Welcome to my MTMC Tours stop for The Truth Of Lies by Lily Anne Rose!
I’m excited to be featuring this epic fantasy today, along with an epic Q&A with the most lovely author! In this first instalment of the Elemental Kingdom series, a young woman wakes up alone in a forest with no memories and the future King of the Air Kingdom claiming to be her husband. As she deals with her new role in monarchy, she questions everything in her life—love for a man she barely remembers, rivalries between kingdoms and the side she should be on. This YA Fantasy Romance has just released, so it’s the perfect time to pick it up, especially if you’re a fan of romantasy! This story is packed full of mystery with a unique spin on the amnesia trope (which I love) and full of intriguing characters. It will definitely leave you keen to know what happens next.
My name is Amelie, and I’m lost. I know my feelings; I’m scared. I know my needs: food, warmth, and shelter. The rest I will have to figure out later.
Title: The Truth Of Lies (The Elemental Kingdom Series #1)
Author: Lily Anne Rose
Publication Date: May 5th, 2022
Genres: YA Epic Fantasy
Purchase a copy: Amazon
Add on Goodreads!
I woke up alone in the forest with no memories and the future King of the Air Kingdom is claiming to be my husband…
As I try to adjust to my new life I meet Prince Wren, the sarcastic and temperamental fae prince of the Earth Kingdom.
Torn between kingdoms and married to a man I don’t know, I need to regain my memories and deal with my new role in the monarchy- and fast. But how can I do that when everywhere I turn truths and lies are sworn? Rival Kingdoms are fighting for my hand, but I have secrets of my own… I just need to remember them, who do you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lily Anne Rose is from a small town in central Ontario, Canada. Her two loves are books and animals. She is a proud cat lady with a dream to live in a tiny house with a nice view and write books. When she isn’t dreaming up her next story, you can usually find her napping. Follow her on TikTok | Instagram
Hi Lily Anne Rose! Thanks for chatting with me today! Can you tell us about your publishing journey and how The Truth of Lies went from first idea to finished novel on our shelves?
The Truth of Lies started when I found myself with a lot of time on my hands and a restless mind. I decided to start a book review page on Instagram to help support indie authors I loved. Through that I met so many authors who were in different stages of publishing and they convinced me to write a book that was swirling around in my mind for a long time.
I used the publishing journey as a learning tactic for upcoming authors like myself. I posted in my stories about my writing process (Wordcount and plot ideas that succeeded and failed), finding an editor, cover artist and formatter. Through this I have learned a lot from other authors who reached out to help me with the little things like ISBNs and I have helped debut authors through their journey.
It is certainly a different world where you need to learn what is most important to you. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to write and publish a book–something that I lacked. I have wanted to write for many years but was discouraged by my circle of friends, which knocked down my confidence significantly.
My advice is: surround yourself with people who encourage and support you. It makes a world of difference to be around like-minded people.
That is SUCH important advice. Having people believe in you and cheer for you is so invaluable. How did you come up with the title? Did it go through any changes?
I always write while listening to music, at that point it didn’t have a title. I came across a song named Secrets and Lies, and I felt it fit the theme of the book. I used it as a temporary title until Amalie (my MC) described what the truth of lies means to her, that not all lies are born through malice but some are born through love. That’s when the title clicked into place. I love when you read a book and the title is in the story, I wanted to do that for every book I write. So, when my character had her epiphany, I knew that was the title.
I love that moment too when the title is in the story!! Can you introduce us to your main character, Amalie?
Amalie is a complex character, she mirrors my younger self in some ways. She is gullible and easily impressionable, she lived her life on a path that she believed would be a straight road, so when her path began to wind she didn’t know how to handle it. She is looking for acceptance and terrified to disappoint anyone.
I wanted to write her with room to grow. Not all heroes start off strong, some are built and have to find their strength along the way. In book one she is my least favourite character, but written that way intentionally. As the story grows and the series progresses, she comes into herself and becomes her own person, rather than being the expectations of others.
