Kristan Higgins is the author of more than a dozen novels and winner of two Romance Writers of America RITA Awards. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Higgins loves animals, children (even teenagers), the New York Yankees and dessert. Along with her heroic firefighter husband and two snarky and entertaining children, Higgins lives in her hometown in Connecticut. Her new novel is If You Only Knew (Harlequin, August 25, 2015).
On your nightstand now:
The Best Medicine by Tracy Brogan. She's so funny and honest. Also, The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott, which is magical and disturbing and beautiful all at once.
Favorite book when you were a child:
Oh, boy--I read constantly, so this will be tough to pick just a few. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis; Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards; the Old Mother West Wind stories by Thornton Burgess; Little Women by Louisa May Alcott; Happy Birthday to You by Dr. Seuss.
Your top five authors:
Always an unfair question, since it varies according to the day, the weather, how much coffee I've had, but here are a few no-fails for me: Elinor Lipman, Robyn Carr, Liane Moriarty, Dr. Seuss and Jonathan Tropper.
Book you've faked reading:
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.
Book you're an evangelist for:
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. The range and depth of emotion in this story, the pace of it, the tragedy--it's a flippin' masterpiece.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Good Grief by Lolly Winston. How can one resist bunny slippers? One cannot.
Book that changed your life:
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I read it for the first time when I was 13, and when I was finished, I read it again... 12 times in a row. I loved Scarlett's ability to do what needed to be done. I hated Scarlett because she was so narrow-minded and selfish. That book swallowed me whole.
Favorite line from a book:
"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." (A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh). There it is in one sentence: true love. Doesn't matter that it's between two stuffed animals; it's one of the simplest and most profound statements of devotion I've ever read.
Which character you most relate to:
Oh heck, it depends on the day. On my good days, Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. I like her moral indignation, her energy, her optimism and humor. On my bad days, Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To meet America's greatest literary hero again for the first time--yes, please.