Unusually for me, I am at a loss for words when it comes to writing profiles of myself. But just to settle your curiosity this is who am I am in a very small nutshell.

Firstly, as you might have already guessed, my name is Hannah Hooton.

I spent the first twenty years of my life obsessed with show jumping, and since then have been completely obsessed with horse racing, and boys featured somewhere in between. Yup, more horsey than hussy, this one. I earned a Distinction in my Access to HE Diploma for Creative Writing, Journalism and English Literature and am in my final year at university studying Writing and Film Production.

I came to this site through Fanfiction.net where I have more original work published. I can also be found on twitter under @hannahrhooton if you feel like following me. I also have an author page on Facebook where I'd love for you to stop by and while you're at it, why not check out my website Hannah Hooton Books, where you'll be the first to hear all the latest competitions and free book promotions? :)

AT LONG ODDS is now complete and all 44 chapters are being uploaded for your reading pleasure!

If you enjoy that then the (almost) sequel DESIGNER GENES is in production (see below for update).

In the meantime, feast your fantasies in another racing romance KEEPING THE PEACE, which I'm very proud to say has become an amazon Best Seller thanks to your support.

If you enjoy that then the sequel GIVING CHASE is sure to get your pulse racing even more! It is the second in the Aspen Valley Series and while many of the characters have proven to very challenging to write, they keep calling me back!

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE is the third book in the ASPEN VALLEY SERIES (there should be 5 or 6 in total), and is currently a work-in-progress. It has thrown up some challenges, especially the main plot which has me branching off into more unfamiliar territory in the romance-mystery subgenre. Nevertheless, it is a blast to write and if you liked Pippa and KEEPING THE PEACE, then I guarantee you'll like Tessa in SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE! The completed novel should be available to buy from amazon as an ebook from June 2014, and an excerpt will be made available here so you can test the waters before hopefully taking the plunge!

I hope you'll enjoy reading my work, and all your feedback and views, good and bad are very welcome (good ones are easier to swallow so try not to give me too much indigestion). Jokes aside, constructive criticism means better writing of course, and that is what I'm aiming for, so please be honest. Hopefully you'll be transported into that magical world of fiction, make-believe made real. Happy reading!

Hannah

UPDATE 12 July 2015

Crumbs, look at that - two updates in two days. Something must be up! There sure is. Since returning to Fiction Press yesterday I've been trying to sort out a dilemma I've been experiencing for some time now. For the same amount of time I've been away from FP to be precise. All of my early books started here on FP. Although I always appreciated the support and encouragement when I was posting chapter after chapter as they were written, I didn't realise just how crucial those reviews and messages were in sustaining the enthusiasm in my writing (I get bored VERY easily!) until I stopped doing it. Why did I stop? Well, quite simply I wanted to make a living from my books and that just ain't gonna happen if I'm giving them away for free on FP.

But I think we can find a happy medium. I will post my stories as I write them, but once they are edited and published I will take down the majority of each to abide by my publication T&Cs. FOR A LIMITED TIME the book will be available for you to read IN ITS ENTIRETY. Maybe you'll go on to buy the edited version from Amazon, maybe you won't, but if I have your support and your reviews/comments during the writing journey, then I think I can forsake a few dollars. I know it'll make the writing process a lot more fun if I don't have to do it alone.

And so, what now? Well, I'm working on the fifth and final book in the ASPEN VALLEY SERIES: working title THE COLOUR OF THE WIND. I've made a bit of a headstart on it and I'm very excited about the story that is evolving especially as we return to the roots of the series - Jack, Pippa and Finn. I'll start posting chapters in about a week's time and see how we get on. Please do get involved. Even the blandest of comments or questions can spark major twists and ideas and the simplest of words can mean the difference between me writing 50 words and 5000 words. Seriously, it is like fuel to me.

UPDATE 11 July 2015

I seem to be saying "Wow! Where has time gone?!" an awful lot lately and even I am getting sick of me saying it, but it's true. I graduated from university a year ago now and my BA (Hons) Writing and Film Studies certificate now proudly adorns the mantelpiece (not my graduation photo though - the mortar board hat-thingy really didn't suit me). Since then I've been busy writing and scraping a living from it (no holidays yet, but oh so much better than a torturous office job!) and the result was MAKING THE RUNNING, the fourth in the Aspen Valley series. You'll be seeing the first few chapters of that appearing on FP over the next couple of weeks. And wait for it - wait for it - wait for it... KEEPING THE PEACE is coming back in its entirety to Fiction Press! Publication rights now allow me to bring it back where it belongs and allows me to share - what is still my favourite - story with you guys again.

