About Me

DANIELLE HANNA, NOVELIST

Have you ever had that feeling that you  simply knew you were meant to do something?

I learned how to read and write at age four and knew I wanted to be an author by the time I was seven. I stuck to that notion until my early twenties, when, intimidated by outside voices, I put writing on the back burner and went about life more conventionally.

Thus began the most miserable era of my life.

I recall frequent, long walks through the hills with my dog, asking God what I was doing wrong.

Two words kept coming back. Every time.

“Just write.”

I’ve finally deafened my ears to the outside voices and decided to be obedient to the One Voice. And now, while I spend my days writing, editing, marketing, and networking with no guarantee that my efforts will reward me, I have what I was lacking before. I have absolute peace about what I’m doing with my life. This is my calling.

I write crime fiction, but not because I think guts and guns are exciting. Rather, I feel compelled to be true to the experiences of real people who have survived traumatic events and are looking for answers.

My own trauma was the death of my father when I was only two. I’ve spent the rest of my life looking for someone to call “Daddy”–a mission that wasn’t successfully accomplished until I turned twenty-six. I’m now researching the father/daughter relationship and why it’s so important–and yes, writing about it in my novels.

Family and firestorm exist side-by-side in my books, hence my author tagline, “Hearth & Homicide.” As much as you can expect shadows in the night, the echoes of gunfire, and the flashing reds-and-blues, you can also expect the porch light to be on and a warm cup of cocoa awaiting you at the fireside.

Other Places You Can Find Me:

• Indie Plot Twist – Hatching the Plot for Indie Publishing Success. If you’re a writer, this is where my friend Carrie Lynn Lewis and I post writing advice and record our experiences in indie publishing.
  • Twitter: @IndiePlotTwist