28:33]
Hannah Bonham Young
But you have my favorite.
- [28:34]
Reggie
Next of.
- [28:35]
Kennedy
Next to you is your favorite.
- [28:37]
Hannah Bonham Young
Next to you is my favorite.
- [28:38]
Kennedy
Okay, I really love that one.
- [28:41]
Hannah Bonham Young
I was wanting.
- [28:42]
Reggie
We were wanting to know, like, so that's good to know. But also, like, is. Was that. Is all your favorite characters in that book or do you have a character that's your favorite?
- [28:51]
Hannah Bonham Young
I. Yeah, I do. I mean, I love. I love Sarah and Caleb so much. And I think, like, writing Caleb was so fun because he's just this, like. I really just think he's just this very kind, steadfast person who's incredibly book smart but a little bit dumb socially. I just love how big his heart is. And he just says things. And you're like, buddy, I'd be typing things out. I'm like, my guy. You need to think through what you're about to say. And I'm like making him say it. I love writing Caleb, but I think my two characters that I'm. I'm most attached to now are my characters from People Watching, which are Milo and Pru, which will come out in September of this year. But they're just. I don't know. It was so fun to write and I just love them so much. And if I was going to hang out with any of my characters, I would want to hang out with them just so I could feel cool. Probably. Like, I'd be like, they think I'm cool, but I think Matt and Lane from Next to youo held my heart for a really long time. I still think I just. I just love them and I love the idea of driving around in a schoolie bus with them and hanging out. And Matt's family was, like, really fun to write and he's one of, like eight siblings and it was just this chaotic, beautiful mess of a family. And I think there's a lot of reasons. I love Next to youo, but I think it's just my. More. I think Matt yearns so much and I love a man who yearns.
- [30:34]
Kennedy
Yeah, you write the best. Like, the best way I can describe it. And I Think people understand what I. What I'm trying to say when I say this is, you write the best. Like cinnamon roll men.
- [30:43]
Michaela
Yeah, yeah.
- [30:44]
Kennedy
Just like these. Ooey, gooey, yummy.
- [30:46]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was. It's fun because it's like. I feel like Warren, my friend, my first book, next of kin, isn't very cinnamon roll, but he's like a secret softy.
- [30:56]
Michaela
Yeah.
- [30:58]
Hannah Bonham Young
But obviously that book is single pov. All of my books until out of the woods are single pov. But then, yeah, like, getting to write, people watching is my first duel. And he's not a very. He's not very cinnamon roll. And so it was fun because then I really got to explore and show his inner thoughts and kind of, you know, and that was really. Yeah, fun to do. But I definitely think they're all big softies. I'm just not someone who finds it very attractive, like, when men are very nice. Like, I have friends where they're like, this is the hottest book, boyfriend. And I'll read a sentence and I'll be like, that would make me cry.
- [31:32]
Reggie
Like.
- [31:34]
Hannah Bonham Young
All power to you. All power to them. All power to the FMC and the author. That would make me cry. Like, I am too sensitive for that.
- [31:42]
Reggie
Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about.
- [31:45]
Michaela
Yeah.
- [31:47]
Hannah Bonham Young
So, yeah, they have to be softies, at least a little bit.
- [31:51]
Reggie
Yes. That's what we all love to go along with. All those characters, though. Is there one that was a little more. What would you say is the most difficult to write? I mean, they all probably had to be a little bit, but, yeah, I.
- [32:07]
Hannah Bonham Young
Think it's a good question. I think probably Sarah from Out of the woods was the most difficult because she's very complicated, and she and I aren't very alike. Like, she is someone who feels a lot but doesn't communicate those feelings, whereas I have the fault of, like, over communicating. And so I. It felt hard for me to keep her closed off, and it felt difficult for me to kind of write her from this perspective of she's going through a lot and feeling a lot and. And feel safe with her husband, but doesn't necessarily feel like it's a good time ever to unload or talk about how she's been doing. And so it just goes on for so long that she's now just kind of pretending to be okay. And that's difficult because it can feel frustrating, I think, when you're trying to write conversations or you're trying to, you know, make resolutions with. With this character who's like, and another thing that I've been feeling that I didn't mention. And, you know, and it's. And there's a level of self acceptance I had to do in terms of, like, parts of myself, but people in my life and coming to understand them more in terms of being more closed off or being harder to get through to, and also just kind of giving those parts of myself grace to where it's like, I'm not like, oh, I have to delete this entire paragraph. She sounds so annoying. Where it's like, you know what? Actually, maybe we just let women be a little bit difficult and, you know, and, like, maybe we just let her be a bit of a quote unquote in this part of the book. And maybe she's entitled to that and maybe that's okay. And, like, kind of having to reframe a lot of things of, like, she's not the easiest person. And I so often find myself guilty of wanting to write characters that are maybe more digestible. And I think writing her was a difficult challenge in the sense of just, like, really wanting to stay true to who she is and really stay true to, like, the fact that she is very different than maybe, like, the way I would outwardly process, but I do inwardly process the same. But it's like. I don't know how to describe it. I think I'm doing a bad job.
