The Veiled Threat
Sophia Menesini
(The Veiled Duchess #1)
Publication date: June 30th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQ+, New Adult, Romance
Captain Shea Lara is the current leader of The Veiled Duchess. The most feared pirate ship in all of Neried. And now, after completing her former mentor’s final score, she’s retiring. Everything seems to be coming to an end… Until a mysterious stranger drags her back into the fold with an offer for a score she can’t refuse. All she has to do is kidnap the crowned princess of the northern Queendom, Princess Joana of Arethusa. The prize is just within reach. But sparks fly as the two women collide. And an obscured threat that could upturn Shea’s entire world storms on the horizon. She’ll face it alone unless she can allow herself the support she needs from old and new allies alike. Something’s coming and Shea is at the center of it.
Interview with Sophia Menesini
As a writer, what would you choose as your
mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
-As
a writer, I’m the hare. Like from the tortoise and the hare. I’ll start out
breaking out of the gate, writing 4 chapters a day for the first week and then
I rest for too long and I’m scrambling to finish my word count for the month.
It never fails!
How many hours a day do you put into your writing?
-It depends if my
muse is with me when I sit down to write. Sometimes she can be very elusive so
I can only write a page and the next day I could write four chapters. I usually
like to break it up in the day, write a little in the morning and try again before
I go to bed but it doesn’t always go to plan so I do it when I can.
Do you read your book reviews? If yes, do they affect what
you write in the future?
-I read them for
specific reviews, I’m a self-published author and so sometimes the reviews will
mention a typo I may have missed myself or my editor did. So I like to read
them so I can go back, fix it, and republish it. But of course I always
appreciate positive reviews and it’s always great to read people’s favorite
parts or characters.
Do you leave hidden messages in your books that only a few
people will find?
-I love to leave
sneak peeks of what’s to come throughout the chapters. In the first, I left
hints of the gods and magic. And now throughout the second, there’s a hidden
sneak peek of where the second series, books four through six, take place.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in The Veiled Threat?
- Of course! So the main character is an elven
woman by the name of Shea Lara, Captain of The Veiled Duchess, she was picked
up from a slave port in Lycos by the previous Captain, Paetre Lara. He adopted
her in a way, made her his cabin girl and trained her to eventually take over
the ship for him. He dies in an unexpected mutiny but she’s able to still take
control of the ship. The story takes place about two years later finishing what
he’d always been after, The Pearl of Lycos. Shea is a fantastic character to
write, she’s strong, tough, with hints of masculinity but inherently female.
But she has her drawbacks, it’s hard for her to trust, she’s loyal to a fault,
and she never listens, she has to come to her own conclusions.
Jo, Princess Joana of Arethusa, is her
complete opposite. They compliment each other. Jo is regal, she’s led a
privileged life but without the same kind of care, Shea was given. You quickly
come to realize that Shea has probably lived a better life. Jo is quick to
trust, she perseveres, is hardworking, and she’s loyal to her ideals rather
than perhaps certain people. I love how true Jo is to her responsibilities
because even though she starts to fall for Shea, her goal is to get back to
Arethusa, her queendom and her people. She doesn’t let love eclipse that. We
don’t lose who she is in the process of romance, instead, it almost heightens
her great ruling characteristics. Shea makes her a better ruler.
The Veiled Duchess Series has a wonderful
supporting cast. Aster, Caen, Thetis, and James to name a few and they all have
their own subplots and romances. Aster and James’s relationship heats up a bit
in the sequel. Caen and Thetis were both unexpected creations. Shea already had
a father figure and I knew I wanted her to have a mother-son relationship and
Aster came out of it perfectly. But Paetre was dead and I didn’t want a
replacement more of a co-parent. So Caen came into creation. Thetis was also
unexpected I had Ceto planned from the start, she’s so insanely evil and Thetis
was almost her Slytherin counterpart. Ceto is all about the big dramatic
effects and the crazy in your face but Thetis is playing the long game. I call
her my perfectly neutral character.
And finally, a little sneak peek, everyone
will be introduced to Beck, the governor’s son of Oceanus in the sequel. He is
a huge part of the story and Shea’s other love interest. Jo will definitely
have a little competition but I think the end result will surprise everyone. He
is probably my favorite character besides Shea. I love Jo but Beck is very
different from her. Both are country’s rulers and to see how that has affected
their personalities differently is a fun contrast. Beck is more carefree, a
daredevil, he’ll break tradition if it means doing things a better way. He’s
hot-headed like Shea and a little unpredictable. I can’t wait to see how
everyone reacts to him.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
- I have nine books planned, three series all
taking place in the same universe. The first three The Veiled Threat, The
Veiled Descendants, and The Veiled City are all apart of the first series
detailing Shea, Jo, and a character you’ll meet in the sequel, Beck’s journey
together. The next three books feature their three children in an epic quest,
kidnapping, and war with a neighboring country. The last three books are
actually a prequel series starring Paetre, Shea’s adoptive father and his first
big adventure upon The Veiled Duchess under Phoebus’s captaincy and the
Arethusian elven rebellion.
Do you allow yourself a certain number of hours to write or do you
write as long as the words come?
- As long as the words come to me. If they’re
eluding me I like to take a break and try again later.
Do you have a certain number of words or pages you write per day?
- All of my chapters are about ten pages
so I shoot to write one chapter a day if I can.
What inspires you to write?
- I get a lot of inspiration from my dreams.
I’ve always had a vast imagination, especially as a kid and I loved telling
stories in any format. Through songs, acting, writing, films, and books. I
write because there’s nothing else in the world I’d rather do than tell
stories. I write my dreams down in a journal, I use voice memos too. I have
pages and pages of story ideas going back into my pre-teen years. I tend to
create characters first and then I work them into a world-building realm that
fits who they are and the plot usually comes from there. This job is my passion
and it inspires me to share my stories with others.
Would you rather
Read fiction or
non-fiction?
-Fiction
Read series or
stand-alone?
-Series
Read Science fiction
or horror?
Science Fiction
Read Stephen King or
Dean Koontz?
Neither, I’m a total scaredy-cat.
Read the book or
watch the movie?
Read the Book
Read an ebook or
paperback?
Paperback
Be trapped alone for
one month in a library with no computer or a room with a computer and Wi-Fi
only?
Room with a computer and Wi-Fi only
Do a cross-country
book store tour or blog tour online?
Cross-country book store tour
Author Bio:
Sophia Menesini lives in Martinez, CA with her husband, and their two small Chihuahuas, Ziggy and Zeppelin. The Veiled Threat is her first novel and the first book in The Veiled Duchess Series. Sophia is an avid tea connoisseur and lover of Scotland with an unconventional memory for obscure Disney and Broadway song lyrics.
You can find my blog, updates, and other entertainment at my website: www.sophiamenesini.com
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