Velora Venn
Official Website of the Author and Illustrator of
the New Adult Sci-Fi, Steampunk, Romance, Dystopian Action/Adventure Series
and the New Adult Cyberpunk Paranormal Romance Sci-Fi
Books
The Aerth's Aetheric Aegis Series is New Adult fiction that blends the genres of steampunk, fantasy, science fiction, dystopian, and romance.
A mystical, magical-like substance called aether exists and can be controlled by Aethaumaturges, though it has been outlawed in many countries. Superior humans known as Ascendants, who have descended from people that were genetically altered from the Archaic Era, make up the majority of the aristocracy and rule much of the world, often unjustly. Normals, or rather those without any genetic mutations or gifts of aether, regularly struggle for survival and find themselves caught in the middle of an ongoing war, forced to choose sides. Meanwhile, the most deadly pandemic to have ever existed still haunts the world. Known as the CURSE, it is spread through the bites of curious, large, bat-like creatures, and, upon being infected with the virus, the hosts are transformed into monstrous HAVOCs -- part human, part Chiroptera. There are a plethora of automata that inhabit the Aerth, in addition to large, winged, animal-like creatures called Aeons. Fascinating, steam-powered technology abounds, as do advanced relics from the past. Intriguing secret societies even endeavor to influence the world and the status quo. The protagonist, a girl named Elvira Evenfall, must come to learn surprising truths about herself and her family at the start of her journey, which will take her down many unanticipated avenues and introduce her to a host of unique characters. She will even find her affections are not just limited to men, as a young aviatrix makes a true bid for her heart.
Come journey on this wild, fantastical, fun adventure, and discover the many secrets that this version of Aerth harbors!
The White Mantle
(Book 1)
Necessary Rifts
(Book 2)
Reckoning and Revolution
(Book 3)
We Stand Together
(Book 4)
The Hearts of Stone Series is New Adult paranormal romantasy
The magacity of Noxhaven was meant to serve as a wondrous home for humans and goyles alike, but over time, the peace treaty between the two species degraded, and now the goyles live ostracized underground in their district of Undercity. Meanwhile, the nobles, patricians, and elite of society reside comfortably in the glistening, sunlight-bathed Uppercity. Goyles aren't the only downtrodden, though. The destitute in the cutthroat, dark, neon-lit Lowercity struggle to survive, and even life in Centercity could be better. Armored, militant automata patrol the streets to intimidate and threaten, and mandracals, a new human-plant hybrid race entirely, have felt the pressure of life in the metropolis.
One such girl by the name of Sakura inadvertently serves as the catalyst for the beginning of a civil war, which the city had been teetering on for some time. She finds herself lovestruck by a certain goyle that had rescued her, but in the midst of a world blanketed by a mysterious, magical Mist and high tensions, can she find a way to both set things right and prioritize true love?
COMING SOON
Hearts of Stone began as a rush to meet a deadline for a romance charity anthology supporting Ukraine. With a mere six days to craft it, the story was not only completed in time but also accepted for inclusion. When the anthology's availability window closed, the rights to each story reverted to their respective authors. This development allowed me to expand and refine Hearts of Stone: Star-Crossed, transforming it into a standalone novella for publication.
Fierce Hearts
Charity Anthology for Ukraine Hearts of Stone on page 971
(No Longer Available)
Hearts of Stone:
Star-Crossed (Book 1)
Hearts of Stone: Caliginous (Book 2)
Illustrations
Aerth's Aetheric AEGIS: The White Mantle (Book 1)
Aerth's Aetheric AEGIS: Necessary Rifts (Book 2)
Aerth's Aetheric AEGIS: Reckoning and Revolution (Book 3) & & We Stand Together (Book 4)
Hearts of Stone: Star-Crossed (Book 1)
Hearts of Stone: Caliginous (Book 2)
About the Author
Bio
Velora Venn, a 30-something-year old, grew up in the Midwest, although she's lived all over, from the desert, to the tropics, and now in the mountains of Colorado.
