Bestselling Author of “Icebreaker” Hannah Grace Talks About Her Hit New Romcom, “Wildfire”

Hannah Grace writes swoony adult reads that are entertaining and comforting. Filled with romance, comedic moments and characters that we all can relate to, it’s no wonder that her romance novels have captured readers’ hearts.

Grace’s books originally gained popularity online, especially when readers on BookTok started speaking about her hockey romance, Icebreaker. The Manchester, England-based author quickly found herself with a solid and loyal fan base that loves her books.

Now, readers have a new book to pick up. Wildfire is a romantic story about two characters who think their hookup is a “one-time thing,” until they find themselves working at the same summer camp — making it hard for them to respect that whole “don’t date your coworker” rule.

We had a chance to speak to Hannah about writing successful romance books, complex characters and her new bestseller, Wildfire.

You are a self-proclaimed author of fluffy comfort novels and new adult contemporary. Is there something in particular that draws you to these genres, as a writer or a reader? Are there other authors in these genres you enjoy reading?

I like the escapism that comes with contemporary romance. I’m a big believer that not every book needs to have a profound impact on your outlook on life. Reading to laugh or cry or just be incredibly jealous of the main character can be just as important to your overall well-being. That’s why I call my books fluffy comfort books, because I’m trying to create something that isn’t intimidating. There are so many authors I love that it’d be impossible to list them all, but Ana Huang, Ki Stephens, BK Borison, EJ Blaise, Lauren Asher, Elena Armas, Becka Mack, and Deanna Grey are my favorites.

Your novel Icebreaker, set at the University of California in Maple Hills, was a New York Times bestseller. It captured the hearts and attention of readers with the romance between an ice skater and a hockey star, and their different personalities that worked well together. Why do you feel that these characters in particular resonated so much with readers?

I think with Anastasia she’s just someone who wants to do well and that’s a feeling a lot of people can relate to. She communicates her feelings and she works on getting better by going to therapy, and I think that’s something a lot of people can aspire toward if they’re not quite there yet. Nathan looks after everyone and is the borderline-perfect boyfriend. He also works hard and is so caring, and I think a lot of readers love to see a main character who is respectful of their partner, friends, and strangers around them.

Icebreaker also blew up in popularity on TikTok, with fans raving about the story, tagging the book and sharing their feelings. What was the most surprising part about this surge of readers discussing your book on social media? Are there characters or story elements that fans grabbed onto that you didn’t expect to get so much attention?

Henry. Even people who didn’t particularly like the book or the other characters seem to love Henry. I knew he was popular from the feedback on my original draft but the sheer amount of “Henry’s book when?????” messages I get is ridiculous. I knew he was loveable but I didn’t expect it to be on the scale that it is. On a more serious note, the book discusses Anastasia’s journey with her struggles around food and weight gain. I’ve had a lot of messages from people who relate to this particular theme of the book and have shared their own journey and thanked me for including it.

You live in Manchester, England and are from the UK, but your books are set in the USA. You manage to perfectly capture the realities of American university life and the sports world. How do you tackle the research process for the characters and environments in your stories?

I don’t really have a “research” process but I should probably get one! I’ve spent my entire life watching American TV and reading American books which I think really influences my creative process. Most of my friends are also American so I can always check things with them. Now writing is my full-time job, I try to travel to America as often as I can. New York City is my favourite place in the world and I’m hoping to finally visit LA next year.

In your newest release, Wildfire, we follow another Maple Hill student who has a one-night stand with a stranger. The girl, Aurora, leaves before Russ can get her name and is shocked to realize they are both working as counselors at the same summer camp. What inspired you to write this serendipitous meet-cute? Are any of your storylines based on reality? (Perhaps you’ve bumped into someone from your own past before…)

Thankfully, my storylines are not based in reality. I don’t think they’d be enjoyable to write if they were! Although, I met my husband at work so maybe I can pin the workplace romance on that. When I originally plotted Wildfire I’d planned that Russ and Aurora were childhood friends who’d lost touch and found themselves at the camp to work, but it wasn’t working. I really love one-night stand books where they then meet in the most inconvenient of places so I switched to this and immediately found my groove with the book.

Aurora and Russ are trying to avoid mixing work and romance because dating between co-workers is forbidden at camp. They are also each navigating personal issues back home. How did you approach creating complex backstories for these characters, and making their personal strife the thing that inevitably brings them closer together?

This book was more personal for me than Icebreaker and I put a lot of my real feelings into it. I wanted to show from Russ’s story that you never really know what’s going on behind closed doors and from Aurora’s story that you can undo self-sabotage and choose to be happy. Russ’s backstory means he just wants to be someone’s first choice and Aurora’s means she wants to be wanted. The pair fit together perfectly and I tried to show that through them opening up to each other and growing closer.

What are you working on currently that you can share? Will you have another novel in the Maple Hill series, and what can readers expect from it?

I’m working on Henry’s book at the moment. I don’t want to reveal too much, but I’m not sure it’s what anyone is expecting.