- [34:33]
Kennedy
But I think it's great.
- [34:35]
Michaela
I totally get what you're saying.
- [34:36]
Hannah Bonham Young
It's this element of just she's messy and complicated and brash and difficult and. And it was a lot of, like, unlearning and learning to kind of allow her to breathe and allow her to, like, take up space on Paige. And it turned out to be, like, really cathartic and lovely and wonderful and seeing people now be like, I feel so much like her. I feel so seen. I'm like, okay. Like, I did it, like, well, that's what's so beautiful.
- [35:05]
Reggie
That's what's so beautiful about it, is because it does feel real, because not everybody's perfect. And, you know, I read a lot of books. I really enjoyed them, but sometimes characters can feel a little too perfect sometimes. But I feel like the books that I feel like I can always relate to the most have a lot of very imperfect characters. But just because you're not perfect doesn't mean you're not real. And anyways, I thought that was very beautifully said, so thank you. Yeah, it goes to show, like, it says a lot about your books, so thank you.
- [35:42]
Michaela
And your. Your writing process. I think it shows how much you truly care about your writing process and wanting to stick true to the characters, which I think is also great, because I feel like sometimes there are characters who do stuff and in other books that I've read that don't seem like the character at the beginning of the book, and it just seems out of left hand. So if you're really diving into these characters and making sure, like, their actions and their words and their thought process stays true to how the character actually is, which is amazing. I love it.
- [36:15]
Reggie
You're taking good care of me.
- [36:17]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah, I get. I get so nerdy about backstory that, like, isn't going to make it into books. Like, with characters, I'm like, I want to know their favorite everything. I want to know. They're like, I have this, like, intense. My husband calls it my book Bible, where it's like, every character I've ever written and characters that are, like, barely even relevant to the story that are there and everything I know about them and who their favorite teacher was in elementary school and why and, like, what's their. Like, everything from, like, their astrological sign to, like, you know, what Meyer Briggs type. Like, I'm like, I want to know these people so well that when I'm writing, decisions they make, like you said, it's. It's not a decision I'm making for them, it's a decision they're making. And I think the reason Sarah was more difficult to write is because she was making decisions at every turn I wouldn't make. I was just like, okay, girly, this is your. This is your story. You know, like. But I think that it. It's also just. It was fun in a way, too, to just like, explore that side of. Of dynamic of someone and get to kind of spend time with her and be in her head. And it was very refreshing. But, yeah, it's. It's hard for me to separate character from book. So much so that I think. I hope it comes through that it's. It feels very real, and they feel like people you could bump into, you know, because it's. Yeah, I've overthought them.
- [37:44]
Kennedy
But I think that shows in your books. And also, it's really cool to pull back the curtain a little bit and see your process on writing and that you do that much backstory and that much work, because I feel like as a reader, it makes me appreciate your books that much more. The fact that you've put that much time and effort and thought into your characters, that's Truly incredible.
- [38:05]
Reggie
And it's like, it shows.
- [38:07]
Kennedy
I mean, yeah, it truly shows.
- [38:10]
Michaela
How long do you think it takes for you to really nail down one of your characters? Like, their backstory, their favorite color, I don't know, their favorite food? How long do you think does that process usually take?
- [38:23]
Hannah Bonham Young
It's been so different with every character, and that seems like such a cop out answer, but, like, it really, really is. The one that comes to mind, just because it's the most recent is Pruitt. Prudence, who I just wrote for People Watching. And she came to me like, like in a. A download. Like, it was like I had one thought and then she was just there and I knew everything about her and it's just like having to type to catch up with, like, what I know about her. Like, okay, before I forget, like, she likes this and she doesn't like this and she feels this and she doesn't feel this and. And then her counterpart, Milo, came a little bit slower. Like, I knew of him and I could see him. Like, visually I had a very strong idea of what he looked like. Took me a little bit more time to, like, unravel the layers, but I feel like it's so funny because that's how they are in the book. Is like, he is this bit more of like, this like, nomad, mysterious, like flirty, as like a way of like keeping distance type guy. And so I knew little about him, but I knew the type, which is how Pru experiences him at first. So. But whereas with Pru, she's just this, like, lived in a small town her whole life, knows everybody, and everybody knows her. And so it felt very right that it was like, that's how I kind of got to know them. I would say, timeline wise, it took me probably about two or three months to really, like, fully get a full process idea of, especially with Milo, like, what he is about and what he needs and what his wounds are and what his journey will be and. But yeah, spending time with them was the best. So I miss them already. I'm like, grieving it a little bit, having to move on, but it's different every time, for sure. I would say, like, the fastest was probably Prudence, and the slowest was probably, probably Lane from next to you. She's just. She's another one where it's like, she's just a very complicated person who likes to keep things surface, level. So it felt like having to knock on the door a lot to get through. But yeah, it's. It's fun to get to know them and meet them. It's the best when you, like, get a new person or a new idea or a new concept, and then it's like this whole world opens up that you didn't get to have before and daydream in and. Yeah.