She knew she wanted to be an author since the first grade, when she started stapling together computer paper to make her own excuses for books that consisted of nothing other than crude drawings that she had done in crayon or colored pencil. (Even at this young age, funnily enough, she asked her mother to publish her books.) As she aged, she filled up countless notebooks with stories. Secretly, she desired to be the youngest published author of all time, which, like many silly childhood dreams, did not come close to happening. Although she may not have attained this, The White Mantle was written in five months, which, in itself, was a massive achievement for her and something she formerly wouldn’t have considered possible.
In addition to writing, Velora loves to draw and is passionate about animals, both of which (like her affection for writing) were obvious interests since childhood.
A lifelong nerd, she's a gamer (World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 9, Star Ocean, Journey, Horizon Zero Dawn, Endling, Jak & Daxter, & Pokemon having been some of her favorites) and is a fan of Buffy, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Matrix, His Dark Materials, Avatar (both), X-Men, and anything fantastical.
Velora has a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Video Game Art and Design.
Pen Name / Pseudonym
I choose to write under the pen name Velora Venn for multiple reasons. First of all, I love the idea of going by something of my choice. I’ve always been very into inventing character names and identities, and how fun is it to have an alias for yourself? I also didn’t want to go by my real name, in order to help protect the privacy of my two kids. Finally, I wanted something that fits my creative works, and I just love alliteration.
My pen name has many meanings behind it that helped influence and inspire it. One of my oldest characters I’ve ever created (originally for roleplaying online with other writers) was named Velganos. He was a werewolf, hence the chapter “The Wolf and the Girl” in The White Mantle (book one of Aerth’s Aetheric Aegis), which was a nod to that character. He was one of my favorite characters to both write and draw. Therefore, I included Vel in my name. Lora is a feminine name that is French in origin, and my true first name is also French, which completes my first pen name. The last pen name is a play off my real last name. Venn is a topographic name for someone living in a low-lying marshy area. My real last name relates to swamps. Also, Venn starts with the letter “v,” thus turning my pen name into an alliteration that I so love.
FAQs
What books growing up inspired you and got you most interested in reading and writing?
The Silverwing series by Kenneth Oppel and the Dinotopia books by James Gurney were two of my biggest influences. I've always had a funny love and obsession with wings, ever since I was a young child, so, naturally, I was drawn to bats and easily fell in love with the Silverwing books. Everything about them was intriguing to me and laid the foundation for my motivation to one day become a writer. I also have always been a fan of dinosaurs, so I was completely enthralled by everything Dinotopia and just was in awe of the author's incredible talent as both an author and painter.
What is your all-time favorite book?
This is way too hard of a question! My, goodness.
Like any true nerd, I loved the Harry Potter series growing up, and I had so many hours of dorkiness inspired by them (dressing up, creating my own characters for that universe, rereading them all, playing the games, etc.), so they'll always have a special place in my heart. Of course, the Silverwing series, as mentioned above, was a huge love, too. Some of my other favorites include His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, Superlative: Aetherfall, the interactive novel by Alice Ripley, A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, The Frost Chronicles by Kate Avery Ellison, and many of the old books from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. As for my favorite... Oof. I'm going to go with the magic eight ball answer of "ask again later"!
If you were an Aethaumaturge in your Aegis series, what color aether would you have?
I am somewhere between yellow and orange, yellow for the creativity and whimsy, and orange because I'm a humanitarian. I also wonder if might be eligible for white aether -- the combination of all colors -- since I share so many traits with other colors as well, such as purple's love, connection, and kindness to others, green's peace and devotion to the world, blue's tolerance and belief in fairness and justice, red's love for adventure, silver's intuition, and black's passion. So, who knows what color I'd really have!?
Why did you choose to self publish instead of going with a traditional publisher?
