As far back as she can remember, international bestselling author Kristin Harmel’s only career goal was to be a writer. If, that is, you don’t count the time when she was about 9 years old and wanted to be a pop star with the stage name Mystica. “But then I realized I couldn’t sing,” Harmel says with a laugh.
Thankfully, for her millions of readers around the world, that phase didn’t last long. She wrote her first book — a bunch of papers stapled together — when she was only 5 years old. As she got older, Harmel imagined she'd establish a career as a journalist and turn to writing novels later.
“When I speak to students, I always tell them to never feel that the perspective they have now is not mature enough for a novel,” Harmel says. “I wish I had the courage to start a little bit sooner.”
Harmel, now 46, completed her first novel in her early 20s.
“It sold on April Fool’s Day, 2004. My literary agent called to say we had an offer from what is now Grand Central Publishing,” she recalls. With that, her career writing books began.
Drawn To World War II
Photo courtesy of Kristin Harmel
Although Harmel started out writing contemporary novels, once she turned her focus to stories set during World War II, she never looked back.
“I’ve really been interested in World War II for a long time, in particular with regards to the way it impacted people who were there at the time,” Harmel says.
As a young teenager, she read “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank. “The book really got into my head and my heart. It was the book that taught me how words can change the world,” Harmel recalls. “I always knew I wanted to write, because I liked making up stories and entertaining people, but this was the first time I really grasped the power that books have to impact people.”
She didn’t expect, though, to keep writing about World War II.
“When I wrote that first World War II book, ‘The Sweetness of Forgetting,’ I just had the idea for a story. I thought I would write one World War II book and then go back to writing contemporary stories. In fact, the book I wrote after that was contemporary. The whole time I was working on that book, called ‘The Life Intended,’ I missed World War II. I missed writing about it, reading about it and the research,” Harmel explains.
“I think what I gravitate to most is the idea that during World War II, ordinary people had to rise up and do extraordinary things — or the outcome of the war would’ve been different.
“Reading about World War II reminds us that you don’t have to find yourself in the midst of a war to say, ‘What can I do to make the world better?’ With every World War II book I read, I walk away with a desire to make the world a better place.”
Photo by The Paris Photographer
Enjoying The Research
Since Harmel began writing historical fiction, she has thrown herself into the research for every book — and she loves every minute of it.
For her book, “The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau,” published in June 2025, she included scenes in which a character steals jewelry. That was more difficult to learn about, so she got creative.
“It’s not like you can just Google ‘How to steal a diamond bracelet.’ Believe me, I did try to Google that and every version of it,” Harmel says. “Then it occurred to me that that’s what magicians do when they perform sleight-of-hand tricks. If you go to a magic show, one of the tricks is usually taking someone’s watch or bracelet. So I went down the rabbit hole of watching magician instructional videos to try to understand how those tricks were done.”
With research for past books, Harmel has conducted interviews with everyone from World War II survivors to librarians to historians. She admits to being meticulous, and while she thought she had done everything needed for her upcoming book, “Meet Me in Paris,” due out in August 2026, she realized at the last minute that she didn’t trust her memory.
“I had lived in Paris for a little while in my early 20s, and I’ve been back numerous times over the years for pleasure and research,” she says. “But before I sent the final draft to my editor, I thought that there were so many little details in the book that I was relying on my memory for.”
The problem was that the book was due in a few weeks, and her calendar during that time was packed — except for one Thursday-to-Saturday window.
Harmel asked her husband, Jason Lietz, if he could pick up their son, Noah, from school that Friday. When he said he could, then asked why, she responded, “I think I have to go to Paris.”
“I was on the ground in Paris for 24 and a half hours,” she says with a laugh. She walked 12 miles around the city researching various locations to make sure she had the correct information. That’s dedication.
Photo courtesy of Kristin Harmel
Weekly Live Book Club
For nearly six years, Harmel and three other bestselling authors — Mary Kay Andrews, Patti Callahan Henry and Kristy Woodson Harvey — have been hosting a live show on Facebook every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Their Facebook group, “Friends and Fiction,” boasts more than 300,000 members. Each week, they interview another author about their book.
“Because of this, I read books outside my genre all the time,” Harmel says.
An Unexpected Bump
Life was moving along normally for Harmel when, in October 2022, she went in for her annual mammogram, expecting nothing unusual.
“I hadn’t felt a lump. I didn’t have any risk factors,” she recalls. “The radiologist came out and said, ‘We see something suspicious.’”
This led to a biopsy, which indicated she had Stage 1 breast cancer. In no time, her entire world changed.
That November, Harmel had a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation from December 2022 to April 2023.
“I was treated by Florida Cancer Specialists, which is a statewide oncology practice. I’ve become active with their foundation, because it’s really cool,” Harmel says.
“They help cancer patients throughout the state with nonmedical expenses, and you don’t have to be a patient of their practice to benefit. If you’re going through chemotherapy and can’t keep your job, they’ll help you pay your mortgage or car payment. If you qualify, they will help you.”
Through her treatment, Harmel discovered a new cause close to her heart.
“I feel like one good thing about my journey is I was introduced to that group, because I feel very strongly and positively about it,” she says.
Harmel was so moved by what Florida Cancer Specialists does that she donated part of the advance for her book “The Paris Daughter” to the foundation. She also donated to Susan G. Komen.
“I’ve also become involved with the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Annual Walk here in Orlando,” she adds. In addition, she always encourages women to get their annual mammograms.
A Florida Kind Of Christmas
Although she was born in Massachusetts and lived in Ohio from age 2 to 10, Harmel has always considered herself a Floridian. She spent her formative years in St. Petersburg and attended the University of Florida. Afterward, she moved to Orlando, where she has been ever since.
“My family and I are big Disney people, so no holiday season is complete without a bunch of visits to Walt Disney World and a stay in some of our favorite Disney hotels that have the most beautiful Christmas decorations,” she says.
“We always try to stay in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge because I love their Christmas tree. We go around and see the gingerbread houses at the hotels on the monorail track, like Disney’s Contemporary Resort and the Grand Floridian. We do that during December.”
The weekend before Christmas, they visit with her in-laws in Palm City. On Christmas Eve, they go to church, and they spend Christmas Day at home.
Another Christmastime tradition she loves is projecting the movie “The Polar Express” on their garage door for friends and neighbors.
“Everyone comes over and has hot chocolate, wine and popcorn,” she says. “Particularly around the holidays, it’s a time of reflection and gratitude. We remember all the things we’re thankful for. But I think it’s a good time to give a little bit of your good luck back to your community.”