- [40:58]
Kennedy
So when you, like, your.
- [41:00]
Hannah Bonham Young
Right. Wow.
- [41:01]
Michaela
I can't speak.
- [41:02]
Kennedy
Your writing process, do you typically start with, like, the character, the backstory for all your characters, and then go into the story, or do you write the story and kind of fill in the blanks as you go?
- [41:16]
Hannah Bonham Young
I think usually for me, I have a concept of the story first. So, like, I'll be like, okay, like, something will spark an idea, and then I will try to figure out, like, that'll be more like place, setting, time. I feel like a very base level for story. And then I will place different characters I have in my mind whether they haven't quite found their right story yet. And I'm trying to find their story. So I, like, bring that person to the forefront. This makes me sound insane. I'm aware of that. No, no, but, like, it'll be like, okay, like, you know, so and so, who's been around asking for a book for a while? Like, what do they want? Like, would they fit in this story? And it's like, no, that's not really their. That doesn't fit. Right. And then you'll be driving or you'll be listening to a song, or something will happen and this person will appear and. And then you go, okay, yeah, like, that's. Of course. It's always this, like, yeah, of course. And so she fits in. And then who's her counterpart? Like, what are they about? Who is she into? Like, what would be her type? Is. Is this person straight? Are they queer? Are they, like, you know, like, what would be their ideal partner? What would be the opposite of that? Their ideal partner? And why should it be that person? You know, like, it's kind of like a puzzle that starts with, like, this very blank slate of where it will be or why it will be. And then I kind of just get to fill in the pieces from there. I. My process is that I won't start writing until I know everything about the characters. I'm very content to not know things about where the story is going. I usually have an idea of, like, this is the thing that will happen and unfold, but I don't ever have, like, a point by point, chapter by chapter plan. I work best when I just feel like I know the characters so well that they get to tell me what happens versus me having to decide for them. Like, I feel like I'm transcribing. Like, they're like, okay, so we. I met so and so and then this. And I'm like, okay, slow down. Like, let me catch up. But, yeah, I think that that works better for me. I would. I would love to be a planner. I wish I was, but I think I'm doomed to forever just be obsessively obsessed with my characters and let them tell me what to do. It's very passive, but it works better.
- [43:50]
Reggie
Well, that's so cool. It's fascinating. I just. I. Every time I read a book, I'm just dying to get into the author's brain because I'm like, how do you make all these moving parts fit together? And that is just mind blowing to me to hear that. It feels like, yeah, well.
- [44:10]
Michaela
And it's so crazy because we've interviewed a few authors on here, and it's so crazy to hear how different your guys' writing process looks like. And I just think it's so cool and so unique because it really shows how different every individual is, especially when it comes to writing, because you get a same outcome, you have a book and maybe similar plot points, but everyone's like, writing style is so different, how they go about it. The process is so unique to the individual author, which is. It's so fun to learn all this stuff about you guys.
- [44:47]
Reggie
It shows that I love a right or wrong way.
- [44:50]
Michaela
Yeah, right.
- [44:52]
Hannah Bonham Young
No. And anybody who would tell you that is lying. Yeah, that's. There's. You have to figure out how it works for your brain. You have to figure out how it works for you. Totally. It's like any. Anything, any job you could ever do, there's going to be someone who says, well, this is the easier way. I don't know if you guys have ever trained for a job where you're like, I'm not going to do it this way as soon as I'm done training. But, like, it's the same. It's the same thing. It's like, there's not one way that works for everybody. And. And the way I do it is probably out of order or strange to a lot of people. Like, I can't write a first draft to save my life. I, in the sense of my books, are very close finished product to what my first draft is, because I agonize over every single paragraph and I edit as I go. And I do. Like, I write five chapters. I edit five chapters. I write five chapters. And then I edit up until then. So it's like I'm editing my first five chapters 40 times by the time I'm done my first draft. And. And so it's like, it's just. That is not a good process probably. Like, it takes way too long and it's too meticulous and I stress myself out. Whereas I have friends who are authors who like can get a first draft down in three weeks and then they just edit and they edit and they edit and they edit over and over and over again, like full rewrites. And I. And I. That would kill me. Like, that would. I couldn't do it. But it works so well for them. And you know, it's just. There's no right or wrong way of doing any of it. It's just. It's just a matter of what will work. And I find it so fascinating, like when I get to talk to authors doing their events or I'm like, what's your writing style like? I'm always just sitting there just like wide eyed, open mouth, just like, wow, brains are so cool. Like, it's just, it's fascinating.
