Hannah D. State
Categories: Female Authors - Anglophone Authors - Novelists - Authors of Young Adult Literature - Saint John River Valley
Source: Author / auteure
Biography
Hannah D. State was born in London, Ontario, and moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 2016. She graduated from McGill University with a BA and earned her MPL from Queen's University. She has worked for numerous federal departments across Canada as a senior civil servant. She has provided contract administration and professional services recruiting support in the fields of scientific studies, conservation, auditing, and information technology.
Hannah is a proud member of the Writers' Union of Canada and the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick. Hannah's first novel, Journey to the Hopewell Star, was named "A Must-Have New Brunswick Book of 2020" by Atlantic Books Today and received a Gold Medal in the 2021 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards in the "Young Adult - Sci-Fi" category. Her second novel, Journey to the Dark Galaxy, was a finalist in the 2024 Whistler Independent Book Awards and was nominated for the 2025 Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature.
How has New Brunswick influenced your work?
When my husband and I moved from Toronto to Fredericton in 2016 for work, the friendly Atlantic community and beautiful landscapes drew me in. Starting a new life chapter in New Brunswick was an adventure, and it became the catalyst for my professional writing career because it gave me the freedom to pursue my hobbies. Without a long commute to work, I used the evenings and weekends to explore and embrace my lifelong writing passion by taking part-time writing courses through the University of New Brunswick. I'm grateful and lucky to have had amazing mentors and teachers along the way who have helped strengthen my writing skills. The local writing community has been incredibly welcoming and supportive, and I've made some really wonderful lifelong friends.
What is your favourite New Brunswick book, and why?
That is such a tough question because there are so many. A few books that I've really enjoyed by New Brunswick authors include: Deficiency by S. C. Eston, The Quarantine Drift by Erika LeClair, Meniscus: Crossing the Churn by Jane Tims, The Boy in the Canvas by Christopher Sweet, Death Between the Walls by Alexa Bowie, The Girls from Alcyone by Cary Caffrey, Tonight We Sleep with the Window Open: Poems and Drawings from Belleisle Bay by Melanie Craig-Hansford, and many more. Too many to list here. The subject matter of their works resonated with me, and I like their unique writing styles.
What do you consider to be the highlight of your career so far?
The highlight of my writing career [so far] has been the publication of my first book, Journey to the Hopewell Star. I received much positive feedback and encouragement from the local community, but also across Canada and beyond. It gave me the strength to believe in myself and keep going. Learning from that process helped me grow and develop my writing skills. It also led to the development of my second book, Journey to the Dark Galaxy, which received a couple of award nominations, including being a finalist in the 2024 Whistler Independent Book Awards and the 2025 Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature.
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Literary Prizes |
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| Gold Award (Literary Titan) - 2025 | In recognition of: Journey to the Dark Galaxy |
| Finalist, Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature - 2025 | In recognition of: Journey to the Dark Galaxy |
| Finalist, Whistler Independent Book Awards - Fiction - 2024 | In recognition of: Journey to the Dark Galaxy |
| Finalist, Readers' Favorite International Book Award - Young Adult - Thriller - 2024 | In recognition of: Journey to the Dark Galaxy |
| Finalist, The Wishing Shelf Book Awards - 2023 | In recognition of: Journey to the Dark Galaxy |
| Gold Medal - Readers' Favorite International Book Award - Young Adult - Sci-Fi - 2021 | In recognition of: Journey to the Hopewell Star |
| Gold Award (Literary Titan) - 2020 | In recognition of: Journey to the Hopewell Star |
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Featured Publication |
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Journey to the Dark Galaxy (2023) |
Excerpt: A mysterious signal from deep space. Mischief and murder at a military base. When Sam receives a strange letter drafting her into the Great Alliance for Interplanetary Affairs as a matter of international security, she expects to get answers. But instead of receiving a warm welcome, she finds that most people under the surface are distant, cold, and have built walls of silence. While grappling with her unique power and the consequences of her actions, she learns that the organization she's supposed to serve has a chilling past and guards a dark secret. |
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Find this author in the New Brunswick public libraries catalogue.
Source(s): Author.
