Hannah McKinnon: I Could Have Wallpapered My House With Rejection Letters
In this interview, author Hannah McKinnon discusses the dose of happiness she needed that led to writing her new novel, The Sandy Page Bookshop.
Hannah McKinnon is the author of several acclaimed novels, including The Lake Season, Mystic Summer, The Summer House, Sailing Lessons, The View from Here, Message in the Sand, The Darlings, The Summer Club, and The Sandy Page Bookshop. She graduated from Connecticut College and the University of South Australia. She lives in Connecticut, with her family, a flock of chickens, and two raggedy rescue dogs. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
In this interview, Hannah discusses the dose of happiness she needed that led to writing her new novel, The Sandy Page Bookshop, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Hannah McKinnon
Literary agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writer’s House
Book title: The Sandy Page Bookshop
Publisher: Emily Bestler Books, S&S
Release date: July 22, 2025
Genre/category: Fiction, Beach Reads, Women’s Fiction
Previous titles: The Lake Season, Mystic Summer, The Summer House, Sailing Lessons, The View From Here, Message in the Sand, The Darlings, The Summer Club (Emily Bestler Books/Simon & Schuster) Franny Parker, The Properties of Water (FSG/MacMillan)
Elevator pitch: After her personal & professional life implode in Boston, Leah Powell returns to her small Cape Cod town and stumbles upon an old captain’s house as dilapidated as she feels. When she decides to try to turn it into a bookstore, The Sandy Page Bookshop becomes a much needed haven for a handful of local characters as adrift as she feels during this second-chance summer.
What prompted you to write this book?
A needed dose of happiness and hope. Given all that is going on in the world, I think we’re all ripe for one. As I sat down to write this one, I found myself leaning into community. I wanted to write about a handful of rather unlike characters who are drawn together despite their differences. Without being saccharine, I wanted to write about friendship and romance and second chances. Ultimately, this is a love story to a small coastal town and community.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
These days I publish a book a year, so my timeline is a pretty tight turnaround. This is my ninth novel with Emily Bestler Books and the 11th of my career. I know I need a new idea for next summer’s book the spring before, and it usually takes me four to six months to complete. In the midst of writing my next book, I’m touring and promoting the current release, so there is a bit of a juggling act between two titles each year, but that keeps me focused. Going from idea to publication in the publishing world is about a year and a half once you land a book deal, but with my current contract schedule I’m constantly in production.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title? Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Yes! My novels are all set in coastal New England and they center on relationships. Often, they’re about loving but dysfunctional families, with main characters in the thick of life: marriage, parenting, loss, coming of age… the ups and downs we all experience. Though they all contain humor and levity to balance the gritty stuff, this time around I found myself leaning in hard to happiness. What better setting than a coastal bookstore? What better cast than a quirky mix of found family who meet over a love of books, each carrying their own hardships? There are some serious themes explored: a teenage car accident one summer night. Love lost. A career ended. Starting over. But this time around I wanted my characters to win!
Without giving away any spoilers, I wanted romance. Healing. That elusive happy ending. Life is hard. I think people need community now more than ever, and I wanted to give that to my readers in a way that didn’t feel forced or false. Things are not tied up with a big red bow at the end, but there is laughter, there is love, and there are tears (the happy kind!) This book made me cry several times while writing it, and I still think about these characters almost every day.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
The characters in this book are all so different from one another, there is someone for everyone. A young woman in her 30s whose near-perfect life just got upended. An elderly widow afraid to leave her house unless it’s to rescue dogs. A local teen whose family is reeling from an accident with a secret. An out-of-town PHD student struggling to come out to his conservative Portuguese grandmother. My hope is that every reader will find a relatable and lovable character on the page, even if that character is someone unlike them. To my surprise, I’ve been getting notes and messages from early readers who felt compelled to reach out about one character or another or to tell me what this story meant to them. I can’t say there is anything more meaningful to an author than to hear that one of your characters made someone feel seen and heard.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
There are two things that worked for me. First, don’t give up. I could have wallpapered my house with rejection letters (back when they landed in your mailbox!) Every single one stung, but the thought of giving up the dream stung more. Second, always have another iron in the fire. I used to be an elementary teacher and desperately wanted to become a picture-book writer. When a few summers of picture-book writing attempts didn’t pan out, I pivoted to middle-grade novels. That’s how I landed my first two-book deal: Franny Parker and The Properties of Water. Then I pivoted again to adult fiction. Working on something new all the time widens your chances and sharpens your skills. My father once told me, you only need one person to believe in your work to get your foot in the door. Keep creating and keep submitting!
