If you loved Water For Elephants, don't miss Hannah's Dream,

an elephant of a tale! Diane Hammond, author of three acclaimed northwest novels including Hannah's Dream, comes to Leavenworth. Diane loves to chat with readers, so please join us at A Book For All Seasons, July 4, 1:00 - 3:00 PM, no purchase necessary!

Hannah's Dream

An Indie Next Notable Pick, Hannah's Dream is a beautifully told tale rich in heart, humor and intelligence. After forty-one years together, Sam knows Hannah the elephant as well as he knows anyone. Sam is aging and his health is failing, but he has vowed not to retire until an equally devoted caretaker is found to replace him. Enter Neva, who quickly discovers what Sam already knows: that despite their loving care, Hannah is isolated, lonely, and her feet are nearly ruined from standing on hard concrete all day. Neva and Sam hatch a plan to send Hannah to an elephant sanctuary — just as the zoo's implacable director launches an aggressive marketing campaign spotlighting Hannah as the zoo's star attraction.

"Diane Hammond writes with heart, compassion and humor ... A generously told tale that will stick with you long after the last page is turned." — Terry Gamble.

"Irresistably touching, delectably uplifting, Hammond's understated yet gargantuan tale of devotion and commitment poignantly proves that love does indeed come in all shapes and sizes." — Booklist

Homesick Creek

Hammond's Homesick Creek, called an "honest, finely nuanced, emotionally rich novel" by the Boston Globe investigates the good motivations and stark damage fueling her character's self-deceptions, bad decisions and, yes, beautiful gestures. Is marriage a test of how little one can live with - or how much one can give? The answer is revealed with spare language, humor, and rich commentary.

"Hammond digs into the past, revealing bad decisions and their consequences, desperate acts of courage, kindness that sometimes is not enough to save or redeem. And woven throughout are insights, sprinkled with humor, on marriage and friendship. Homesick Creek is an honest, beautifully written book." — Denver Post

"The novel unfolds with masterly timing ... Hammond's writing is impeccable, and the characters she has created are as true and lively as they come." — Booklist

Going to Bend

In Hammond's Going to Bend, lifelong friends try to make ends meet in a "no-account" Oregon fishing town. Nadine is "all nerves, snip and anxiety" and "living proof that some people shouldn't give up smoking" while Rose, the single mom of a teenage girl, is "a big soft woman of calm purpose and measurable serenity." When a dying friend gives them the opportunity to create a cookbook together, the women's lives radically change, as they give expression to their hidden talents. But life is never uncomplicated. Hammond shines an unwavering light on a group of people who struggle to make do, yet live their lives with grace and dignity.

"A humorous, moving and lively novel of friendship and healing." — The Seattle Times

"Going to Bend is about everyday survival, trying to live without bitterness, to love difficult people, to be decent and generous even when it hurts. Hammond is particularly good at portraying the pettiness of small-town life and at delineating the particulars of near-poverty — beat-up cars, rundown houses, secondhand clothes, anxiety about the price of frozen chicken parts, fear that any minute you'll hit bottom. Going to Bend is as complicated, ambiguous, and unpredictable as life." — The Boston Globe

"The people are so real, I wondered how the author had come to know some of the same people I did. She gave them heart. She gave them flaws. They come with an attitude, and a lot of love… Diane Hammond is going to blow the socks off the fiction world. " — Book Reporter

About the Author

About herself, Diane writes: "I'm 53, and it's hard to believe that anyone could possibly care about where I was born, but for the sake of due diligence, it was in Queens, NY... I began my professional life at a department store in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977, but I was fired, so who cares about that job... The day [my first novel] was accepted was rivaled only by the days I got married and gave birth to my daughter Kerry."

Just a bit older than her beloved elephant Hannah, Hammond has been a west coaster for the last quarter century — especially Newport and Bend OR- with stints in Tacoma and Hollywood. She and her family are in Bend now, she says "hopefully for good."

Look Diane up on facebook or learn more at http://www.dianehammond.com

Buy a SIGNED Copy of Hannah's Dream - $13.95
Buy a SIGNED Copy of Homesick Creek - $13.95
Buy a SIGNED Copy of Going to Bend - $13.95