- [46:48]
Reggie
That's so cool. Well, we've kind of talked about your future books. You have two coming out this year. So you have the one out out of the woods in the next couple days. And then you have what did part of People watching People watching in September, which.
- [47:06]
Kennedy
P.S. that that title immediately has me intrigued. Like, oh, okay, I need to know.
- [47:11]
Hannah Bonham Young
I was shocked that no one had taken that. And to my knowledge, I still don't. I did my due diligence a couple of months ago, but like, I was like, are you sure? Like, I messed email my editor, like separately out of our like, chain with everybody. I was like, no, like, for real, for real. I can have this title. Like, nobody else is taken that yet. Like, and they were like, yeah, it seems like it's all yours. I was like, okay, seems like a fluke.
- [47:35]
Reggie
All right.
- [47:37]
Kennedy
Yeah, to me now.
- [47:39]
Reggie
And you finished that one. So what is next for you? Are you taking a vacation or you're going on tour? Like, what does the future look like for you?
- [47:49]
Hannah Bonham Young
January is going to be absolutely, wonderfully insane. I am very fortunate to get to go on tour at the end of this month for my book. And I have like a bunch of lovely things like this to do before then. And then I go on tour. And then in February, I get back first week of February from that and then I'm doing an event with my friend Becca, like a local event, like a Galentine's Day thing. So prepping for that, which two of my best friends are actually, like, running and organizing. They're in the event space.
- [48:23]
Michaela
Space.
- [48:23]
Hannah Bonham Young
And so they're. They wanted to do something like that. And so it's. It's so fun. It's truly a Galentine's Day event for me. I get to hang out with all my best friends. And then March and April. And March and April. I have a new book to write. So I will be reading a book in March and April and then parts of May. I'm going to Beachside Book Fest in May in Florida, which I'm really excited about. And then my book. My next book's due June. So not much of vacation, but more of a balanced life balance than I would say last year was. I will probably take weekends to hang out with my kids and breathe and go into nature and touch grass, you know, But, Jay. Yeah, I'm really excited to go on tour, though, in January. Like, they really did a great job on that because I live in Canada, so it's freezing and I'm very excited. Like, I get to go to Houston or. Yeah, Houston. Yes. Yeah. I'm like, I'm learning so much about American geography just through publishing and, like, figuring out where I'm going to places. I'm like, right? Yes. I'm like, I get to go somewhere warm in January. Like, sign me up. Yeah. It's a busy time, but it's an exciting time. I have one book due this year, and then I have promo for the next book, and then it'll be this all over again. And then we'll do it again. You know, we'll run it back. But it's an exciting thing, for sure. I'm very. It's very cool that it's my job.
- [50:01]
Michaela
So exciting. Well, I hope you get at least to take some break because it's well deserved because you're feeding us so much good stuff that you deserve a little bit of peace and quiet and, you know, some vacation time for yourself.
- [50:16]
Hannah Bonham Young
Two weeks off around the holidays. Like, I was on my couch with my kids. They got a switch, so I have barely moved. It's been great.
- [50:26]
Michaela
I love that.
- [50:27]
Kennedy
You deserve that. You truly do.
- [50:32]
Michaela
Kind of switching gears just to kind of. This is. We usually talk about movie adaptations at the end of our episodes. So is there a book you would want to be turned into a movie or TV show?
- [50:48]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah, I mean, my heart is always going to say out on a Limb. I would love to see out on a Limb as a movie. I mean, a TV show is. If anyone's listening, a TV show is fine.
- [51:00]
Reggie
You'll take.