UPDATE 6 July 2014

I can finally come up for air! SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE IS PUBLISHED!!! It has been pushed, pulled, polished and pampered until we're both purple in the face. Thankfully, my facial colouring has gone back to normal, and SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE's has progressed into a beautifully designed cover. SASA is the third Aspen Valley novel and I'm thrilled with how it's turned out. This series - which only started out as a single title - has astounded me the way it just keeps on giving. I'll be uploading the first three or four chapters of SASA onto FP over the next few days, but unfortunately, like my other titles, I cannot upload it in its entirety because of contract obligations with my publisher. It is available to buy from online retailers - and not just Amazon this time - for the price of a chocolate bar (just as delicious but lasts a lot longer!). If you do choose to read it and it hits the spot, then as ever, I'd really appreciate you leaving your thoughts in a review on Amazon. It's not about ego-tripping, it's about letting me know what you, the reader, expects of a book, and I have to be honest, the more good reviews I have, the better my sales are. And the better my sales are, the faster I can pay off my student loan.

While SASA has been unleashed upon an unsuspecting public, I'm now knuckling down to Book 4 in the Aspen Valley series: MAKING THE RUNNING and hopefully there won't be as long a wait for that one's release. I don't know what it is about DESIGNER GENES but there always seems to be something to put it on hold. This time it just made sense to finish the Aspen Valley series before starting a new one, and since there are at least five (and hopefully more) books to Aspen Valley, it'll be a couple of years at least before I can finally get down to writing DESIGNER GENES. I honestly can't wait to write it - the idea has been festering in my brain for four and a half years. By the time I actually get to do it, it'll be approaching seven! I don't think I've ever kept a premise alive that long! But that's how much I believe in the story. Everything is in place - it's just a matter of execution now...

UPDATE 28 Jan 2014

Where has time gone? I can tell you where mine has gone - planning, researching and first-drafting SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE. I am very excited about this project and usually when the waters flow this well, the better my writing is. But the work hasn't all been focussed on SASA. I now have outlines drawn up for a WHOLE SEPARATE SERIES of racing romances! Starting with DESIGNER GENES, which has been gathering dust in my bottom drawer for the past 4 years, I've finally found the doorway through to a complete and epic romantic adventure. While I love AT LONG ODDS dearly - it is, after all, my first published novel - I made the choice not to make it and DESIGNER GENES part of the same series. ALO still has a lot of influence on DG, but it also presented its fair share of complications when tying into a long-running series. By freeing myself of those, DESIGNER GENES becomes the first of four books in the CASABIANCA SERIES. I shall keep you informed as and when it happens.

UPDATE 1 April 2013

I can't quite believe it's been so long since my last update, and there's plenty to fill you in on. GIVING CHASE HAS NOW BEEN PUBLISHED! And it awaits your perusal on amazon (there is a paperback version also available from ). If you're thinking "well, I read it once, I don't need to read it again", I ask you to think again. Not for nothing did GIVING CHASE take me nearly 18 months to write and the last version to be seen on fictionpress was the first draft. It has gone through plenty of polishing and editing since then and I'm now very proud of the version which is out now. It also has some extra scenes (and crucially the ending has been changed ;)) so I urge you to visit for your own copy and please please please leave a review. I don't ask because of my ego, rather I ask because the more (positive) reviews my books have the more likely another person will click the "Buy" button.

UPDATE 21 June 2012

What can I say? Well, I suppose I can start by saying GIVING CHASE is back on track and the first two revised chapters are now waiting for you to read them! I must also say I'm sorry for the long delay in updating it. As many of you are aware, I was struggling big time with GIVING CHASE and I was never particularly happy with the first chapter/prologue (I don't care much for prologue's unless they are really really necessary). But if I changed the first chapter that meant the rest would need to change as well and it took me a while to build up the courage to start again. But I did it and now it's flying along at such a pace that you should (knock on wood) get an update every three or four days right up to the end just like it used to be. Be sure to leave a review - your comments and feedback are a big part of what makes these books happen but also be sure to keep up with Frankie's adventures at Aspen Valley and her rather 'turbulent' relationship with Rhys, as by Christmas GIVING CHASE will be removed from fictionpress in order to be published.

