Skip to main content
Connecticut College
  • About Connecticut College
  • Academics
  • Admission & Financial Aid
  • Alumni & Life After Conn
  • Athletics
  • Campus & Community
  • Career Preparation
  • Commencement
  • Defy Boundaries Campaign
  • Giving
  • Human Resources
  • Strategic Planning
  • Student Experience
  • Calendar
  • News
  • Directory
  • Employment
  • Libraries & Technology
  • CC Magazine
  • Site Map
Make a gift CamelWeb Today at Conn

Specialized Resources

  • Accessibility Services
  • Admission Deadlines
  • Admitted Students
  • Admitted Student Statistics
  • Arboretum
  • Arts and Culture
  • Bookshop
  • Campus Map
  • Clubs and Activities
  • Counseling Services
  • Directions to Campus
  • Essays That Worked
  • Financial Aid Services
  • Health Services
  • International Students
  • Interviewing
  • Libraries
  • Orientation
  • Request Information
  • Residential Life
  • Majors and Minors
  • Student Blog
  • Sustainability
  • Technology Services
  • Title IX: Sexual Respect
  • Transfer Students
  • Tuition and Fees
  • Transportation
  • Visit Campus
  • Academic Advising
  • Academic Calendar
  • Academic Resource Center
  • Arboretum
  • Arts and Culture
  • Camel Card Office
  • Campus Safety
  • Campus Map
  • Career Services
  • Class Schedules
  • Clubs and Student Engagement
  • Connections
  • Counseling Services
  • Course Catalog
  • Equity and Inclusion
  • Environmental Health & Safety
  • Global Focus
  • Health Services
  • Libraries
  • Residential Life
  • Sustainability
  • Technology Services
  • Title IX: Sexual Respect
  • Transportation
  • Academic Advising
  • Academic Calendar
  • Arboretum
  • Arts and Culture
  • Banner Self-Service
  • Camel Card Office
  • Campus Map
  • Campus Safety
  • Center for Teaching & Learning
  • Course Catalog
  • Course Information and Schedules
  • Equity and Inclusion
  • Employee Benefits
  • Environmental Health & Safety
  • Facilities Management
  • Human Resources
  • Instructional Technology
  • Libraries
  • Moodle
  • Sustainability
  • Technology Services
  • Title IX: Sexual Respect
  • Wellness Program
  • Academic Calendar
  • Academic Resource Center
  • Alcohol and Drug Education
  • Arboretum
  • Arts & Culture
  • Athletics Calendar
  • Bookshop
  • Camel Card Office
  • Campus Map
  • Campus Safety
  • Career Services
  • CARE Team
  • Commencement
  • Counseling Services
  • Equity and Inclusion
  • Fall Weekend
  • Applying for Financial Aid
  • First-Year Student FAQ
  • Global Focus
  • Health Services
  • Libraries
  • Orientation
  • Parent enewsletter
  • Parents Council
  • Residential Life
  • Resources for Parents and Families
  • Student Employment
  • Tuition and Fees
  • Visiting New London

 

  • Area Attractions & Events
  • Area Hotels
  • Arboretum
  • Arts and Culture
  • Bookshop
  • Campus Map
  • Campus Safety
  • The Children's Program
  • Community Learning/Volunteering
  • Directions
  • Events and Catering
  • Equity and Inclusion
  • Reserving Harkness Chapel
  • Local Restaurants and Dining
  • OnStage Performances
  • Transportation
  • Alumni Directory
  • Alumni Events
  • Alumni Association
  • Arts and Culture
  • Bookshop
  • Campus Map
  • Fall Weekend
  • Global Focus
  • Libraries
  • Library Databases
  • Notable Alumni
  • Email Help
  • Replacement Diploma
  • Reunion
  • Sponsor an Internship
  • Support the College
  • Title IX: Sexual Respect
  • Transcripts
  • Update Your Info
  • Volunteer
  • Post a job or internship
  • Explore employment programs
  • Learn about funded internships
  • Home 
  • Home 
  • News 
  • News Archive 
  • 2016 
  • Mystic Summer

Hannah Roberts McKinnon ’94 captures the New England summer in her latest novel

Hannah McKinnon (Author of The Lake Season) Mystic Summer - A Novel

Summer has begun—it's time to put on some sunscreen, grab a good book and set up a chair on the beach.