Also, writing a character who has amnesia is difficult. I had to discover who she is at the same time that she does, it was a weird sense of character discovery that her and I went through together.
What is your favourite thing about writing fantasy and the fae?
The thing that draws me to fantasy is that there are literally no rules. Nobody can tell you that you can’t have magic in a certain form, or have a creature that doesn’t exist because none of it is based on the real world. Fantasy is the perfect kind of escape genre, where you can be submerged into a world that is so unlike our own and each fantasy world is unique.
The fae have always interested me because they are so similar to humans, but more elevated. The majority of them in fantasy books are human-like with magic, or superior strength. To me, the fae are everything that a fantasy dreamer wishes they could be.
I LOVE that about fantasy too 😌👌🏻 Imagination is limitless. What are some of the themes in The Truth Of Lies and what drew you to writing them?
Two of the large themes are: Amnesia and love-triangle.
The amnesia theme is something I always found interesting and frustrating. I wanted the reader to feel the same way Amalie is feeling and to learn the world with her, rather than reading through the world building aspect and learning as an outsider to the story. There is also the love-triangle theme, which many people have a love/hate relationship with. For me, I generally don’t read love-triangles but to merge the theme of amnesia with the triangle, it almost blurs the lines. Is it a true love-triangle if the MC doesn’t remember them? I’m not sure, but I definitely wanted to explore that.
Can you give us a teaser about what you’re working on now? 👀👌🏻
I am currently writing book two of the Elemental Kingdoms Series, where Amalie must learn who she really is without the influence of others around her. There will be MANY more secrets revealed and a twist that you hopefully won’t see coming!
A character from The Truth of Lies will be getting their own novella. The point of view of a certain time in book two.
I am also working on a new series and a contemporary standalone. But book two is my main priority.
Excited that you have lots of projects on the go!! Favourite vs least favourite part of the writing process?
My favourite part of the writing process is when I’m done!-Kidding, sort of. I do truly love writing and discovering where your story goes as you write, it is as much of a shock to me as it is to the readers. I never realised before when authors say that their characters make their own decisions, but it’s true!
My least favourite part is the preliminary editing. I have a habit of overlooking my mistakes, so I have to read it multiple times to find something. Once I get working with my editor, I find that edits are so much easier and the stress I put on myself is greatly decreased.
I do relate to loving being finished though 😂👌🏻 And lastly! What are some of the best author moments you’ve had so far?
My best moments as an author are: Seeing your cover for the first time and holding your book in your hands.
Above all, my favourite thing about being an author is scrolling through Instagram or tiktok and seeing someone posting about my book. Good or bad, it makes my day! Hearing someone’s reviews, thoughts and theories on The Truth of Lies is also really fun!
It’s so rewarding seeing your art in the hands of readers, that’s for sure 😍 Thanks so much for the lovely interview, Lily Anne Rose! And all the best with your new release 🤗✨📚.
Enter the Rafflecopter below where two lucky readers will win a digital copy of The Truth of Lies by Lily Anne Rose! Ends on May 11th, 2022.
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MTMC TOURS Schedule
May 2
The Reader and the Chef – Book Blog
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Books with a Chance of Traveling – Book Blog
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Paper Fury – Book Blog
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May 6
Genovia Reading Co – Book Blog
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@dhirviepages – Booktok
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May 8
Vanilla Moon Books – Book Blog
@thetalesofabooklover – Bookstagram
Oooh that sounds good! I personally like the amnesia trope in one of two lovers, but I’m not sure about the love triangle. I can only stomach those when the one she ultimately ends up with is clear from the start because the other one was just delusional and never actually had a chance ,,,
This sounds like a cool book! I love a good fae story, haha.
Interesting thoughts on how the love triangle and amnesia tropes interact.
I love me a good fat story and the cover is truly stunning (what can I say, I’m a superficial gal) so I’m definitely intrigued! Great interview as well
Thankyou!! I appreciate the lovely comment 💛