We had the pleasure of chatting with author Erin Hahn about her latest release, Never Saw You Coming, along with book recommendations, the challenges she faced, and so much more!
Hi, Erin! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m a former grunge girl who read a lot of Jane Austen growing up and fell in love with love. I married my college sweetheart and have two brilliant and hilarious kids. I’m obsessed with documentaries about Victorian serial killers, studying song lyrics, reading with my cat, walking my dog and baking with my kids.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I’ve always loved telling stories and making people feel things, but I’m not at all comfortable in front of a crowd. In fourth grade, I was given a prompt to write a short story based off of a Norman Rockwell sticker and the teacher loved it so much, she read it out loud to the class. Everyone laughed (with me, not at, thankfully!) and it felt amazing to know something I wrote made people happy. I’ve chased that feeling ever since!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Junk Day on Juniper Street by Lillian Moore, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor lives rent free in my brain FOREVER AND EVER.
Your latest novel Never Saw You Coming is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Critical, challenging, gooey, swoony and flirty
What can readers expect?
They can expect the same swoony and sweet first love feels that my books are known for, but as always, I’ve layered in quite a few real life aches and growing pains, this time in the form of confronting toxic church and purity culture. It gets heavy, but I’m actually very proud of how polarizing this story is!
Where did the inspiration for Never Saw You Coming come from?
It’s an 100% fictional story, but it’s pulled directly from my own experiences growing up in the Catholic and Evangelical church, being told week after week that I was responsible for the purity of not only myself but of the boys and men around me. It was beyond time to confront that reality for my sake, my daughter’s sake and the sake of young men and women everywhere.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Gah. Where to start? Seriously, every bit of this book was a challenge to write. At conception, I didn’t want to write it. I was afraid of challenging an institution I’d been raised in! Evangelical doctrine is intimidating af, and I worried about alienating myself and my family from our lifelong friends. However, I’ve been coming to terms with my own trauma based off of years of being told I should feel shame about my body and how it may affect another’s actions, and realized I couldn’t NOT write this story. While writing “More Than Maybe”, I met Meg and the more I got to know her, the more I knew in my gut she was the character meant to tell this story of found faith and found families and challenging beliefs. Then came the #MeToo movement and it started a whole other resurgence of acknowledging Pastoral abuse and the disgusting double standard of victim blaming. Out of this, Micah was born. He’s like the antithesis to this kind of trauma, but writing his character and spending time in his brain was emotionally exhausting. Every piece of this book cost me, but I’ve always felt like this story was worth it. I have the platform and the chance to do something about toxic purity culture and I wanted very much to honor that opportunity to the best of my abilities.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Meg is a frigging DELIGHT to write on every level. She’s so cute and naïve and chock-filled with insistent anger at the many injustices of the world. I especially loved writing her and (sometimes) grumpy Micah’s early attempts at flirting and eventually falling in love! Their chemistry is out of this world and the way Micah adored her just oozed. I always wanted someone for Meg who would love her just as she was, fairy wings and all and Micah DOES THAT in spades.
What do you hope readers take away from reading Never Saw You Coming?
I hope they take away a stronger sense of self. That they can see how loved they are and how that love isn’t tied to their identities as assigned by any one church or organization. They can trust their hearts and their guts and know no matter what, they are worth it.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Best: Don’t be so precious about your stories. They’re just words. You aren’t the only one writing them. Just do you best and keep writing your truth as you see it. No one can replica your experience and style exactly, so stop worrying about running out of time/opportunities.
Worst: Write every day. Nope! Everyone is different. This works for a lot of people, but it can cause burnout and bitterness. If the words aren’t coming, take a breather. Consume other media. Spend time outside. I’ve found when I force words, I end up deleting them because they aren’t meant to be.
What’s next for you?
My adult rom com debut, Built to Last will be releasing next fall, 2022 from Griffin Books. It’s a second chance romance where sparks and sawdust fly when two former childhood costars with a tangled romantic history reunite to produce a home renovation show!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Yes! Three YA’s: Sway with Me, coming this fall from Syed Masood, How Moon Fuentes Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, and You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow are some of my favorite recent/upcoming releases!
Find Erin on Twitter and Instagram, along with at her website.
