Today we’d like to introduce you to A.M. Harte.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

The beginning of any story can be difficult to pinpoint. As a writer, I’m used to considering the themes and emotions I want to highlight. Do I start in the middle of the action? Do I start with the prequel to the main events? So many circumstances, both big and small, shape a lifetime. I can pull out different threads to unravel various parts of the story, but all of them weave together to tell the tale of “me.”

My tale is one of strength, love, resilience and hope. Born with a foolishly indelible sense of optimism and some elusive sense of over arching “reason,” I’ve found myself on a lifelong quest for The One Thing that could fulfill my purpose. I looked for “it” everywhere, searching for some underlying meaning that would make everything make sense.

I’ve always been a little different. Always wandered off the beaten path of what’s expected. Significant physical disabilities since the age of two (or perhaps sooner) have shaped much of my life, sometimes in small, nearly imperceptible ways, and other times in notable barriers. I needed support to do many of the things my typical peers could do without difficulty, yet I also grew up with the belief that needing support at all was a burden to others around me and that—as much as possible—I should look after myself.

The idea of self sufficiency being admirable was reinforced countless times. I’ve often had people point out how strong I am. I have had strangers approach me saying they’ve seen me out living my life and always admired my strength. While I love these small, unexpected reminders of my own power, they also serve to remind me of the ways I remain disconnected from support. If people truly saw me, why did they admire the struggle? Why did they admire that I could perform life alone? Where I craved community, acceptance and belonging, I didn’t really believe that was achievable.

At the same time, I always had this feeling of hope that refused to die. It was as if, despite the disabled body I felt confined to, I could still achieve something special. I think I always knew I wanted to write stories. I wanted to be an author since I was a child. But so many obstacles in my way prevented me from feeling settled.

I searched for my so-called purpose in other people, in situations, in the performing of tasks and the achievement of goals. Eventually I realized just being me was enough. Every moment of my “one wild and precious life” (borrowing the words of a dear friend. Thank you, Myndee) was already my purpose. There was nothing bigger to strive for. Every individual moment of love, joy, excitement, music, creativity, all of it was The One Thing.

I had to get free of many restrictions before I could find my flow, but once those barriers were overcome, I stepped into what truly did bring me a sense of fulfillment. It wasn’t anything grand. It was just normal, every day things like a special event with my children, or spending time with my closest friends who love and support me exactly the way I am.

It didn’t matter what One Thing I chose. Whatever I wanted to create during my time on this planet could fulfill me. I once thought I had to do something profound with my life, but eventually I came to the conclusion that the most profound thing was simply living moment to moment along the path of what lit me up.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I’ve certainly faced a mountain of struggles to overcome in this lifetime. One significant area of obstacles has been medical trauma and physical disabilities that meant I didn’t experience the same things as my peers. In some ways, I could not even imagine what typical life looked like for kids my age growing up, nor could they imagine the circumstances I experienced.

My disability created tangible barriers throughout my life. All of the major joints in my body have been destroyed by my condition which means I cannot run, dance, or—now—even climb stairs without great difficulty. Navigating daily life with these restrictions impacts nearly every decision I make. I will avoid certain locations, for example, if I’m not certain I’ll be able to manage the seating when I get there. These are barriers simply do not exist for most people. Everything I do is coloured by these barriers that often only I see.

I’ve also struggled a lot interpersonally. While I tend to inspire folks, that doesn’t always result in close friendships. Because of my own dysfunctional actions based on faulty beliefs shaped by traumas (physical, emotional, spiritual) I tended to lose the friendships I did have. It became a cycle as I perceived these abrupt endings as abandonment of me.

I started a journey to untangling toxic relational cycles in 2019 when I had my second child. He was kind of the spark that ignited my own personal revolution. After significant introspection and learning, I eventually left behind an abusive marriage in 2021. In doing so, I also lost an entire faith community as they rejected me for leaving my husband at the time. Relationships with family members also imploded as the choices I made were so far outside what any of them could understand. Now, I am grateful I stood strong in my choices and learned to pour love from a well-fortified soul rather than giving endlessly until I was depleted.

In 2023, I met someone who sparked another personal revolution. In the moment we met, I felt truly seen. Our meeting inspired me to pursue stories I never realized had potential. I began a path to writing and publishing my creative work in earnest, in part because of our explosive encounter.

