Little Writer onto BIGGER Things

13-year-old published author and Albany Creek local Amiel Haddy has recently released the 7th book in his series of action-adventure novels.

Just last year, Echo News boasted the success of Amiel’s first release, as well as his dedication to the craft. From the age of 8, Amiel began his commitment to book-writing and worldbuilding, which ultimately led to the birth of Catman—the notorious superhero his series centres around. Although he is really an 8-year-old boy named Alex, ‘Catman’ spends this book series fighting off evil with his supernatural powers of flight, super-speed, retractable claws, and a super-sonic purr. And how does Alex maintain this wild and wonderful double life? A magic, shapeshifting ring, of course!

Amiel shares that it took him over 12 months to write, illustrate, and publish the final instalment to his series, Catman and the National Hero Tournament. The plot follows Catman and his fellow heroes as they complete four rounds of the tournament to earn points. “I would tell more,” Amiel says. “But I don’t want to spoil the story; you’ll have to read it to see!”

Amiel’s inspiration for the daring tale of test and triumph came from his enjoyment of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, and its focus on the Triwizard Tournament. “I thought it would be fun to put Catman into a tournament with other heroes,” Amiel explains.

Readers can get their hands on a copy of Catman and the National Hero Tournament—or the whole series—by heading to Amiel’s mother’s profile on Facebook marketplace, Oriana M Haddy. A5 copies cost $20 plus $3.50 postage, or larger A4 copies cost $30 plus $6 postage. The cost quoted is for all seven books in the series. One day, Amiel hopes these books earn a spot on the shelves of bookstores like Dymocks. For now, Amiel will be taking a temporary break from book writing to focus on his high school studies. With the Catman series now at a close, his next endeavour will be to write a more mature fantasy novel for older readers like himself. Echo News, for one, looks forward to its release!