Storytellers On Tour is a Blog/Instagram Tour organising service. It was born out of Justine’s (Whispers & Wonder) and my love and dedication toward SFF indie books and authors. Our goal is to give as much exposure to our clients as we can, while we also build a community among our Roadies. Find out more about us on www.storytellersontour.online!
This past week we gave the spotlight to Steel & Stone, the first book in Kate Haley’s YA Fantasy series! Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews, interviews and other posts. Now it’s time to bring the show to an end and it’s my pleasure to present you with the encore, including some extra content. Come and learn a bit more about the world of Steel & Stone through our Q&A!
Shall we?
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.
Ten years. Thousands dead. No memories.
The amnesia was supposed to be a good thing. Other soldiers bask in its freedom. Except for Elvac it doesn’t feel right. When he returns from his first year at war he can’t shake the niggling sensation that something is missing. His life has been turned upside down, yet he can’t remember being gone. The only proof of his time away are the scars, and the haunting dreams of fire.
With the help of his friends, Elvac begins to regain his lost memories, and with them uncover the truth of his missing year, and what the Church of Sunne is really doing with their War of the North…
Click on the blog name to read their full review or other content!
DECEMBER 6TH–THE WELCOMING
Whispers & Wonder – interview + IG spotlight
DECEMBER 7TH
Book Steff’s Bookish Blog – interview
“Honestly, I refuse to give anything away, if you love a high stakes, epic fantasy, with great characters and secret plots then give this one a go, I’m sure you wont be disappointed, and as for me? I cant wait to read what comes next!”
@bookish_lovers_bylc – IG spotlight + review
“The story has romance, war, religión, and conspiracy, it has it all. The PTSD it’s well developed.
Also it has a lot of strong female characters, well built. You will be trapped.”
DECEMBER 8TH
@booklifey – IG spotlight + review
“Most of all, the way it deals with all the different themes, especially the after-effects of war on everyone is so real, and I like that. Every good fantasy has to have this element that connects to some part of you in life. It can’t be too out of this world even for a fantasy.”
DECEMBER 9TH
Beneath A Thousand Skies – excerpt
I Can Has Books? (@carrieicanhasbooks) – review + IG spotlight
“The book is young adult fantasy, and it reads like one. To me it’s a teen read that adults can enjoy. It also strikes me as one that is tipping it’s hat at some of the older fantasy books. It could just be me but there is something about it that feels like this could have been written decades ago. I like that. “
DECEMBER 10TH
dinipandareads – review
“The world that Haley created is vast and complex and we only get a small glimpse of it as we follow our main cast in this action-packed story. The plot also explores the religion of the North and how enmeshed it is with politics, and the effects of Sunne’s war on society. I thought the plot itself was unique and I don’t recall reading a fantasy (especially YA) that encompasses all of the elements that were used, from a ‘religious war’ as mandated by their God, to the nefarious use of drugs to ensure a soldiers’ obedience. There are a lot of dark currents running through this story and the author does not pull punches with the graphic nature of the torture and other grotesquely dark scenes.”
@theenchantedshelf – IG spotlight + review
“I particularly loved the writing style. Kate’s writing made me feel like I was actually there, seeing Elvac and his friends live their lives, all while dealing with the horrible consequences that come with heading off to war.”
What inspires your writing? Do you listen to music, stare into the fire, listen to the whispering of the wind, make deals with the Devil?
Mostly my dreams. I dream vividly all the time, and I remember the dreams. Some of them are just chaos and I abandon them to the ether, but others inspire the stories I tell. Steel & Stone began as a dream on a battlefield. On occasion, I even lucid dream, and am guilty of pushing my dreams in certain directions to suit narrative structures.
Describe an asylum set in the world of your book, Steel & Stone!
An asylum in the city of Undernal would be more like a dungeon. The Church runs the State, and they’re more interested in keeping their streets clean than saving souls. Those that cross them or are deemed unfit for society would be locked away in underground stone rooms, with little care or consideration. They would be starved and ignored, alone and cold, with only the basics to keep them alive, until they conformed or perished.
For an example of what an asylum might looks like in Undernal if it wasn’t run by the Church, check out the chapter Monsters in Steel & Stone.
Your MC is locked in an asylum. What did he/she do to end up there?
If Elvac from Steel & Stone ended up in an asylum, it would almost certainly be for trying to tell people the truth about the war. Usually soldiers who rebel are killed, but I can see someone deciding to make an example of Elvac and choosing to lock him up and declare him insane, before making an end to him behind closed doors…
Which fictional character (it can be one of yours) and/or author would you like to live with in an asylum and why?
My imaginary friend Jim. I’ve stuck him in various stories before because we think it’s funny, so I’m going to count him as one of my fictional characters. However, if I was ever going to actually end up in an asylum, he’s probably why. Through good and bad decisions, he’s excellent company.
While you are locked in here for eternity, we will allow you one book – what would you choose?
I would probably try and negotiate for more books until you got bored and shut the door on me. I could maybe narrow it down to something by Terry Pratchett. Am I allowed my books? Can I have more books if they are unpublished – thereby exploiting the loophole that they are merely manuscripts? Will I be allowed paper and pencils so that I can keep writing in here? Or am I going to have to scrawl future novels on the walls with my own blood? Can I– no, wait! Where are you going?!
If you are interested in Steel & Stone and would like to get in contact with Kate Haley, you can find her on social media:
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