One of the hard things about writing is that some days it does not go so well. One of the great things about living in Seattle is that there are lots of other writers in the area. Sometimes these two factors come together in an excellent way. Take yesterday, for instance. There I was, slogging through a scene that was obviously not going to work, wondering what made me think it was a good idea in the first place, when the phone rings. It is Kristin Hannah, who is in town getting her hair cut. She wants to know if I'd like to meet for lunch. Do I ever!!! Yippee! I am saved from having to figure out this dumb scene. I grab my coat and run for the door.

Over lunch I ask Kristin about her new book, MAGIC HOUR, because this is definitely not your mama's women's fiction! Want proof? Okay, here's the absolutely the irresistible set-up for this fantastic story: Deep in the Pacific Northwest lies the Olympic National Forest -- nearly one million acres of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. Even in this modern age much of it remains undiscovered and uncharted. From the heart of this old forest a six-year old girl appears. Speechless and alone this "wild child" can give no clue to her identity, no hint of her past. Her best hope is Dr. Julia Cates, a child psychiatrist who is trying to recover from a career shattered by scandal.

Jayne: This book is utterly enthralling. I've never asked another writer this question but in this case I can't resist. Where the heck did you get the idea for this story?

Kristin: The idea for this book came a few years ago. Amazingly, there was a local news story about a pair of young boys who walked out of the deep woods of British Columbia and into a small town. They claimed to have been raised in the forest and said that they'd never seen other people, never been to school, never left their campsite. The media dubbed them the "bush boys" and ran countless articles on their sad plight. The Canadian townspeople embraced the boys and took them under their wing. Sadly, as so often happens these days, the boys turned out to be frauds. Ordinary boys on the run from their all too ordinary Southern California lives. Still, their story had caught my attention. The great writer's question--what if?--came to me.

Jayne: Okay, I'll bite. What if?

Kristin: What if a child had truly been raised in the wild? I knew it was possible--history was dotted with actual stories of wild children--and especially in my corner of the world, where the forests are thick and dark and endless. But what would she be like, and what would she need? How would she handle the craziness of this high tech, thoroughly modern world?

I knew she'd need a psychiatrist to help her recover her voice, her individuality and her sense of self; I knew, too, that she'd need a police officer to help uncover the truth of where she'd been and where she belonged.
That's how I came up with Julia, Alice, and Ellie. And while I love almost all of the aspects of this story--the townspeople, the love affairs, the sister's reunion--it's really the little girl who stole my heart from the very beginning. She is a character unlike any I've created before and I found it truly difficult to let her go.

Jayne: Every reader who picks up this book is going to have the same problem, trust me. You are one of the leading lights of contemporary women's fiction. What's your take on the status of the genre today?

Kristin: This is a really difficult, loaded question. I would say that women's fiction--and by that I mean all fiction aimed primarily at a female audience, not merely a broadening or renaming of romance fiction--is as healthy as it's ever been. There are an astounding number of fabulous books being published every month. That being said, it's true that the ever expanding amount of titles has also made it difficult for new and untried authors to find their readers.

Jayne: Any thoughts on the problem?

Kristin: That's where the internet comes in. For as long as we women have been reading fiction, we've been calling our friends to tell them about it. Now, we can tell hundreds of people in a few seconds. It's a great mechanism for word of mouth, and I'm all for it. After all, in the end, that's what binds all of women's fiction together--whether it's literary, commercial, genre, or blockbuster. The books that make it big are the ones that touch our hearts or minds, the ones we simply have to tell someone about.

Jayne: Any last words of advice to writers and readers?

Kristin: My advice to writers is this: write a book you adore that is meant to make your reader respond on a deep and profound level; find your true voice and be unlike everyone else. And to readers: when you find that special book or author, tell everyone you know.

Jayne: Thanks, Kristin. By the way your hair looks great! And a note to readers. I see that MAGIC HOUR is currently a whopping 35% off at amazon and 20% off at B&N. Great deals on a book that is going to leave you feeling very, very good. Click below to order.