UPDATE 11 April 2012

KEEPING THE PEACE IS FINALLY PUBLISHED! Quick on the heels of AT LONG ODDS, KEEPING THE PEACE is now also available to download from amazon for a bargain price. Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through the writing of KTP, it took a while, I know, but hopefully you'll agree it was all worth it. I am certainly very proud, and as such very very grateful for your help and feedback. How to thank you? FP members and KTP fans you are in the acknowledgements! I'm sad not to be able to provide the full version free on FP like before but due to restrictions in my publishing contract I'm not allowed to publish it elsewhere. I'll hope you'll stick around for more adventures in the racing world. I've got plenty of ideas tucked away ;)

UPDATE 20 March 2012

What a rollercoaster these last couple of months have been! Tonight is about the first night I've had the time or the energy to channel into fictionpress, which I am very ashamed of, but such is life I suppose. I have been scrolling through my unanswered emails/PMs and I was horrified to see that I haven't replied to some reviews dating back to last month and now I feel too guilty to thank those kind readers for taking the time to review my work. As most of you know, I do my utmost to reply to reviews, but sometimes university coursework, works in progress, research and promoting AT LONG ODDS just take up so much of my life, unfortunately my review replies get pushed further and further back. Massive apologies to those who didn't hear back from me - rest assured each and every one of your reviews was gratefully received and all feedback noted for the next draft. I will try to be more on the ball in future! On the subject of next drafts, I must warn you that sometime in the not-too-distant future I will be taking GIVING CHASE off FP for some major reworking. It is becoming harder and harder to write and new research has revealed I really need to workshop it before I get too far into the story. I'll bring it back as soon as I can and hopefully from then onwards, the updates will be more frequent because it will have become easier to write (I live in hope!)

That won't be happening just yet as I am concentrating on getting KEEPING THE PEACE in tip-top shape for its release next month (if you go along to my Facebook author page you will see the new AWESOME cover which has been professionally designed for it...and hopefully you'll 'Like' the page too!). If you've read AT LONG ODDS in the past or would like to read it, the full version is already on amazon at a bargain discount price. If you have already read it, please leave a review - you've no idea how one good review boosts my sales! And lastly, thanks to all of those from FP who have left a review on amazon. Like I said, it makes such a difference and I am massively grateful.

UPDATE 29 January 2012

PUBLISHED!!! At last! All that sweat and tears I shed while trying to sort out AT LONG ODDS' formatting have finally dried and will hopefully be worth it. It happened all of a sudden really. A good friend helped me out a couple of afternoons ago and then Hey Presto! It was ready to go live and I had no excuse to put it off any longer. AT LONG ODDS is available as an e-book on amazon and since a potential purchaser's decision is invariably swayed by reviews, I'd love for you to pop over and persuade them to click that all important button! I'd really appreciate it. To bring everything up to date I've also reposted the first 3 and a half chapters of ALO here as a taster (my apologies to those who are getting emails saying a new chapter has been uploaded. I tried to avoid this but couldn't find any other way of doing it). I thought if I'm going to tease I should use the book as it is published word-for-word - not that there's much difference but you know what I'm getting at ;) With any luck KEEPING THE PEACE will follow in AT LONG ODDS' footsteps and become available as an e-book (that also means I'll have to take down the majority of it on FP unfortunately due to rights, etc.) but I've still to design a cover for it and haven't even started on formatting and proof-reading so it won't be for sale for a few weeks yet at least. And lastly, thanks to everyone on FP who have supported me. I would seriously not be at this point without you guys xxx

UPDATE 6 January 2012

Happy New Year everyone! I thought a good way to kick off 2012 would be with a fresh chapter of THE AMATEUR'S GUIDE TO LOVE. I know it's been a while since I last posted and I apologise but if you've been following this book from the start you'll know already how difficult it's proving to be. To the point where once again I find myself wanting to change the name of the book again - nothing I've come up with so far really seems to 'speak' to me and if it doesn't do it for me then what chance do I have with you, my readers? What I think is a more tender and befitting title has occurred to me so in the near future, don't be alarmed if you find yourself faced with a chapter update alert for THE AIR THAT I BREATHE. It's just The Amateur's Guide To Love renamed (and check out the song too if you have time, it's a classic).

