May the wind fill your sails, Greetings traveller.
Writer of words, builder of worlds. J E Hannaford is powered by coffee, dragons and whisky. She teaches Biology in the real world and invents fantasy beasts to populate her own.
J E Hannaford lives in Suffolk, UK, and pines for the coast and mountains of Wales.
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Why write?
I have always loved books. I was the kind of child who thought they were reading sneakily, while my parents tiptoed past the cracks of light from under my bedroom door. Nights passed in a blur of words as I vanished willingly into their pages, lost for days, only coming up for air to deal with the real world when it called.
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My imagination has always been sparked by my cultural mythology. From the creatures of The Mabinogion to modern folk stories, I devoured them all. I have a natural affinity for dragons. After all, every sunset is merely the Welsh Dragon calling me home, so it was no surprise that fantasy books became my greatest love.
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I fell in love with biology too. Marine biology to be specific. The weird and wonderful animals on this world and the legacy and hints of its previous occupants are endlessly fascinating.
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All these things – these dreams and fascinations – were bound to merge one day, finding their blending in the Black Hind's Wake series. A world filled with characters I'd both want to meet, and be afraid to, of deep, dark places with hidden secrets and wondrous creatures.​
Black Hind's Wake is an alt-Earth folklore fantasy series. It's a tale of selkies and sirens, of poisons and found family, but most of all, it is a story about choosing the difficult path for the good of the world. ​
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The Aulirean Gates will take you on a different journey, one of epic proportions – spanning a planet and its moons, through broken portals. Magic and telepathy, animal companions both above and under mountains surround Darin, Suriin and Elissa as they find their paths through unfamiliar worlds.
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Two Chasms may bring a smile and a comfort read when you need one.
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May my worlds and characters find a home in your heart, the way so many others live in mine.