LoriO - Slow-burn Sapphic Romance and Steampunk Fantasy

LoriO writes emotionally driven cozy fantasy with sharp edges, stories woven with grit, grace, and the kind of love that sneaks up on you. Often sapphic, emotional, and spiritual, her characters form deep, unexpected bonds. While she doesn’t always favor a happy ending, sometimes her characters insist on one anyway.  As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, The Vengeance of Love.Please give us a short introduction to what The Vengeance of Love is about.The Vengeance of Love is, at its heart, a story about identity and purpose. Mina, the last of her kind, seeks vengeance for her people’s destruction. Aria, a noble bound by her father’s expectations, longs for freedom. When their paths cross, they discover in each other a reason to redefine who they are, and who they’re meant to be.Mina’s whole identity is built on vengeance, while Aria longs for freedom. Which of these two drives—revenge or liberation—do you personally find more compelling, and why?Liberation, I think. Both are compelling, but the idea that sometimes you have to give up what you have always chased to liberate yourself is extremely powerful.The love between Mina and Aria is slow-burn but dangerous. What was the hardest part of writing a romance that competes with a life-or-death mission?The hardest part was letting the romance unfold naturally instead of forcing it to serve the plot. Because the love between them is unexpected, I had to give each character the space to decide what it meant for them, and whether it was worth the cost of what they might be giving up.Readers praise the secondary characters—did you design them with future arcs in mind, or did any of them surprise you by demanding more page time?I absolutely love writing impactful secondary characters, and while I knew Yip would be a fan favorite and have his own future arc, some of the others, Jaxon specifically, surprised me. As his story and relationship with Mina unfolded, I knew I needed to give him more page time to do his character justice.The marshland journey feels symbolic as much as physical. What were you trying to explore with that setting?To me, the marshes symbolize an impossible situation, something that feels unbearable to endure. We’ve all faced moments like that in life, wondering how we’ll make it through. But often we find unexpected help, and when we come out the other side, we’re stronger and more self-aware.“Cozy fantasy with sharp edges” is a fascinating blend. Where do you draw the line between comfort and danger in this book?For me, the comfort lies in the relationships and the quiet moments of connection, while the danger comes from the larger forces pressing in on the characters. I wanted readers to feel safe investing in Mina and Aria’s bond, but never so safe that they forget the stakes of the world around them.Justice vs. love is an age-old conflict. What do you hope readers take away from Mina’s choice?I hope readers see that neither choice is simple. Justice and love can both feel absolute, but real life often forces us into gray spaces where sacrifices must be made. My goal was for Mina’s choice to spark reflection on what we value most, and how much we’re willing to risk for it.There’s a spiritual undercurrent—divine paths, fate, vengeance. Do you see faith as a comfort, a trap, or both in this story?The spiritual element is intentional, and Mina never wavers in her faith despite her circumstances, which I see as a comfort. That said, I can understand why others might view it as a trap, to follow blindly without proof. But I think it also raises deeper questions about what true faith really is—not just in a divine entity, but in one’s own self.This is your debut, but it reads like a seasoned writer’s work. What habits or influences helped you reach that level on your first outing?I appreciate that so much. I’ve put in a tremendous amount of work alongside an amazing editing team and book coach. One of the hardest lessons as a new writer is embracing the idea that your work isn’t set in stone; it must evolve for the good of the story. Surrounding yourself with the right team to guide and challenge you is essential.Did you always know this would be a series (“The Blood of Velho”) or did the world demand expansion as you wrote?I knew from the beginning it would be a three-part series. The Vengeance of Love as the first, followed by a prequel exploring Velho’s fall and the shaping of its characters, and a third that picks up where the first leaves off. That said, my ideas for the finale shifted as I wrote the earlier books. There are definitely some surprises in store!Your prose balances lush description with emotional punch. How do you keep the writing from tipping into melodrama?I’ve always been drawn to stories with strong emotional characters, so I wanted the relationships and inner lives of my characters to shine. My focus was on making the emotional connections authentic and then layering in description around that. It’s a bit of a reverse approach, but it helped keep the drama grounded in truth.Without spoiling Book 2, what emotional territory are you most excited to explore next?Exploring how the villain from the first book became who they are has been more fascinating than I expected. It’s easy to forget that even truly terrible people have reasons, pain, choices, circumstances that shape them. Unraveling that has been fun!