While completing her undergraduate degree at Brock University, Lillian Idahosa is set to release her debut fantasy novels, the Mysteries of the Veil trilogy.
The series she wrote while completing her undergraduate degree is a paranormal fantasy following 16-year-old Amelia Anderson, whose forgotten memories, supernatural abilities and mysterious artifacts lead her to uncover family secrets and a larger mystery surrounding the Veil between different realms.
Across the three novels, Idahosa explores themes of friendship, identity, family, prophecy, betrayal and the supernatural as Amelia’s story develops into a larger conflict.
She began writing the story at the age of 22, inspired by her own questions and theories about the purpose of a soul and what happens after death.
In an interview with The Brock Press, Idahosa shared that the idea behind the series was simply to see if anything could come from her thoughts. When she began writing, Idahosa thought she’d only “get 30 to 50 pages written.”
Instead, Idahosa’s writing “exploded” into a fully constructed world. What started as 50 pages turned into one novel and eventually expanded into a trilogy.
Idahosa spent the next three years writing and editing. Throughout the process, she was completing her university studies and working part-time as well.
“I would always prioritize school first, but I would always go back and focus on my writing,” said Idahosa.
She found that academic breaks — particularly during the summer and reading weeks — gave her more opportunities to further progress the trilogy.
However, balancing writing with a STEM-focused education was not something Idahosa had originally anticipated.
“I knew growing up that I was going to go into tech or math, which I am still doing. But authorship, no,” she said.
At one point, Idahosa almost gave up writing entirely, doubting that authorship was something she could do. She recalled wondering if her analytical side would even work with writing, but eventually, she found that the two could complement each other.
Now, as she prepares to release the trilogy, Idahosa shared that she has a better understanding of the work involved in becoming an author. The experience has also given her a foundation in writing, editing and the publishing process that she can carry into future projects.
The trilogy will initially be available as e-books through platforms like Amazon, Kobo, Google Books and Apple Books. Idahosa also plans to release paperback editions and is working toward getting the books into select bookstores.
She will also be participating in the Thorold Local Author event as she begins introducing the trilogy to readers.
Alongside the books, Idahosa has built an author website featuring information about the trilogy, book covers, character profiles, artwork and information about her work.
For Idahosa, publishing the trilogy marks the beginning of something she never expected to pursue when she first came up with an idea three years ago.
Although she continues to pursue her STEM interests, the experience of taking an idea from an initial concept through drafting, editing and publication has opened another path for her.
After three years of developing the Mysteries of the Veil Trilogy, Idahosa is now preparing to share the world she created with readers.