About Hannah

Hannah Balagna found her calling as a writer in the 3rd grade when she checked out an R.L. Stine book from a bookmobile and felt inspired to write her own. She recently completed her debut novel, DREAMREAD, a contemporary fantasy about a librarian who embarks on a treasure hunt through fantastical book worlds to secure an inheritance from her grandmother. Hannah’s favorite pastime is being alone in crowded places, i.e. libraries, coffee shops, wintry city streets, etc. She lives with her family in Naperville, IL.

10 Facts about me

  1. I love the contrast of cold weather and a cozy interior. An evening walk in the falling snow followed by hot chocolate and a seat in front of the space heater (someday it will be a fireplace) is euphoric to me.

  2. I truly love living in Naperville, but I’m addicted to moving, so we’ll see if I stay here long term.

  3. I took forever to graduate college because I couldn’t admit to myself I wanted to be a writer and kept switching my major. I finally landed on English and graduated from BYU in 2012.

  4. I produced 4 babies in 3 1/2 years. Now I only have time for parenting and writing. Nothing else.

  5. I’m married to a musician/voice over artist (one person, two different jobs), and he is my favorite part about life.

  6. Oddly enough, my favorite authors are outside my chosen genre: Ann Patchett, Anne Tyler, and Erica Bauermeister. But within my genre, I believe Laini Taylor is Queen. I’m in awe of her talent.

  7. I hate getting ready for bed.

  8. My ideal day involves a long walk outside, warm soup and bread, writing in a library, spending time with my family, a hot shower, and reading a book in bed.

  9. I’m very good at tongue twisters. That is truly my one and only hidden talent.

  10. I write both on my computer and by hand. Switching back and forth keeps my brain from getting stuck.

5 facts about my Debut novel: DREAMREAD

  1. The very first image I had of the book was of my main character, Rose: a tight-laced but beautiful librarian wearing red lipstick.

  2. I came up with the book’s premise by asking, “What would be cool?”

  3. The ending has seen many different versions, all wildly different. But the current one is my favorite.

  4. I wrote the book relatively quickly, but spent the next decade rewriting and fine tuning as I learned how to write well. I could’ve written different books instead to develop my skills, but I fell in love with these characters and couldn’t give up on them.

  5. The library in the story was inspired by Central Library in St. Louis, MO. The small town of Greenswick was inspired by Kimmswick, MO.