Hello!
I’m posting for two weeks in a row. What is this sorcery?
Actually it’s just awesomeness, because I have my author friend Emily Hayse over for an interview today! Emily writes the most fantastic historical fantasy novels (and one epic portal fantasy) that are chock full of amazing characters, prose that you have to stop and savor, and an overall vibe that reminds me so much of books I loved as a kid. Every one of her books has been a little like coming home to a familiar, yet utterly new, book.
And I’m so excited for this new book, The Last Atlantean. My paperback is ordered and I’m anxiously awaiting it in the mail!
About the Book
“Watch, ye sons of the sea, your doom is at hand. With soundless storm rises the fate of Atlantis.”
As a lighthouse keeper’s daughter, Hattie has always been able to handle anything the Atlantic throws at her. But when a stranger washes ashore in a storm, she finds herself unraveling a mystery that will change her life.
Caught up in a high-stakes game of intrigue and hidden loyalties, Hattie watches legends take shape before her eyes. But as kings and pawns prepare for a showdown that will determine the fate of an ancient world, she wonders whether she has thrown in her lot with the hero or the villain.
Does this not sound completely epic?? I lowkey love Atlantean legends, and am so excited for this one! Plus all the character aesthetics Emily has shared over on her Instagram are A-Mazing and I can’t wait!
On to the interview!
EMILY! So glad you could make it over! Let’s get this party started! What is one of your favorite legends?
Atlantis and El Dorado are definitely up there! I love the intrigue of lost places and the looking for them, which obviously has been reflected in the last couple books of mine. And I also love the sense of ancientness that comes with it, the sort of thing where the secrets of these places could be lost in dusty attics and old vaults.
Ooh, yes! You described it perfectly! I am also a little obsessed with lighthouses. What was the most interesting aspect about setting the story around a lighthouse keeper?
Well, the research was fun! I checked out quite a few books from the library, looking at lighthouse styles, what the lighthouse keepers had to do, all that sort of thing. And then being from Michigan, I went to a couple lighthouses and poked around. So there was some great opportunity for hands on research. Also, I kind of wanted to contrast the two different places with Maine being the unforgiving landscape and stormy sea with welcoming, protective people, versus Atlantis with the beautiful warm climate but you don’t know who you can trust, and I felt the lighthouse brought that across even more, as your job is to actively protect others.
I love having that as the focal point and am excited to see it play out in the book! I know you’ve mentioned how this book gave you lots of difficulties in the editing process. What was the easiest part about this book?
The setting in Maine, and Taurus Lamnidae. My sister laughed when I mused aloud on this question because there was laughably almost nothing that came easily in this book. Plot, characters, everything was all over the place. But those two things came nicely from the very beginning and I didn’t have to change much with them.
Extra cookies for them. lol! Favorite theme from the book?
There’s this Frodo-and-Sam kind of loyalty between the two main characters. One of them carries more of the burden of the actual situation and the other is very loyally supportive and doesn’t let the fact that the world is falling apart stop them. I love the idea of someone trying to take on the world to protect someone they love.
Stahp. I love them already. If you had the chance to be thrown directly into the events of this story as an active participant, would you take it?
That’s hard. I would say yes, but only because there’s a great deal of camaraderie involved and I probably wouldn’t be super high on the antagonists’ hit list. So I’d probably live to see the end.
Haha! Good things to consider before jumping headfirst into a story world. 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by, Emily!
You can also catch a live Q&A with Emily and me over on my Instagram TONIGHT!
About Emily
EMILY HAYSE is a lover of log cabins, strong coffee, and the smell of old books. Her writing is fueled by good characters and a lifelong passion for storytelling. When she is not busy turning words into worlds, she can often be found baking, singing, or caring for one of the many dogs and horses in her life. She lives with her family in Michigan.
Find her on Social Media:
Instagram @songsofheroes Twitter @theherosinger Website emilyhayse.com
Facebook theherosinger
C.M. Banschbach 