- [51:01]
Hannah Bonham Young
But I guess I'll take it, you know, if I must. I just think it's so cool. Like, the way out on a limb has been so embraced by the romance community, has really been very meaningful and very affirming for me and a lot of people in the limb difference community. And so it would just be very cool to see that representation physically done and to cast people with those disabilities and to celebrate them and lift up actors or actresses who have those disabilities but don't often get these, like, leading roles because of them. And so I think it was. That would just be really a very cool thing, especially because I was actually. I was chatting with someone who. There's nothing in the works. I'm gonna say something. It's gonna sound suspicious as hell. I was chatting with an actress who has a very similar limb difference to me, but again, there is nothing. Just nobody get their hopes up. And. And she was just saying, like, it's nice to read a book and think about it being. Coming, like, television or film media, in a sense of. It's not a tragedy. Like, this isn't someone who is hurt or has been injured or, you know, because she plays a lot of these roles where it's like, she's been to war or she's had this massive accident or. And. And she's like, it's kind of nice that you. The idea of just maybe being, like, a person who's just like, go. You know, like, falling in love. And I was like, absolutely. Like, rom coms for disabled people. Like, that would be sick. Like, let's make this happen. So that's where I. I would always go to. I mean, obviously, anything would be incredible, but I just think. I don't know, Lynn would be extra special in that way.
- [52:45]
Reggie
Oh, yeah. I'll be the first to sign the petition.
- [52:47]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah, I know. I'm like, how many people would we be able to get to sign something? Be, like, at Netflix?
- [52:55]
Kennedy
No, seriously?
- [52:56]
Michaela
Yeah.
- [52:56]
Hannah Bonham Young
Very cool.
- [52:58]
Michaela
Well, I think that it would be really cool because it would open so many doors for a lot of people. And I think that is amazing because I feel like writing the books. You do open a lot of doors for a lot of people. And I think just for furthering it into, you know, TV or a movie would be incredible. And I think it's. Yeah. Once again, you're really great at romanticizing things that should be romanticized, and it tends to be shoved in the corner and it. And it shouldn't.
- [53:34]
Hannah Bonham Young
Yeah. I got so excited when I saw. I don't know if Talia Hibbert is one of my favorite authors and, like, a huge inspiration for me, and she wrote the Brown Sisters trilogy, and they are all disabled or have chronic illness, and that's getting turned into a. Well, it was announced that they sold the rights to it for a TV show. And so, like, when that happened, I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, yet again, here goes Talia, like, paving the way for us. And. And it's just like, that was so cool and magical that it gave me, like, a little bit of hope, like, maybe someday, but if not, like, I'll be first in line to see those, you know?
- [54:10]
Kennedy
But it's.
- [54:11]
Hannah Bonham Young
It's so cool. Yeah, it's been very, very cool.
- [54:15]
Michaela
That makes me so excited.
- [54:16]
Reggie
Where can everybody find you? What are. Obviously, we've got your out there. Your books out there, but your. Like, where's your. Your socials where they can find you.
- [54:28]
Hannah Bonham Young
On G. I'm author Hannahby. I think on everything, at least on Instagram. Probably most active on Instagram, but where I'm actually myself is TikTok, probably because I still feel like there's that part of my brain that's just millennial enough where I'm like, TikTok's not a real problem. Like, digital footprint doesn't exist in that space. Yeah. So if you. Yeah. If you want to see more unhinged stuff. But Instagram is author Hannahby.
- [55:03]
Reggie
Awesome. Well, we'll be linking everything. Yeah, well, we'll make sure to link everything in our show notes. And we just have to say it was such a joy to have you. You are so inspirational, beautiful. Hilarious. I can't wait.
- [55:23]
Michaela
I can see where you get all the good banter from, because you're just hilarious. And I like coming up with these things. And you're. And it's amazing.
- [55:33]
Hannah Bonham Young
This was so fun. You're all so beautiful. I did say that when I logged in, it was for the listeners at home. We logged in and I was like, immediately like, oh, my God, I feel like I'm joining a hot girl sorority. Like, it was just a panel of beautiful women. I was just like, hey, guys, thanks for having me, but no, this has been so lovely. Thank you. I really appreciate you guys making the time to hang out and chat about books.
- [55:59]
Reggie
You're so welcome. It was an honor.
- [56:01]
Michaela
Yeah.
- [56:02]
Kennedy
So we appreciate you making time out of your schedule to talk to us.
- [56:06]
Michaela
You're your busy schedule. Busy woman.
- [56:09]
Reggie
Yeah. As we heard in the beginning of the episode.
- [56:13]
Hannah Bonham Young
In the beginning.
- [56:14]
Michaela
She's quite popular.
- [56:15]
Reggie
A core memory right there. Yeah. Thank you so much. And wishing you all the best with what you have coming this year.
- [56:22]
Hannah Bonham Young
So thank you. So lovely to meet you guys.
- [56:25]
Reggie
Yes, lovely to meet.