I am one of those authors who believes (perhaps foolishly) that she is in complete control of the story.

I love women being the heroes of the piece. There is just something so dramatic and important about this story [The Nightingale ].

I am more than happy to invite my five favorite fictional characters. Let's see. First on my list is Sam Gamgee from The Lord of The Rings. Sam is a beautiful character; in him, we find the profound heroism of an ordinary person. He epitomizes the saying that courage isn't not being afraid, courage is going anyway. I just love that.

With The Nightingale, I had been kicking the idea around for years. I was frightened to write it because on the surface it seems so different for me.

I have to admit that WWII France was not at all on my radar for Kristin Hannah.

It felt like an oversight to me, something that needed to be corrected. They [women who hid Jewish children] deserved to be understood and remembered.

I absolute adore epic journeys that require a protagonist to fight for every victory in the hopes of finding triumph.