Angie Hockman changed her life seven years ago and has never looked back. After attending Case Western Reserve University College of Law in 2006 and graduating from the program, she returned her briefcase and picked up a pen a few years later, knowing it was time to follow her passion.
After working at a small law firm in Columbus and moving to Virginia to teach English, she returned to her adopted hometown after college — not too far from her childhood home in Canton — in 2015 with her three-month-old son and her future husband. close to his side of the family and begin his career as an author.
“I thought to myself ‘gosh I’ve always been a great reader, I have ideas, why not try to put some on paper?'” she says, thinking back to the time she has spent teaching children to write. “Some kind of switch inside me went off, and I thought, ‘I don’t want to get into writing anymore because dabbling will never finish a book.'”
Hockman burst onto the romance novel scene in 2021 with her debut novel Shipped, a summertime story of foes to lovers set on a luxury cruise ship. Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get any prettier, Dream released July 5. It follows Cass Walker, a rising lawyer in Cleveland, through a major life upheaval and a man she could only dream of meeting.
Setting the story in The Land is an easy decision for Hockman, and his heart and soul are evident in every setting.
“I wanted to show Cleveland some love,” Hockman said with a happy smile. “I felt like it was a really good match for my character and her journey. Cass is someone who’s been through a lot, but you can’t hold her back. She’s so determined to move on with her life and achieve his career dreams and I feel like it’s Cleveland.
Readers will love the book’s familiar reminders, from Cass’ childhood in Euclid to her school days in Chagrin Falls. His home in Ohio City and his evenings on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The book is basically Cleveland, all because Hockman fell in love with the city and came home.
“Not many people know about Cleveland, especially outside of Ohio,” Hockman says. “They might think ‘oh that’s where LeBron played,’ but otherwise they think it’s a flyover state, and you couldn’t be more wrong.”
With so much to offer, Cleveland not only became a home for Hockman, but also a place full of exploration. When she’s not behind her desk, she can often be found browsing the Emerald Necklace with her son, trying new downtown restaurants with her husband, and spending days on the lake.
Not only did the different neighborhoods and features of Cleveland inspire her novels, but also aspects of her life and those close to her. Cass attended Case Western Reserve University as did Hockman, and main character Henley in Shipped is inspired by the personality of her husband.
“I like to joke around with my friends and family, ‘be careful you’re my friend, you never know what I might pick out and put in my book,'” Hockman laughs.
Juggling life as a mom, a part-time day job – responsible for conservation education programs at Lindblad Expeditions – and keeping up with the house is a lot for anyone, but for a writer who meets deadlines, it can be particularly tricky. She makes it through with the support of her husband and their combined families who also live there.
“My husband is amazing,” Hockman muses. “Having that support system and also a family that lives close by (his in-laws live just across the road, his mother in the same part of town) they can help a lot and pick up my son at school sometimes. Sometimes they cook an extra big dinner and invite us, so I feel very lucky.
As for his next project, it is secret. But, Hockman fans can look forward to another standalone rom-com from the hometown author who plans to stay here in CLE.
“Our families are here,” Hockman said with no intention of leaving town. “My son is at school here, he has his friends, so our roots are quite deep at this point.”
