Bio
I'm Hannah, and I write romantic comedies featuring STEM characters, sprinkled with a bit of angst (to make that HEA feel well-earned!), and all the pining.
My book, LOVE AND OTHER BRAIN EXPERIMENTS, releases February 3, 2026 with Atria Books in the US, and Head of Zeus in the UK. It's an academic-rivals-to-lovers STEM romcom set against the backdrop of a hot NYC summer and packed with fake dating shenanigans.
I'm a neuroscientist and romance author. Born and raised in Germany, I lived in Portugal and the UK before moving to the Netherlands to complete a PhD. After a stint in New York City, I now live in London together with my husband and an ever-growing collection of books and hand-knit sweaters. I was a mentee in the 2023 SmoochPit cohort, and am now represented by Hannah Todd at Janklow & Nesbit UK.
Manuscript
Wishlist
(MSWL)
I love reading widely, but for SmoochPit I am looking for romcoms and contemporary romances, as well as women's fiction with strong romantic elements (think THE WEDDING PEOPLE or anything by Rebecca Serle), since this is what I feel I could best advise on.
I am looking for fresh romcoms that are fun but with well-layered character backstory and story arcs beyond the couple's relationship.
I particularly love reading workplace romances about women in their late twenties/early thirties, and how they balance career progression, personal development and love (think Rachel Lynn Solomon's adult romcoms, Clare Gilmore's books, Ali Hazelwood's STEM romcoms, etc.). But I love settings beyond the work context, too! Annabel Monaghan's books are a great example of a warm, lush summer setting with lots of insight into the character's personal development.
In particular, these are a few things I love - though note that I'd definitely not expect you to fulfill all of these:
- stories set within a STEM context
- pining / slow burn
- single POV (something I'm more drawn to as a reader, but I also love dual POV if done very well, and both characters have a satisfying arc)
- all the banter
- open door / spice (though I'm fine with closed door, too!)
beyond the comps I've already mentioned, here are a few more that I love: WEDDING DASHERS by Heather McBreen, THE FRIENDSHIP FLING by Georgia Stone, BIG FAN by Alexandra Romanoff, ANY TROPE BUT YOU by Victoria Lavine
I'm not a great fit for very heavy drama / angst, surprise pregnancy trope, historical romance, and alpha holes. Please also don't send me anything featuring sexual assault, child abuse, oppressed/oppressor dynamic.
Mentoring Style
I tend to give any critical feedback with the most care I can, and I also love gushing about the things I love within your manuscript. I love giving supportive and constructive feedback, and pointing out the things that I think do work and those that don't. In general, I like to ask questions that may help develop the characters or plot. I'm happy to brainstorm answers to those questions with you, listen to your ideas, or let you have a go at it yourself.
Because I'm based in Europe, video calls might be more difficult to schedule given timezones, but I'd love to at least have one face-to-face meeting before giving you feedback and one Zoom call to get you set up for querying. Other than that, I'm available via email / discord.
Having just queried myself, I'd also be happy to help you draw up your own querying strategy and be part of your support system during that overwhelming process!
Applications
from Connections
Please do not apply to me if we've ever beta read for each other or have had extensive conversations online. If we're mutuals on social media but haven't talked more than a comment on a post here or there, feel free to apply!