The Dogs of War: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
The Dogs of War: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.Following find an interview with author Emily Hayse:
1. What is the name of the book and when was it published? The Dogs of War, published October 14, 2025
2. What’s the book’s first line? “I stand outside the door in the dark hallway. The sound of celebration comes from the other side: the boys shouting, whooping, singing all off-key.”
3. What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”. The book is about an underdog sports team in a fictional empire. Kind of a “Gladiator” meets “Remember the Titans”. Perfect for people who love a good story about brotherhood and overcoming the odds.
4. What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event? I am a lifelong sports fan. I grew up in Detroit, which is a big sports city. I think my writing a sports novel of some kind was just a matter of time. But definitely my love of gritty sports (NASCAR, football, etc.) played into this.
5. What’s the main reason someone should really read this book? If you enjoy the feeling of victory after hardship, those spine-tingling glory moments, and characters that earn redemption, then this book is for you.
6. What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of? I think the most distinctive thing about my main character is his loyalty. He goes from a position of moderate stability to one of complete risk and unknown because he loves the man that’s going into that situation and he doesn’t want him going alone. There are a few football players I could probably compare him to, but he reminds me a bit of a character from one of my favorite novels, The Shining Company, by Rosemary Sutcliff, named Prosper.
7. When did you first decide to become an author? I was just shy of my twenty-first birthday and I’d already written over a half dozen novels. I realized that whether or not I made a career of it, I’d be writing the rest of my life. So I decided to go for it.
8. Is this the first book you’ve written? No, this is actually my twenty-fifth novel.
9. What do you do for work when you’re not writing? I currently teach second grade at a private school, but I’ve done many things. Worked in law, agriculture/livestock, and taught music. Writing full-time one day is the goal.
10. How much time do you generally spend on your writing? It all depends on whether I’m on a deadline or not. When I’m on a project I can spend 12-18 hours a day. Some days I don’t write at all. It all depends on the season I’m in.
11. What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie? The best thing about being indie is being able to work with your people and trust your gut on which project to put on the publishing schedule. Knowing what my audience is ready for and being able to give it to them without having to go out on sub. The hardest part is the amount of work and energy it takes, and then the stigma. You can be writing stuff equal to or even better than what traditional houses are offering and you often don’t get the same respect.
12. What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors? Invest in your editor, invest in your cover designer. Have these two things and it’ll pay you dividends down the road. I bless my cover designer at every event I go to because he brings people in with those covers. Also, just love it. Life’s too short not to write what you want to write.
13. Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why? It would definitely have to be the right fit and it certainly wouldn’t be for every project. I deliberately did not pursue it for a reason. But for the right people, I’d do it. It would be nice for once to have someone else handle the business side and to have a little more time on my hands.
14. Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?) At the risk of sounding a little sappy, it really is the love of the story. I am never happier than when I am telling a story and sharing it with people that want to listen.
15. Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire? There are so many directions I could take this. But I love Robert Louis Stevenson. I think he had a way of seeing a hard world in a beautiful way and I admire that so much.
16. Which book do you wish you could have written? The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Barring a few minor details, the book has me written all over it.