What is the title of your latest release?
GRACIE HARRIS IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Gracie Harris is an accidentally internet-famous writer balancing deep grief, motherhood, deadlines, and home renovations. She finds herself with an unexpected second chance at love and must decide if she’s ready to take yet another leap of faith. (I’d argue Gracie’s to-do list is only slightly more chaotic than the average forty-something woman.)
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
As a first-time novelist, I wanted to root the story in a place that I was familiar with so that it would feel real to the reader. Familiarity helped my confidence. I also needed a setting that could serve as a clear respite for Gracie and all that she is going through. It needed to be the peaceful foil to her inner turmoil.
The western part of North Carolina fit the bill perfectly. The counties out around Asheville are beautiful and dotted with charming small towns and the loveliest people. The town of Canopy that I created might be fictional, but it’s inspired by very real places.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely! In fact, it was my goal to create a character that I would want to grab brunch and mimosas with. She needs to feel like a friend – because readers will want to reach through the pages and give her a big embrace (even if she’s not a hugger).
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Witty, complex, beautiful (inside and out)
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That you have to let the story tell itself. You can go in with a plan, but ultimately you have to let your imagination guide you once you start tapping away on the keys.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
While I might re-read and edit a chapter here or there as I go, for the most part I wait to edit until I’m done a full draft. I do very loose outlines, which typically help me hit a flow state that makes it challenging to stop and edit. I focus on moving the story forward and then come back to polish it.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Cinnamon buns – I’m always on the hunt for great gluten-free recipes!
Describe your writing space/office!
I don’t have a dedicated office space. I rotate between my dining table, sofa, and favorite coffee shops. Sometimes I’ll pick my location based on the type of writing that I need to do. Every time I think I want a bigger house with my own office I remind myself that I’ve written two books (so far!) with this current arrangement and it seems to work just fine.
Who is an author you admire?
I deeply admire contemporaries like Annabel Monaghan, Sara Goodman Confino, Colleen Oakly, Jojo Moyes, and many others who are writing stories with 40-something protagonists. The complexity what comes with finding love and/or moving into new stages of life connects with me and these ladies are all brilliant at it.
Is there a book that changed your life?
When I was twenty, I read THIS SIDE OF PARADISE by F. Scott Fitzgerald for the first time. I remember being caught off guard by how familiar it felt to me as a young person trying to figure out life – even if the main character’s adventures were far more intense than mine. Still, Amory felt so modern to me. It made me realize that while we think of the past and past generations as very different from us, the human experience doesn’t change all that much. I still reread that book every few years.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was extremely fortunate that my book went to auction. I remember my agent (the amazing Haley Heidemann at WME) calling me with the first round offers and thinking “I’m really going to publish a book!” It might sound silly, but up until that point it all felt surreal and dreamlike. When I officially landed at Dutton I was just completely, utterly over the moon.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Romantic Comedies and Medical Histories (Lindsey Fitzharris is a great gateway author if you’re like “Kate, really, Medical Histories?!”)
What’s your favorite movie?
For fun: Sweet Home Alabama, To break my heart: La Vita e Bella, To raise my blood pressure: Children of Men.
What is your favorite season?
Fall
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Dinner and drinks at my favorite restaurant with a small group of friends.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
My Old Ass on Amazon Prime starring Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella. I love a good coming of age movie, and this was a clever one.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Indian food.
What do you do when you have free time?
Read and walk – that is, step away from my computer and phone for a bit.
What can readers expect from you next?
My second novel should hopefully follow next summer. It’s a story about found family, intergenerational conflict, and unexpected love stories. In the meantime, readers can find me at my Substack, katehash.substack.com.
GRACIE HARRIS IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION by Kate Hash
In this resplendent debut novel, a beautiful love story unfolds for tenderhearted Gracie Harris—a mom of two and recent widow—as she navigates the unexpected curveballs that adulthood throws and takes her second chance to find love.
Gracie Harris never intended to become the queen of grief. But when an essay she writes the night of her husband Ben’s memorial goes viral, she lands a popular column on love and loss and an impressive book deal.
Now, the biggest tragedy of her life is the center of her world. With a looming book deadline and her kids at summer camp, Gracie escapes for a summer of solitude to the ramshackle mountain house she and Ben bought for their family before his death. When charming contractor Josh arrives on her doorstep to help renovate the home, Gracie discovers an unexpected connection that is energizing . . . and surprisingly flirtatious.
As her feelings and resilience grow, Gracie must decide whether she’s ready to embrace a new version of her life. Gracie’s first Happily Ever After didn’t last as long as she’d expected. Now she has to wonder: Could Josh be her chance for a second great love story?
Women’s Fiction Southern | Romance Contemporary [Dutton, On Sale: July 29, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9798217045457 / ]
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About Kate Hash
Kate Hash is a Chapel Hill, NC-based debut novelist who enjoys creating and consuming stories about dynamic women, unexpected relationships, and the complexity that comes with entering midlife. She has lived in Italy, run a business, and even appeared on an episode of House Hunters International (one of her favorite “two truths and a lie” facts). During her four years abroad in the early 2010s, Kate operated a popular travel blog and contributed guides to the much-beloved Design*Sponge. Kate is currently the Assistant Vice Chancellor for IT at the University of North Carolina and is mildly obsessed with college towns and the creative energy they produce.
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