And if you're searching for a good book, look no further than "Mystic Summer," the latest novel from Hannah Roberts McKinnon '94. The book tells the tale of a Boston teacher who returns home to Mystic, Connecticut, as her life is unraveling. In Mystic, she finds comfort in family and runs into people from her past who put her struggles into perspective.

A veteran of children's books and young adult novels, McKinnon releases "Mystic Summer" on the heels of last summer's "The Lake Season," a story of an idyllic New England wedding that turns out to be anything but. The two major release novels have garnered McKinnon acclaim from best-selling authors like Elin Hilderbrand and Nan Rossiter.

McKinnon recently discussed how she approaches writing a novel and what inspires her writing.

Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

Inspiration is a slippery entity—it's so individual and personal, there can never be one true answer. For me, inspiration comes from the nuances of everyday life: a remnant conversation overheard in a coffee shop, the expression on a young mother's face waiting in line at a grocery store, a question that arises from a segment on the news. From there, whatever seed takes root morphs through several drafts as characters begin to acquire dimension and develop their own voice. It's not something I can force; it's something I have to be open to receiving and then crafting.

When the idea is ready, how do you start?

My process is never plot-driven—although I wish it were! I haven't had success sitting down in a quiet room with a laptop or on a crowded train with a notepad, mapping out my storyline. My ideas for stories tend to find me in places as random as the time in which they arrive. It can be at the store, when your youngest child has reached their limit and the oldest is begging for candy, and you just have to hope you’ve had enough sleep or caffeine to grasp that new idea until the car is loaded up and you have a fully-charged laptop at home. So, sometimes, it takes a minor miracle.

This is your second foray into "commercial fiction." What has that experience been like?

People often ask about the balance between the creative process and the business of books. It's certainly market-driven and the market will attempt to narrow your title to genre, audience and any given sub-category: commercial fiction, women's fiction, "chick lit." But if you have any hope of sharing your stories with the world, you need to familiarize yourself with the market and wade in as much as possible, especially during publication. Social media helps in that aspect. It used to be me in the corner of a bookstore with a stack of books and a plate of cookies; now, there's me, my publicist, the world of readers, and friends who share everything on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. There's no denying the immediacy and range of the audience, right at your fingertips.

What's the most important part of the writing process?

It all comes down to your work. What message or experience are your trying to convey? Is what you have to say relevant? Releasing your book is akin to sending your children off into the world—but without their shoes tied. You know their strengths and their scars. You just want them to succeed. You hold your breath, imagining a reviewer lurking in the literary bushes. If you're lucky, the book is widely embraced and sold.

It's all very personal. Regardless of what happens, it's your book. It's a little piece of you.

Hannah’s picks for the summer

 When you’re done reading “Mystic Summer,” try out these novels.

“The Lake House”

by Kate Morton

"This historical fiction family mystery kept me awake late at night—in a good way! Kate's descriptive style is lush with emotive memory and nostalgia for the places we come from and the people there who, ultimately, shape where we go."

“Pax”

by Sara Pennypacker

"This touching young adult story about a boy and his adopted fox is full of soul and coming-of-age beauty. I couldn't pry it from my 10-year-old daughter's hands; when I did, I couldn't put it down myself. Share it with your young readers—and grab the tissues."

“The Children”

by Ann Leary

"I love her debut novel, 'The Good House.' Her writing is both insightful and truthful, touching on the way we perceive ourselves and those around us."

“Barkskins”

by Annie Proulx

"This is next on my list, the latest from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Proulx, who also wrote 'Brokeback Mountain' and 'The Shipping News.'"




July 15, 2016

Related News & Media

Recent News

Communications leader Sally Susman ’84 to give keynote address at Commencement

Communications leader Sally Susman ’84 to give keynote address at Commencement

Campus News

'Jewel on the Thames'

'Jewel on the Thames'

Campus News

Connecticut College
270 Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT 06320
1 (860) 447-1911
admission@conncoll.edu
Web Privacy Policy
Web Accessibility Notice

Website Navigation

  • About Connecticut College
  • Academics
  • Admission & Financial Aid
  • Alumni & Life After Conn
  • Athletics
  • Campus & Community
  • Career Preparation
  • Commencement
  • Defy Boundaries Campaign
  • Giving
  • Human Resources
  • Strategic Planning
  • Student Experience
Make a gift CamelWeb Today at Conn
  • Calendar
  • News
  • Directory
  • Employment
  • Libraries & Technology
  • CC Magazine
  • Site Map

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn