Hannah Turrell

Science fiction writer

Hi, I'm Hannah. 

If you’re looking for science fiction adventures set in expansive, inventive worlds, where characters are plunged into the unknown and must grapple with the fate of all humanity in a universe that seems set against them: you’re in the right place.

I’m from New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, and Arnhemland, Australia. I am very happily living in the vibrant multicultural city of South Auckland, with my wonderfully tolerant husband and three bright little stars. 

 

If you’re a cross-cultural person like me, you probably get that itch to jump into a new world, not just to see and feel and taste the uniqueness of each place, but to learn to think in a whole new way. 

 

 

I've discovered I don't always need a plane ticket to dive into a distant world. 

I write. In my far-flung novels, people and societies are shaped by strange planets, moons, ships, or stations. How would farming work on a waterworld? How would a person think about the planet below if they spend their entire life in midair? I’m addicted to travelling in books, and that’s what I write. 

 

I’m a lifelong bookworm, who will compulsively read everything from the shampoo bottle to David Attenborough’s Natural History tomes (MHIS school library ran out of books, okay?) but when I can choose, science fiction is what I reach for. 

 

Jules Verne, Heinlen, Bujold, Alan Dean Foster, Andre Norton, David Brin, Ursula LeGuin, Elizabeth Moon, and can I list C S Forester? 

I'm deeply influenced by the rich history of scifi, as well as my life experiences across cultures. 

It’s science fiction that marries influence from some of the best of the genre with classic action and intrigue in a fresh new way. 

 

The quantum machine of me has absorbed decades of reading science fiction, and a lifetime of fascination with real-world cultures and people. My resulting writing combines the inventive, immersive fun of pulp paperbacks with deeper musings about social forces and identity in a globalised world. 

I'm writing new, original science fiction for people who love dusty old scifi. 

I’m in the process of rewriting my debut novel after some structural edits. So if you want to read my work:

 

Things you won’t find here: 

  • scifi horror, 
  • scifi romance (not ruling out any romance ever. There was a single kiss in an outline once but it didn’t make it to the draft. Maybe I’ll add it back in, if it makes the story better).
  • AI taking over my favourite spare-time activities: writing, editing, plotting, worldbuilding, and daydreaming. 

 

Things you will find: 

  • evidence of how often I re-read my Dad’s 60s & 70s scifi paperbacks. 
  • Descriptions woven from the worlds I can see in my highly visual mind’s eye. 
  • And how deeply impressed I am with human resilience and creativity in the face of catastrophic difficulty. 

 

Now, if you’re still with me and reading this all the way down the bottom of this page, you’ll be my kind of people. So I’d love you to sign up for my newsletter, the Novelogue. It’s my own scifi nerd-out space, where I share more than I would on social media. I gather up goodies to send out quarterly to people who like what I like: 

  • my favourite reads
  • worldbuilding tidbits, 
  • and even the occasional deleted scene.

 

I’ll also keep subscribers in the know as I finish this journey of writing and publishing my debut novel. 

 

Sign up for free:

 

*My ulterior motive is to build a community of people who are keen on my flavour of scifi, so when I release my book, many of you might read it! Yay! I will not sell your information or send you spam you didn’t sign up for. See my privacy policy here.

 

You'll be able to unsubscribe at any time. I value your presence on this email list, and will love it if you email me back about your scifi journeys.