There are no heroes anymore. Only legends. Only lies.
Like the Heroes of Old
by Kate Haley
Genre: YA Fantasy
There are no heroes anymore.
Only legends.
Only lies.
In a land of gods and faeries, teenage Jak just wants to live a normal life in her tiny unremarkable village and keep her little sisters safe. Unfortunately, that isn’t an option anymore. Her ordinary life is destroyed by the arrival of a strange and inappropriate merchant. Although he is quick to play her hero, Jak discovers the stranger is hiding more than simple goods in the back of his wagon, and perhaps the business of gods and faeries has caught up with her after all…
Climb aboard and join Jak as she takes her first perilous steps into the unknown, falling deep into myth and legend to protect her family, and discovering that the world is far bigger, bolder, and more complicated than she could ever have dreamed.
Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
Hello, my name is Kate Haley and I am addicted to writing. For those of you who don’t know, this is a serious affliction that can result in the production of many books, severe tendonitis in your hands, illusions of grandeur, and poverty. Not guaranteed and not in that order.
I have been writing most of my life as I decided I was going to become an author at the grand old age of 12. When my father asked ‘how are you going to pay the bills?’ I ignored him, because I was a child and had no concept of the paying of bills. Then, in my twenties (when I had a much better grasp of paying the bills, but a very poor grasp of the intricacies of the publishing industry) I decided to fulfill that dream.
So I wrote a bunch of books.
It’s been over 10 years of work, over 3 years of publishing, but my latest book Like the Heroes of Old is my 14th book and my 13th novel (there is a collection of short stories messing with those numbers) – and it’s my best yet. So that’s nice.
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I have an excessive amount of what I can politely dub ‘imaginary friends’ and I’m starting to worry that it might just be insanity, but I cope by shoving the people moving furniture around my brain into books. I’ve been telling myself for years that what I’m going through is what all writers go through, except now I’ve met more authors, it could just be me.
This was certainly how Like the Heroes of Old came about. I had to do something with Jim. If you read the book, you’ll understand. He’s, well… Jim.
He’s Jim. Something had to be done. He needed to be taught a lesson. Or several.
As the meme goes: Authors will literally write entire books instead of going to therapy.
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born and raised in Te Whanganui a Tara, Aotearoa – Wellington, New Zealand. The heart of kiwi filmmaking and LoTR madness. Growing up while those films were being made, with family and friends working on them, was probably a contributor to my love of epic fantasy. I think that to say anything else would be lying. Although, I was well into everything fantasy from a very young age.
There is something magical about this tiny city in the bay, I have to give it credit, and I’m certain it has helped build at least one fictional city in my writing, if not a subconscious few. I am extremely lucky to have grown up in a city this funky, and never more than an hour from the ocean – be it pretty sandy beaches, or moody rocky coastline. These days, I’m living in a flat with a view of the harbour from my bedroom window, which is pretty inspiring.
Kate Haley is a speculative fiction author who works predominantly in fantasy and horror.
While currently content to fill her days with writing and table-top RPGs, her grander plans involve world domination. Something akin to the tyranny of the greatest city atop the Disc would be an acceptable standard. She believes a super-villainous overlord would be an upgrade, given that our current villains lack style and imagination.
After all, super-villainy requires Presentation.
If you like her references, consider reading her books. Peruse the website for short fictions and merchandise, and join the mailing list for early access and exclusive cool stuff.
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$10 Amazon
The cover is very eye catching. I love the colors.