Former Irvine Student Publishes Debut Novel

Hope Engel holding her recently published debut novel

Hope Engel’s love of reading began at University Park Library. After her parents taught her to read at age three, Hope’s grandmother would take her to the library and encourage her to choose her own books. During one visit, a librarian was skeptical that someone so young could read the book titles well enough to make her selections. Hope happily proved her wrong by reading them aloud.

From that moment on, books became a constant part of Hope’s life. She read voraciously throughout her childhood and discovered a love of writing along the way. As a junior at Woodbridge High School, she received a Sentinel Award for excellence in American Literature — an early sign that writing would play an important role in her future.

Hope went on to study English in Portland, Oregon, where she explored nonfiction, short fiction, poetry, and playwriting. After graduating, she returned to Irvine and began a career in marketing, sharpening her writing skills while creating communications for technology companies. Throughout those years, she continued borrowing audiobooks from Heritage Park Library, turning her daily commute into reading time.

After nearly a decade in the corporate world and completing her MBA, Hope found herself drawn back to creative writing. With more time to devote to fiction, she finally had an idea for a novel she felt was worth sharing. Her debut novel, At Your Pace, was published last month. The book is a contemporary romance that follows college baseball player Emerson as he experiences first love with the support of his friends while learning to navigate healthy family relationships and boundaries.

Looking back, Hope never imagined that the little girl who eagerly filled her arms with library books would one day become a published author. She credits Irvine’s public libraries and the Irvine Unified School District with fostering the curiosity, imagination, and love of reading that laid the foundation for her writing journey. Today, Hope is grateful to see her own book become part of the community that first inspired her to dream.