Amy de la Force: 'I’d wanted to break into writing books for years and CBC was the first industry recognition I’d ever received'
BY Maya Fernandes
1st Jul 2025
Amy de la Force studied on our Edit & Pitch Your Novel and Writing Your Novel – Three Months courses in 2020. We caught up to discuss her debut novel, A Kiss of Hammer and Flame – out this week from Canelo.
Read on to discover the inspiration behind Amy's debut, her thoughts on the romantasy genre and her advice on worldbuilding for aspiring fantasy writers.
Amy, you studied on our Edit & Pitch Your Novel and Writing Your Novel – Three Months courses in 2020. How did your time with us shape your approach to writing?
First of all, I loved my CBC courses, and I recommend them everywhere! Writing Your Novel was a real game-changer for me, as just being selected was the biggest confidence boost. I’d wanted to break into writing books for years and CBC was the first industry recognition I’d ever received. Our tutor, Andrew Michael Hurley, was exactly what I needed: an expert in speculative fiction who understood what I was trying to achieve writing A Kiss of Hammer and Flame, despite being from a different sub-genre – which made such a difference to my tutors at university. And the course materials were fantastic, challenging in all the right ways so that you dug deep to really learn what you were capable of.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met on the course?
Yes! Being the pandemic, our cohort was all online, so it was easy to stay in touch after the course ended. We started a virtual pub on Slack called The Write Inn and many in our group have met in person, with most now represented by agents and around half with published works. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come!
A Kiss of Hammer and Flame is an action-packed romantasy that follows Cahra, a blacksmith's apprentice, who is thrown into a 400-year-old prophecy to save the empire’s capital, Hael’stromia, and retrieve its greatest weapon. How did you come up with the magic system for your world?
A central part of my premise was Hael’stromia being a gothic, underworldly capital – with its namesake, my character Hael, being the physical embodiment of hell, so his powers reflect this. There’s also a prophecy, so I needed an oracle faction. In terms of magic systems, I adore a hard magic system but can’t write one to save my life. My brain just doesn’t work that way! As a result, AKOHAF has a soft magic system, which leaves me room to be surprised, not get bored, and solve problems creatively with an eye to consistency and continuity.
Do you have any advice for aspiring fantasy authors struggling with worldbuilding?
During the pandemic, I completed Masterclass’ Elements of Worldbuilding course by N. K. Jemisin, and it was crucial in helping me interrogate and formulate my own worldbuilding from the ground up. As a free option, Jemisin also has a great PDF on her website from a Writers’ Digest workshop she ran, which you can find here.
There are so many resources online that can help guide you through worldbuilding, whether it’s first or second world fantasy. Another good discovery was learning from game masters (GMs) who’ve made their own tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). They’re worldbuilders who have to think countless steps ahead for any decision’s knock-on effects on their worlds, and that’s an excellent skill to have.
I was recently on a panel about magic systems for the British Fantasy Society, so if people have questions, do reach out!
Your debut also features a forbidden romance. It’s no secret that ‘romantasy’ is trending at the moment – what are your thoughts on the trend?
So, while I have ‘Opinions’ on romantasy (and book boyfriends vs. men in real life), what I love about the genre is the women who showed up to put romance deservedly front and centre, especially in the UK. Given the current state of the world, it’s no surprise that escapism is the #1 reason romantasy appeals to readers and unfortunately, that may only increase in the near future. But another benefit of romantasy is the genre-blend aspect, which can open doors for anyone who’s ever been told their MS doesn’t easily fit into a particular genre.
What are some recent fantasy novels you’ve enjoyed?
At the moment, I’m reading Charlotte Ingham’s ARC, A Match Made in Hell, and absolutely loving it! I’ve been invested in this book ever since I first heard about it, and not only is the concept execution (and worldbuilding) superb, but Willow’s characterisation is so nuanced – wry yet poignant, and utterly gripping.
What does a typical day of writing look like for you? Do you have any rituals?
I wake up, get coffee, watch an episode of Gilmore Girls or read a few chapters of an ARC, meditate, then light a candle, crank some music and get writing/editing.
And finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
A lot of events over the next few months, kicking off with The Book Party’s summer ball in Bristol, Waterstones panels in London’s Covent Garden and Leeds, a book tour in Australia, the Romance Writing Festival in Bournemouth, and more. The US publication of A Kiss of Hammer and Flame also happens at the end of this year, so I’m excited for North American romantasy fans!
I’ve got a 3-book deal with Canelo, so I’m currently working on AKOHAF’s sequel, which is book 2 of the Fated For Hael series, publishing in 2026. Then it’s book 3, and finishing the queer historical fiction that I shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize with in 2024. After that… Onto my next speculative fiction series!
Get your hands on a copy of A Kiss of Hammer and Flame.
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