verity vreugde!

today i interviewed verity vreugde! her book is a work in progress and it is called My Dear Atlantis. it follows a girl named Princess Thalassa who is atlantic royalty. her older brother Thaddeus was supposed to be the new heir to the throne when he kills their father, the current king. now Thalassa has new worries, more known as the Acceptance Exams. they are exams that test your intelligence, spiritual strength, and physical strength, as a way to prove that they are worthy enough to rule. but, there's a catch; a new law has been put into place. a woman cannot take the acceptance exams or inherit the throne without a husband. will Thalassa succeed, or will her crown be taken away? some questions i asked her are.... 1. How did you come up with the topic of your book? What made you inspired enough to write about this topic? 2. How did you come up with your character's names? 3. Did you ever feel umnotivated during any part of your writing journey? If so, why? 4. How does Thalassa feel when she realizes that her brother killed their father? 5. In Atlantis, do the people support Thalassa claim to the throne? If not, why? 6. How is the city of Atlantis like? 7. Is her brother jealous of her taking the crown? 8. Is Thalassa okay with marrying a stranger prince from a foreign land? Her responses! 1. I actually came up with this concept when I was listening to the song Atlantis by Seafret. I have always been so interested in Greek Mythology and the whole idea of Atlantis being an ancient lost city. I thought it would be so cool if there was a book that went into detail about the lives of Atlanteans and how the city came to be lost. When I looked for a book like the one I had in mind and couldn’t find one, I decided, why not write it myself? 2.When deciding my character’s names, I did a lot of research on ancient Greek and Roman names. Pretty quickly, I came across the name Thalassa, which means “sea” or “ocean”, and it felt perfect for who she is as a character. The prince she is arranged into a marriage with was a lot harder to name. For the majority of this book, he is closed off, and Thalassa is always wondering from afar what he truly is like under his cold, sharp, and unforgiving surface. After changing his name multiple times, I finally landed on the name Leomaris, which means “lion of the sea”. The name has Latin roots, Leo meaning lion (symbolizing strength, bravery, and pride), and Maris relates to the sea or marine (from the Latin word for the sea). 3. Yes, I have felt unmotivated before! Last September I went through a pretty rough time of self-doubt. I was my senior year, and I officially made the decision to take a gap year after high school to focus on finishing my book. But when I watched as all my friends around me got into their dream colleges and choosing secure careers, I began to doubt my decision to pursue being an author. Where my friends depended on graduating college for their careers, the path I had chosen almost entirely depended on whether or not I could finish writing my book. And that sent me into rough time of anxiety. I went into a writing slump and couldn’t bring myself to write for the next three months. However, when I finally started to write again that December during winter break, I slowly felt my spark coming back. By the time new years came I had finished my first draft. I now had tangible evidence that I was capable of doing what I had set out to do. So, I kept writing and now a year later I am about to start working with an editor on my third and fourth drafts! 4.When Thalassa first finds out her brother killed their father, she is in denial because of how fast it all happened. There is an entire chapter dedicated to her going through all the stages of grief for both her father and the brother she thought she knew. 5.Yes, they do support her. For context, the nation of Atlantis is divided into ten kingdoms and the highest form of government that oversees the ten kingdoms is The Assembly, and Thalassa is heir to the kingdom of Mneseus. The people of Mneseus territory love her as any citizens would love their queen, but when conflicts do eventually arise, the people of the other kingdoms end up disliking her. (I can’t say too much because it would be spoilers but just know stuff goes down between the kingdoms and Assembly, lol) 6.The whole land of Atlantis is thriving, and all the people often say they are currently living their Golden Years. Atlantis has been blessed by the god Poseidon to where they have become more advanced than any other place on the world in that time. 7.As the story progresses, readers will find out more about Thalassa’s brother (his name is Thaddeus) right along with her. The murder of their father happens within the first few chapters, and Thaddeus is put in prison almost immediately. On multiple occasions Thalassa will secretly go to visit him in prison in the night and learn more about why he did what he did and how throughout the story. 8.Thalassa absolutely does not want to marry Leomaris. Leomaris is from the kingdom of Evaemon which is known as one of the harsher ruling kingdoms. Him along with his three older brothers and father (King of Evaemon) have reputations for being cold and calculating. Thalassa ultimately concludes that her loyalties to serving her kingdom is worth the marriage and is content with the idea of only seeing Leomaris if absolutely necessary. Other than that, they will live separate lives. Now we will dive into the questions she asked me, and all of my answers! 1. When/How did you first get the idea for your book? Did you get it from a song, inspired by another story, or a historical fact? 2. How long did it take for you to write your first draft? 3. How many drafts did the book go through before you considered it finished? 4. Did you ever struggle with self-doubt of writing blocks? If so, how did you overcome those stumbles and push through? 5. What kind of obstacles does Elara and her companions face on this mission? 6. What will they gain from finding the Ember Crown? 7. What is Kindling Sparks? 8. What kind of personality traits and quirks does Elara have that make her into the character she is? 9. What do you hope readers take away from the book? My Answers! 1. - I honestly am a really big Harry Potter nerd! So much so that I wanted to create a book that would capture the Harry Potter magic, but without it being really Harry Potter based! 2. I wrote my entire first draft on paper, and I believe it took around three months or so? 3. Around 2! 4. Yes, I actually did! My “friends” thought writing a book was kinda boring, so I struggled with finishing it. But, I realized life was too short to care so I finished it anyways! 5. Rival groups, people stealing from them, magical burdens, and self confidence 6. A self security knowing the companions connected Elara to her dead mom, Ariyka 7. It’s a place where Elara and one of the companions (Veyr) unlock their true potentials and magical powers 8. She’s very strong headed, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to find the Ember Crown. She’s always fidgeting with her necklace, and I think that was a big part of her mother’s connection to her. 9. I hope they enjoy reading it and realize to always try their best in everything they do!