About Haley
Haley Hix is a fantasy and historical fiction writer based in New York City.
Originally from Tennessee, she holds a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Master of Arts. She has worked in the field of arboriculture for over a decade, and the resiliency of trees has been an endless source of inspiration for her writing.
Her writing reflects her passion for the natural world, weaving themes of history, environment, and the profound connections between people and place. When she’s not writing, you can find her practicing medieval calligraphy or watercolor, or exploring NYC’s beautiful green spaces—especially her favorite, The MET Cloisters.
My writing is inspired by…
HIDDEN HISTORIES
myth & legendARCHITECTURAL WONDERS
ANCIENT LIBRARIES
Current Projects
The First Library of Verona, 2024 - Seeking representation
When Winifred is offered a four-month position at Biblioteca Capitolare in Verona, the world’s oldest library, she jumps at the chance. Not only will she recover priceless manuscripts hidden throughout Italy during WWII, but she can finally pursue her own burning research question: Who wrote the original tale of Romeo and Juliet?
Upon her arrival, Winifred’s personal research is shoved to the back burner when she’s sent out to retrieve lost manuscripts with Silvano, the gruff gardener-turned-chauffeur. Worse, the library’s overburdened director insists she focus on projects that will bring in funding to save the financially-strapped library.
But everything changes when Winifred stumbles upon a letter by the Veronese poet Catullus to his lover Clodia that hints at an untold tale of murder and passion in ancient Rome. Torn between chasing her scholarly dream and following the trail of Catullus’s scandalous love letters—which could lead to a treasure trove of ancient manuscripts—Winifred races against the clock. She has four months to save the library, secure her future in the academic world, and perhaps unearth the most significant archaeological discovery of her career.
The Wonders, 2023 - Seeking representation
Cassia, a cataloger at the Great Library of Alexandria, prepares to fulfill her uncle’s dying wish: lead a disparate band of scholars through world’s great wonders and write a travel guide for the library’s records.
But the mission is more than she bargained for. Along her journey, Cassia discovers that the true purpose of her expedition is to use the powers she’s avoided all her life—the powers her uncle once called her “intuition”—to unravel puzzles and follow the clues that lead to a hidden weapon. A weapon that both Cleopatra and Julius Caesar would kill for.
Past Projects
Shakespeare & Botany, 2022 - Shelved for now
William Shakespeare leaves the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon for London to pursue his dream of being a writer. But when he arrives, he encounters a vicious plague outbreak that lands him in quarantine on an earl’s remote estate.
In the earl's library, he happens upon a 300-year-old legend about an ancient medicinal garden beneath the streets of London that may hold a cure for the plague. When he returns to London, his writing career is almost derailed by his search for the long-lost garden, and he must decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice—his career and his family—to find it.