UPDATE 18 November 2011

Well, you can probably tell by the previous update that AT LONG ODDS' Big Day Out has been and gone without an appearance. But not to fear, there was just more involved than I had anticipated and I've discovered I'm not as computer-savvy as I thought I was :) But I'm awaiting the first proof copy of AT LONG ODDS from the publishers now which is an improvement on where I was yesterday. Once that happens and I've approved it, then it should be available to buy online. I shall keep you all updated as to when that big day is gonna happen. Hopefully it'll be before Christmas so you can use it as a stocking-filler.

On another note, THE AMATEUR'S GUIDE TO LOVE, which ground to a halt a few weeks back, has now got its wheels turning again! Hooray! Which means the next chapter should be with you in the next 48 hours and it's a biggie so be sure not to miss it!

UPDATE 14 October 2011

Today marks the one month countdown to AT LONG ODDS' publication. It will (hopefully) be available to buy as an e-book to all the different e-reader programmes AND as a paperback. Make a space on your Christmas list for it as it'll be available at a bargain price from the 14th of November.

UPDATE 30 August 2011

THE AMATEUR'S GUIDE TO LOVE is now five chapters in and if I know myself at all then there's probably another 40 to come (there'll be a few twists along the way so look out for the 'Dangerous Bends' signs!). But what will happen after that, I hear you ask? Well, for once in my life I've been thinking ahead. I've already got a great idea for the next book - one which I'm really excited about called SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE. Like all my other novels, it will be about horse racing, and its focus will this time zoom in on the members of a syndicate. The horse they own is also in THE AMATEUR'S GUIDE TO LOVE so although it won't be a sequel in the usual sense of the word, it is connected, just like all my books are to a more or less extent. By the time I start uploading SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE onto fictionpress, I'm pretty sure we'll be well into 2012 and by that time I'm hoping to have all of my completed books given a last polish and made to look pretty before being made available as e-books on Amazon. You guys have made me believe in myself and I hope you'll continue to support me on this rather scary venture! In the meantime though, everything's still here on FP so get reading and get reviewing!

UPDATE 19 August 2011

When I first got the idea for CONDITIONAL LOVE, did I have any idea what sort of challenge I was setting myself? Absolutely not! The background work is although very interesting and rewarding, still very time-consuming and nerve-wracking. The background work I'm talking about? Yep, research! To give you an idea of how much research this book has involved, take KEEPING THE PEACE as an example: I interviewed 3 people for that. CONDITIONAL LOVE has had 8 contributors from all different parts of the horseracing industry, and there's more I have to speak to. Why is this newsflash worthy of its own profile UPDATE, you ask? The reason is that with so much research being done, various things within the book are having to be changed, the most significant is Frankie's job title. So far she has been a conditional jockey, hence the book title CONDITIONAL LOVE. However, after speaking to jockeys and industry professionals, I've found it's highly unlikely to have a female conditional jockey (in UK at least). She would more than likely be an amateur jockey. That's fine. I can work with that. However, as you can see, the title CONDITIONAL LOVE doesn't really work anymore. So I'm going to make the bold move of changing the title in the near future. CONDITIONAL LOVE will very shortly become THE AMATEUR'S GUIDE TO LOVE. I'm telling you now so that when the change comes into effect you won't think 'What the hell?'

UPDATE 28 July 2011

So here's the thing that's bothering me: I'm in the process of posting my third book on fictionpress and there have obviously been alterations to the first two to improve them thanks to your insightful reviews. Now, ordinarily that wouldn't be too much of a problem, except each book is connected and the changes which have happened since their posting on fictionpress will become glaringly obvious in the new book. Take CONDITIONAL LOVE for instance, I've had to change names for that! My concern is that if I update fictionpress with the new versions of AT LONG ODDS and KEEPING THE PEACE, those of you who have me or my titles on alert will get emails which beg the question 'what? I've read you already!'. So for the sake of new readers, I think I will update fictionpress and those of you who enjoyed the books first time around, come on, they are better for the changes, I promise!

UPDATE 27 July 2011

Here we are again folks! The start of a new romance that we can cosy up with as summer comes to a close (well, it is here in UK). If you're lucky enough to live somewhere warm then by all means lounge by the pool with your laptop - just please don't electrocute yourself; I want CONDITIONAL LOVE to get your heart racing but not because of 10,000 volts of electricity. After KEEPING THE PEACE's success I am determined to make its sequel as good as if not better so do join me on this new romance. Having said that, I humbly declare KEEPING THE PEACE would not have been the hit that it is without your input and I am counting on all of your comments, thoughts and reviews to help CONDITIONAL LOVE along the same course; no matter how brief or trivial you might think some of your comments might be, they can often trigger huge plot twists later on so don't be shy!