Many people don't understand just how intense and how hard it can be to be considered by an agent or publishing company. I've seen so many fellow authors on Twitter going through the emotions and the heartache of querying, which can last months or years! I never wanted my writing experience to be tainted by anxiety and stress. Writing and art are two passions of mine I've always associated with fun and relaxation. Neither has ever been a chore to me, and I didn't want them to become one. I also didn't like that there was a possibility of needing to edit my books to conform to some current arbitrary trends, just to appease the masses or to better fit in with a particular publisher. I don't write to niche or write to market or anything like that. I write solely for myself. I write the stories that I do and the way that I want, without consideration for who may like or dislike them. They are simply stories I wish to tell, because that's what's fun for me! I enjoy all the creative freedom that I have. Now, if I have enough success, and a traditional publisher wants to pick up my books, then wonderful! I'm not planning on becoming traditionally published any other way, though. However, I will say, for those fellow authors considering self publishing and still trying to get your books noticed, I was not at all prepared for all the work, time, and money that go into self publishing. You're 100% responsible for every.single.thing, and promoting your books is one of the hardest things, hands down. You will need to be on every social media platform you can manage, engaging as regularly as possible, in addition to e-mailing book reviewers, reaching out to different people, paying for ads, maintaining relationships, networking, etc. It's a little exhausting!
What are your favorite scenes to write?
I enjoy dialogue quite a bit. I do love writing the narration, though the parts where my characters are interacting are always the most fun, especially getting to explore how they each respond to one another and seeing what sorts of chemistry (or lack thereof) can be found between each of them. Romance scenes are my true love. Action and battle scenes are my least favorite, although I do enjoy reading about them and visualizing them.
How often do you write?
I try to write or edit my books daily, if I can. I definitely work on my books weekly. I'm a stay-at-home mother who also homeschools, so my schedule is bursting at the seams. It can be very hard finding the time! I do what I can.
Are you part of the LGBTQ+ community?
I know this surprises many people, but I am not! Although, I'm not really opposed to having considered anyone, no matter who they were. However, I am very attracted to men, and I am married to a cishet man, with whom I have two children. It's baffling to me that anyone can hold anything against any gender or sexual orientation. I think all forms of love are incredibly beautiful. I absolutely love love!
What do you hope to accomplish as an author?
This may sound really weird to most people, and I'm sure many won't believe me, but money doesn't equal success to me, and I'm not concerned about that aspect of being a writer. I simply would love to build a readership. The most humbling and flattering thing would be to have people enjoy my books! That is all!!
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Write what you love, and read as many books as you can in that genre! I learned this for myself.
I've had so many other story ideas over the years, but all of them felt a little bit too much like work to create. When I started the AEGIS series, I had a blast every single time I wrote, and I obsessed over it, imagining scenes, dialogue, and events, even when I wasn't writing. Have fun with it!
Also, learn from other writers. You can only improve your craft by becoming more familiar with it. This is like studying for anything else in life. You can't be great unless you learn, first.
This is a very important one: don't allow yourself to become too intimidated to start. I struggled with this in the past. Don't put too many expectations on yourself. Simply sit down to write for your pleasure, and to see where it leads. Don't overthink it.
Remember, don't try to appeal to everyone in every single demographic. Don't even try to appeal to everyone in your own target audience! It's impossible. When you read book reviews, you'll find some people absolutely hate one thing about the book that others may absolutely love. It's the same with everything in life! Not all science fiction fans enjoy all the same sci-fi shows and movies. Not all history buffs enjoy learning about the same types of historical events. Not everyone loves the wholesome trinity that is Bob Ross, Steve Irwin, and Mr. Rogers even! It's true. We will never all agree on everything, which is the yin and yang of life. As long as you keep that in mind, you can truly let go and remind yourself to write, first and foremost, for YOU. Enjoy what you do, and that passion will come out in your writing, and believe me: there will be people out there who enjoy your work!
Social Media
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21567062.Velora_Venn
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