Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Amanda Connolly!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Amanda Connolly
Amanda Connolly is a Canadian political journalist and editor. A winner of the EU-Canada Young Journalist Fellowship, she is a dual citizen of Canada and Ireland. The Lure of Wolves and Whispers is Amanda’s debut novel.
About the Book: The Lure of Wolves and Whispers
A darkly addictive romantasy debut about a girl who sacrifices everything to buy the dangerous magic that could save her sister—the first in a trilogy perfect for fans of Powerless and Throne of Glass.
On the mist-shrouded Isle of Eireann, buying magic comes with a price.
But when her beloved older sister is gravely injured, Maeve risks everything to buy the forbidden magic that might save her. In exchange, Maeve trades her life to a ruthless and dangerously alluring rebel leader. Bound to do his bidding, Maeve finds herself thrown into a deadly competition to become the next queen and stand beside a prince rumored to be more brutal than his tyrannical father.
With the isle on the brink of war, trust and survival come at a terrible cost—one that will tear Maeve’s world, and her heart, in two.
What would you sacrifice to survive?
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I wrote this book during the absolute hardest period of my life – I was grappling with back-to-back bereavements, freak injuries and burnout, and hadn’t written a word of fiction in almost a full year. I had this high concept idea that had been prickling at the edges of my mind for years, and decided to give it one last go before I quit writing entirely – and the story just came together in a lightning-in-a-bottle feeling that I literally could not get down quickly enough! I wrote this book in two and a half months, and with a couple of songs on repeat over and over, and Maeve’s voice just came roaring out of me.
YABC: Is your main character like you?
There’s a bit of me in every character that I write, but Maeve is definitely the most like me – she has to be, because I’m writing first-person in her point of view! She is fiercely protective and loyal to the people she loves most, but always expecting something bad to happen. She has a hard time trusting people, and she grapples throughout the book with nerve pain and panic attacks, both of which come from my own first-hand experience with years-long flares of excruciating nerve pain in my hands and arms, and lifelong panic attacks. She loves so deeply, and a lot of her guardedness and bracing comes from fearing something bad will happen to her loved ones, and I think that’s something so many people can probably relate to as well, especially right now.
YABC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember – I am incredibly lucky to have parents who read to me every night, and where fantasy books and a love of reading were deeply fostered. That love for telling stories and writing led me to journalism, my career for almost fifteen years, but all through high school, university and the years I’ve been working in journalism, I’ve been writing books on the side. Every night, every weekend, every vacation and holiday. It’s incredibly hard to make the time when you have a demanding day job and career you love, but there’s no version of my life where it feels possible to step away from writing – it’s completely entwined in who I am and what makes me feel most alive.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
My voice tends to naturally skew towards that “crossover” demographic, which I think is a result of my career as a journalist. I never had any formal creative writing training, but I have worked as a reporter and editor for more than a decade now and the biggest thing we are taught is: use clear, simple language. Never use a big word where a smaller one will work. And always strive to meet your readers where they are. Most North American adults read between a Grade 6 and Grade 9 level, so I always try to keep my voice as clear and conversational as possible in anything I write. I never want a reader to feel like my voice is the barrier to their ability to understand the story.
YABC: What type of scene do you love to write the most?
CHARACTER TENSION!!! Whether it’s romantic tension or personality tension, I love playing characters off of each other – I think of it like braiding roses, and I’m always looking for the points where one character’s thorns brush up or prickle against another character’s, and trying to imagine how to twine them together anyway. I will say: that dynamic is especially fun when writing romantic tension, though.
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?
Definitely Cash. I wouldn’t even say he gave me trouble, but he is so secretive and has so many conflicting motivations that he’s tricky to understand how he will react and what he will do next when he is with other characters on the page. All of my characters are Machiavellian to a certain degree – every one of them has secrets or shadows, and often both. I really have to keep on my toes with him, because there are times where I will have something planned for him and he just doesn’t react that way once I get in his head and start writing him, and that’s especially true when I put him in a room with both Wolf and Maeve. I never want readers to be sure if they should be cheering for Cash, or terrified of him.
YABC: If your character could meet a character from another book, who would it be?
I adore Talon and Saraid, and am so excited for readers to get to see more of them both in Book 2 … and I especially think the two of them would have a rip-roaring good time – once they all stopped glaring each other down warily – if they found themselves in a bar watching people fight while the two of them laugh in a dark corner, maybe snickering with Sorasa Sarn from Victoria Aveyard’s Realm Breaker series.
YABC: How do you plan to celebrate the launch of your book?
It’s been a VERY long road to publication – five shelved manuscripts and 13 years of dreaming of this moment – so I plan to celebrate with a lot of friends and family, and a lot of champagne before heading out to meet readers 🙂
YABC: What fandom would you write for if you had time?
My own!! I love writing bonus chapters and ideas from The Martyred Isle series world – I have several already just sitting on my computer, but who knows if I will get to share them … I’d love to hear what scenes or characters readers would be hungry to see more from!
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I’m currently working on edits for Book 2 in this series! I have a rough outline for Book 3 that I can’t wait to start writing once I know if Book 2 is in solid shape, as well as ideas for extra for-fun chapters I want to write in this world, even if just for myself. I’m also editing and drafting a couple of other projects in different worlds, all with varying levels of magic and general chaos and aching, yearning romance … and I hope I get to share them with readers one day!
Title: The Lure of Wolves and Whispers
Author: Amanda Connolly
Release Date: July 7, 2026
Publisher: Sarah Barley Books
ISBN-10: 1665989513
ISBN-13: 9781665989510
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/YA
Age Range: 16 and up
~ Giveaway Details ~
Use the Rafflepress Form below to enter
*Be sure to include a complete mailing address for the second entry question to qualify to win*
One (1) winner will receive a hardcover copy of The Lure of Wolves and Whispers (Amanda Connolly) ~US Only (No P.O. Boxes)!