UPDATE 7 July 2011

It's been some time since KEEPING THE PEACE finaled back in February but I am thrilled by the constant attention it (and AT LONG ODDS) still receives on fictionpress. Due to complications of publication issues, DESIGNER GENES does not look to be completed any time soon unfortunately. However, the good news is I've just started the sequel to KEEPING THE PEACE. CONDITIONAL LOVE has its own story with delightful new characters but is still based around Aspen Valley and Jack and Pippa will feature as secondary characters rather than MCs. Once I've got a few more thousand words down, I'll be posting it on fictionpress for your enjoyment!

UPDATE 4 July 2011

It's time to celebrate! No, I'm not American (although have a good time everyone who is) but I'm celebrating anyway. KEEPING THE PEACE has received its official critique from the Romantic Novelists Association with two glowing reports. To better my day, it has also been accepted by my agent and has now been sent off to the publishers. Now the nail-biting starts again! I think I need something to take my mind off things... a new book perhaps? Stay tuned for more details.

UPDATE 14 Feb 2011

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Today, being the most romantic day of the year, aptly marks the end of KEEPING THE PEACE, which I hope you've enjoyed. (It also marks the day AT LONG ODDS is pitched to the publishers but my nerves can't handle thinking about that for too long!) Thank you, thank you, thank you for contributing to KTP with your encouragement and suggestions - they were all gratefully received! Another big thank you to those who have nominated KEEPING THE PEACE and AT LONG ODDS in the SKoW Awards (KTP - Best Cliche, Best Supporting Character (Tash), ALO - Best Kiss, Best Villain (Mark)). The voting period opens in the next few days. I hope you can spare the time to visit their website Some Kind of Wonderful and vote for them.

UPDATE 22 Jan 2011

Phew! The redraft of AT LONG ODDS has been completed along with book blurb and author bio for agent. After putting my imagination through the strenuous process of redrafting, I am fair dreading what my agent will say in response. Hopefully, she'll consider it ready to be set upon by publishers! On the other hand, with that out of the way, I can now concentrate on writing KEEPING THE PEACE again (woohoo!). I have missed those characters like they were close family friends, which is a bit concerning on the sanity scale but there you go. Keep an eye out for the next update in the adventures of Jack and Pippa - COMING SOON TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU!

UPDATE 10 Jan 2011

I am now going to indulge in some shameless self-promotion. The SKoW Awards (Some Kind of Wonderful Romance) are back to warm our wintery hearts. KEEPING THE PEACE came so close to winning during the summer - I'd love for it to hit the top spot this time around. If you've read my work and closed it with a self-satisfied sigh that only romantics can feel then surely it might be worth nominating it for one of SKoW's wide range of categories? Does Tash in KEEPING THE PEACE qualify as a worthy candidate of Best Supporting Character? Does Mark Rushin from AT LONG ODDS fit the bill of Best Villain? Nominations are open for just a short time so get there quick! SKoW Awards can be found at http:// Thank you for your support!

UPDATE 6 Dec 2010

Oh, the shame of admitting that I haven't been updating KEEPING THE PEACE as often as I should be is a heavy weight to bear! But I hope you will bear with me when you hear my reasons: a literary agent has finally taken me on and we are currently working on the edits of AT LONG ODDS! After that, hopefully, will be publication! Naturally, the edits must be given priority over KEEPING THE PEACE (hopefully the agent will like that one just as much) but I promise it will be updated. Thanks for your patience. :)

UPDATE 4 Aug 2010

I have begun a forum called KEEPING THE PEACE BLOG, which is a chapter-by-chapter account of how the writing of this book is going (or not going as the case may be). Please be aware that as each update contains references to the contents of each chapter, it can act as a bit of a spoiler, therefore don't read the blog post for Chapter 19 for instance if you've only read up to Chapter 18 in the story! There is also a Q&A post about horse racing rules and jargon, which you might find handy. This can be found in the fictionpress forums or by clicking on My Forums at the top of this profile. Please stop by!

UPDATE 1 Aug 2010

Thank you to the lovely person/s who nominated and voted for KEEPING THE PEACE in the Best International Category of the SKoW (Some Kind of Wonderful) Awards! It bagged runner-up prize, which has really made my month, possibly year! Any awards are hugely helpful when submitting the manuscript to agents.