Q&A: Amy de la Force, Author of ‘A Kiss of Hammer and Flame’

We chat with author Amy de la Force about A Kiss of Hammer and Flame, which is a sizzling, action-packed romantasy, perfect for fans of The North Wind, Throne of Glass and The Book of Azrael.

Hi, Amy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hello! I’m Amy de la Force, bi writer of romantasy and debut author of A Kiss of Hammer and Flame, Book 1 of the Fated For Hael series published by Canelo, DK (Penguin Random House).

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Goosebumps by R.L. Stine! I’m a horror / paranormal girl at heart.
• The one that made you want to become an author: Graceling by Kristin Cashore – it raised me from a decade-long reading slump and I never looked back. 🫶
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Reaper by Jackson P. Brown, a supernatural urban fantasy that’s on my TBR. I’m dyinggg to finish sequel edits so I can read it!

Your debut novel, A Kiss of Hammer and Flame, is out December 2^nd! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Evocative, action-packed, cinematic, mythic, and full-of-YEARNING.

What can readers expect?

A simmering, pacey adventure with a (physically) strong female main character, a quest that results in found family, and beloved romance tropes with a twist: a love triangle, slow burn, forbidden love, and my weakness, Hades x Persephone. It’s the story of Cahra, a blacksmith who forges a sword and is hunted for its prophecy, escapes with a handsome noble, and accidentally awakens a dark immortal with the power to shape or shatter worlds.

Where did the inspiration for A Kiss of Hammer and Flame come from?

As you might guess from my formative R.L. Stine obsession, I’m a goth, and as a teen went on to love Xena, Buffy, and all things sword-fighty and paranormal romance. My special interest was also Ancient Egypt, so these things smushed together is how my brain manifested AKOHAF. But really, the first nugget of a concept was three kingdoms warring over a lost city and its fabled weapon, which I had the idea for at university. It stayed with me for another decade before I finally tried to pin the story down as a novel.   

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved writing Hael, the dark immortal, and Thelaema, an elder Seer who does not suffer fools. Playing with Hael’s broodiness and archaic language was really fun, especially in contrast with Cahra’s much simpler internal lexicon. And Thelaema 100% has the best zingers of any character in the book – she’s a salty old woman, and my aging inspiration! I’m also passionate about fight scenes as an ex-sword fighter and martial artist (I trained in Shaolin kung fu for years), so hopefully that care and attention to detail shines through.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Drafting comes easily for me – editing, not so much, so the first 2 structural edits I undertook for this book were beefy, and done on my own. Happily, that meant that when it was acquired, manuscript changes were relatively light-touch, which made the process reassuringly painless. The hardest thing was landing on a kickass title!

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

Interesting! I queried for maybe a year and a half before signing with my agent for a different MS (a historical fiction). When I told her about this book, she read it, loved it, and we got it out on submission lightning fast! I had a publishing offer within a month, and the rest is history.

What’s next for you?

Book 2 in the Fated For Hael series – I’m editing it now, and it releases in the US next summer, so there’s not long for readers to wait before they can get their hands on the sequel!

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up in 2026?

A Match Made in Hell by Charlotte Ingham and Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina, which were immediate faves for speculative rom-com and high fantasy readers. I also just picked up Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson, a Yoruba-inspired epic fantasy romance, so that’s next up after I read The Reaper!

Will you be picking up A Kiss of Hammer and Flame? Tell us in the comments below!