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Amanda Connolly

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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.

  1. What genre(s) do you write?


Fantasy! The Lure of Wolves and Whispers is both dark fantasy and romantasy.


  1. Do you have a newly released novel? What is the title and a link to buy the novel?


I do! The Lure of Wolves and Whispers is my debut novel and it releases on July 7, 2026.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Lure-of-Wolves-and-Whispers/Amanda-Connolly/The-Martyred-Isle/9781665989510


  1. Are there any other social media links, websites, or other places to learn about you that we should add?


You can find me on Instagram @amandacconn and on Substack where I write my author newsletter BY/LINE with Amanda Connolly.



  1. If you are traditionally published, who is your agent? If you are self-published, what publishing software do you prefer/ who is your publisher?


My agent is Maddy Belton at the Madeleine Milburn Agency in London, UK.


  1. What inspired you to start writing this series?


I started writing The Lure of Wolves and Whispers because I needed to – I had gone almost a full year without writing a word of fiction after the hardest year of my life by the time I sat down to write the first words in January 2024. I was struggling with crippling burnout, a series of freak injuries that meant all my usual forms of stress relief were impossible without excruciating pain, and two back to back bereavements – all of that within the span of about six months. I told myself I was going to give writing one more chance after multiple manuscripts had gone nowhere, and that if this new book didn’t go anywhere, it was a sign from the universe that this dream was not meant for me. I poured everything I love most about fantasy and romance into this book, and lo and behold … it sold in multiple life-changing deals around the world.


  1. What is one book that profoundly impacted you as a writer, and why?


The Song of the Lionness quartet by Tamora Pierce. Her books showed me a universe of feminist, empowering fantasy that I hadn’t known existed until I read those, and shaped me so deeply in my determination to always write stories – both in my day job of journalism and in fiction – that reflect the multitudes and the strength and heart of everything that women can be.


  1. What is your favorite hobby outside of writing, and how does it influence your creative process?


Reading, without question. You can’t be a great writer without being a reader, and I am constantly absorbing and thinking about the craft of storytelling in everything I read or every audiobook I listen to – I adore audiobooks and often have one on while gardening or going for long walks to brainstorm story ideas.


  1. If you could give any advice to a new writer/author, what would it be?


Take your craft seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Write what you love, and make sure you are telling the story that makes your heart sing – because you have to love the story for readers to believe in it. Don’t worry about what anyone else will think. And don’t use GenAI to write. Creativity is a process, but it’s also a skill. Cultivate your skills and your craft, even if it takes years, and you will always be stronger for it.

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