Art Imitates Life For Candace Hammond

Candace Hammond had a vision of a place rooted in community, where people look out for one another and kindness is a guiding principle.

 She found it in Orleans.

 “And as I’ve gotten older, there’s just so much more gratitude for what we have here,” she said. “And looking out at the bigger world, it isn’t so much that way everywhere.”

 Hammond, a seasoned journalist and author, is set to release her latest book, “Summer In Cranberry Harbor,” on June 2. The book is the third installment of her popular Cranberry Harbor series, following “Christmas In Cranberry Harbor” and “Spring In Cranberry Harbor.” 

As with its predecessors, the book is loaded with local color, with places inspired by the likes of Friends’ Marketplace, the Hot Chocolate Sparrow and, yes, The Cape Cod Chronicle. Cranberry Harbor, meanwhile, is a reference to the former Cranberry Cove children’s theme park in Orleans.

“I had never entertained the idea of doing a series,” Hammond admits. “I got a four book deal, which is a pretty cool thing. It was one of those times where it was like ‘This is pretty amazing,’ because I’ve been trying to do this for a long time.”

Hammond said she always had a love of writing. When she was 14, she moved with her mother to Harwich, where she graduated from Harwich High School. She moved to Brewster, where she raised her three children, before moving to Orleans 12 years ago.

As her children got older, she found more time for writing. In 2002, she started writing columns and features for the Cape Cod Times. 

“I found really supportive editors at the Cape Cod Times,” she said. “Bill O’Neil, Tim Miller, Kathi Driscoll. They were just incredibly supportive of me, and I guess they saw something in my writing voice.”

Additional work and bylines followed in the Cape Codder, Cape Cod Voice, Cape Cod Life and other publications. At the same time, she participated in local writers groups, where she tried her hand at fiction. She eventually found an agent, and after her youngest left for college in 2012, she published her first novel, “The Best Worst Year,” which was released as an e-book.

“I was single, so my empty nest was completely empty,” she said of how the book came together.

Years later, Hammond’s publisher solicited her interest in writing a holiday themed book. Inspired by Hallmark Christmas movies, she began putting together the pieces for what would become “Christmas In Cranberry Harbor.” Around the same time, her partner, a musician, played a performance staged by Mary Petiet, owner of the Cape-based publisher Sea Crow Press. Hammond reached out with a pitch, and she signed a deal for the series.

While she broadly defines her style as “light women’s fiction,” the Cranberry Harbor books are imbued with themes and stories of real Cape Cod. 

“I’m talking about journalism. I’m talking about the environment. I’m talking about the fact that we’re losing young people in droves,” she said.

Much of “Christmas In Cranberry Harbor” was written during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hammond recalls sitting in Parish Park, taking notes and formulating characters and ideas. The process, she said, helped her combat the isolation and loneliness brought on by the pandemic.

“I wanted a safe place to escape to myself,” she said. “I wanted a place, like I said, where everyone was kind and supportive. Because as you remember in 2020, things were so divisive and really bleak. It felt like a beautiful escape to create this world and address things like jobs and the environment, but with Christmas cookies and romance.”

Hammond followed up with “Spring In Cranberry Harbor” in May 2025. Her latest book continues the story of Lizzie, who has taken over as editor of the local newspaper from her retired father, and Jack, who operates an eco-friendly community in town, as they navigate the joys and challenges that come with living in their small, tight-knit community.

“What I really like is that people respond to the idea of community and helping each other. Because I really do believe that kindness is contagious,” she said.

While “Summer In Cranberry Harbor” is only on the cusp of being released, Hammond already has eyes on two more books for the series set in the fall and winter. She also has ideas for other novels unrelated to the series.

Additionally, Hammond does social media management for local businesses and hosts a weekly radio show on WOMR. But at heart, she said, she’s a writer. 

“I love to make up stories, and I love happy endings,” she said.

A book launch event will be held in Parish Park, 44 Main St, on June 14 from 1 to 2 p.m. Hammond will be in conversation with local author Susan  Blood and will be available to sign copies of her book.