I didn’t know this person for very long. Our brief friendship imploded quickly. But somehow, in the short time we interacted, he managed to shine a spotlight on my deepest wounds. It was as if my very soul were cracked open, and everything I’d known since childhood came up to be re-visited in excruciating detail. Unable to ignore the devastation my past brought me, I processed the damage on my own, stopping the bleeding once and for all. My wounds weren’t merely bandaged and ignored. Instead, I healed each of them one by one.

Such a tiny encounter resulting in such cataclysmic transformation. I will forever be grateful for this person’s appearance in my life. The last time we spoke was January 26, 2024. But not a day goes by I don’t reflect on how 5 short months completely altered the trajectory of my personal healing.

I have grown to a place now where I love all the previous, less-healed versions of myself and appreciate every part of my story, even the unimaginably difficult bits I wish I could forget. My darkest moments gave way to my brightest hope.

Even now, as the world around us destabilizes and shifts, I am grateful for the healing I fought for until now. It will carry me through the incomprehensible days ahead. And perhaps I will inspire others to survive this storm as well.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I am a writer and a poet. In 2023 I published my first poetry collection titled “The Fires that Built Me.” It contains a story in itself, from the darkness of my old life to the hope after leaving abuse. Themes of inner strength and identity are woven into every piece.

After the poetry book, I struggled a little with the direction I should take. But I’ve always been a writer. I express deep, emotional experiences in a way that many people connect with, and I had more stories to tell. At the end of 2023, I started re-working an old story from 2008. It was a sci-fi fantasy blend called The Soul from the Supernova, and I wrote the entire manuscript from start to finish in 30 days.

I re-discovered the story in 2023 and saw that—while a complete mess—it had elements I could work with. I saw past versions of myself within the characters and how my thinking had changed since I first wrote it, how I had deconstructed so much of my old patterns.

I took the story and re-wrote it entirely, adding depth to the characters and shaping it into a more cohesive narrative. I am so proud of the work I’ve done on this story, which is now a cozy, heart-warming fantasy adventure. The Soul from the Supernova releases to the world on February 28, 2025, and is available directly through my website, or through various other retailers.

I can’t wait to connect with the readers who need this story. The ones who feel a little lost or misunderstood. Anyone who needs a bright spot within dark times. This is a story to soothe their souls.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?

I wish I’d known there is no timeline on stories and there is no timeline on healing. It can take years to even recognize everything that’s not working in our lives. It takes awareness, perspective changes, and experience to inch us away from destructive paths. Noticing what’s “wrong” is only the beginning of a process.

Even if you have a lot to examine, no version of you was ever incomplete, wrong, or broken. You might discover things you don’t like, but you have the power to overcome the trap of shame by approaching all of yourself with tenderness and love. Sometimes, confronting what wasn’t working hurts. But it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to overcome.

Similarly, if you have an artistic dream like I did with publishing stories, there’s no timeframe where it is suddenly too late to create something. The Soul from the Supernova is a perfect illustration of what I mean. I wrote the original story in 2008 and didn’t look at it again for 15 years. The story was still there waiting for me when I at last had the skill and ability to polish the work and release it to the world.

It wasn’t the right time to put my story in front of other eyes in 2008. It is the right time now in 2025. In fact, many people need an oasis right now, a comfortable story in which to escape. A story that doesn’t ignore or diminish difficult emotional experiences, but approaches them gently, showing the power of transformation in a comfortable, safe tale removed from the pressure of reality.

The writing didn’t run away while I got distracted by life. I am so grateful to my younger self for writing that story. She gave me all the material I needed to shape into a beautiful tale that could brighten the lives of others.

Setbacks will happen. But every time you create something, even if no one ever sees it, is a part of your creative path. Nothing is a waste, nothing is lost. Sometimes the time is now and sometimes the time is “not yet,” but if we can go along with the flow and adjust as we run into obstacles, we can still accomplish our dreams.

Pricing:

• The Fires that Built Me paperback: $8CAD
• The Soul from the Supernova paperback: $21CAD/$28 from me direct
• The Soul from the Supernova e-book: $4.44 CAD

Contact Info:

• Website: https://talesofangela.com
• Instagram: @talesofangela
• Facebook: @talesofangela
• Youtube: @Talesofangela
• Other: Tiktok: @Talesofangela Bluesky: Talesofangela

Image Credits

Character artist: Ali (@juniper.charm on IG and Threads)