VEILED ROSE Read-Along: Chapter 1, Part Five

Nearing the end now, dear imps. Tomorrow is our final chapter of this read-along! Hard to believe it's already coming to an end. But there's still time to enter your name in the giveaway for this week!

Tomorrow is the last day I'll be answering questions, so be certain you get your questions in tonight! If you come to the end of tomorrow and haven't had your questions answered, I will be on my facebook page for the chat party from 8-9 pm Eastern. So I hope to see all of you there!

And I'm sorry to you non-facebookers. I did look around for another option, but didn't find one that looked like it would work well. I will hunt again, more thoroughly, before the next read-along. And in the meanwhile, my page is open so that you can come and follow what's happening even if you aren't on facebook yourself. Hope you will! Should be fun.

Anyway, here is today's chapter:

PART FIVE
Chapter 1

Another part: While this last part of Veiled Rose is quite short, I chose to separate it into its own section since it again requires quite a large time jump. We go from Lionheart’s betrayal of Una to his return home, skipping over whatever long travels he must have endured in between. It couldn’t have been an easy journey . . . but spending time dwelling on it would have stretched out the ending of this book too long. The climaxes for each major character have taken place, and it’s time for a resolution.

However sad that resolution may be.

Hiding: We pick up with Lady Daylily hiding away at the Eldest’s House. This section definitely provides a little more insight into her relationship with her father. We knew already that she has been controlled by him throughout her life, polished and prodded according to his great Plan. But now she has stood up to him, and she’s left terribly afraid. Brave, unbending, unmovable Daylily is too frightened to return to her father’s own house.

But what you have to ask yourself is . . . is she frightened of her father? Or is there something else going on here, something more insidious which we have not yet guessed? (Answer: Yeah, there’s something else. And you’ll find out about it in Shadow Hand.)

Notice her control: Even when Daylily sees Lionheart approaching—Lionheart, whom you can guess she’s been longing to see, however she might hide that longing—Daylily refuses to run out to greet him. She feels that running gives the sense of flight or pursuit. Again, this is a little bit of a hint of what is coming for her.

Something has changed in Daylily. Or rather, not changed. Let’s say instead that Daylily has become aware of something she has long repressed. And she has to be careful now. She doesn’t want anyone else to also become aware of what she knows . . .

He would not find the one he sought: Lionheart, upon returning, is searching the crowd for one person he knows he needs. One person who will comfort him, love him, trust him, no matter what he has done.

But she is not there. And Daylily can never fill her place. (And no, I don’t think Lionheart was searching for his mother, despite Daylily’s wonderings of whether or not anyone has informed him of Queen Starflower’s death. I’m pretty sure he was looking for Rose Red, and Daylily’s thoughts of the queen are deflection.)

A dream come true: After all the long time Daylily spent watching her dreams burn and die, you’d think she would be excited and even pleased to see them finally coming true. But I think Daylily has learned a difficult lesson : the realization of dreams is often no better—may even be worse—than a dream that is dead.

The Dragon may be gone. But his dark Sister’s influence continues to work in Southlands via Prince Lionheart. And that is a poison more insidious still.

“Tell me what you want,” Daylily says, in exact echo of the Lady’s repeated refrain. Now we certainly know who is ruling Southlands in the wake of the Dragon’s leaving.

Daylily: In many ways, Daylily is the other major protagonist of this story. Oh, it is certainly Leo and Rose Red’s story on the whole. But Daylily really developed into a dynamic presence with quite an interesting plot arch all her own. She surprised me. Thus, as I came to the end of this book, I knew I had to give her a conclusion chapter. Of a sort.

As you all know by now, this book doesn’t really have a full conclusion. The plot lines of this particular novel are wrapped up—Rose Red and Southlands are free of the Dragon, and Leo has returned from his long quest. But the stories of these characters must continue on, for they are not through growing just yet.

Come back tomorrow for the last chapter and wrap-up thoughts . . . and, of course, don’t miss the chat party tomorrow evening!

Questions on the text:

1. Daylily states that “we all saw her true face,” when Rose Red’s veil was removed. But  whose true face (or faces?) did we really see in that moment?

2. Why do you think Daylily’s dream come true is, as the text says, dust and ashes?

3. Any favorite lines?

Q&A

Christa wants to know: "If everyone inside the Eldest's House was frozen in time during the Dragon's occupation, what happened to the rest of the people of Southlands during that period? Were they also in stasis? And were they as deeply affected by the dragon smoke?"

No, I don't think the whole of the nation was frozen in time, just the folks in the House itself. The House was spliced onto the Netherworld, therefore it (like the Netherworld) wouldn't experience time, or at least wouldn't experience it in the same way as the mortal world does. So all those not in the house (including Beana) weren't in stasis. And while they would be affected by the dragon smoke, they wouldn't have breathed in quite so much of it! Good question.

Allison (sorry I missed these yesterday!) wants to know: "Is the Southlands based on any real country?"

Southlands is loosely (and I do mean very loosely) based on Sri Lanka. Though only bits of it. A lot of their food, architecture, clothing, etc. is Sri Lankan in inspiration. But not the names at all, obviously! My husband is from Sri Lanka (my fiancé as he was at the time when I wrote this novel), so he was rather too good a resource to pass up!

Allison also wants to know: "Will Daylily and Rose Red ever meet again (in the series, not in this particular book)?"

In Moonblood, yes. But after that . . . you know, I'm not sure! They  won't meet again in Shadow Hand, I'm sorry to say. But I don't actually know if they'll meet in a later book after that. I don't currently have plans for Daylily to appear in the next book I intend to write about Rose Red (as Queen Varvare . . . and that won't be for a few years yet). But things could easily change in the meanwhile! (Unless, of course, Daylily dies or something in Shadow Hand, which you won't know until you read it.) ;)

Allison also wants to know: "Did the Lady or the Dragon bring the Duke of Shippening to Lionheart, or did he bring himself?"

I think the Dragon may have told the Duke to find Lionheart, since the Dragon was probably well aware that his ally, the Duke, had encountered Lionheart sometime in the last few years. And it is quite possible that the Lady guided the Duke to Lionheart. But no matter what, I'm pretty sure the Duke believes he's the one handling all of this on his own. (Though what the Duke believes and what actually is may be two different things entirely!)

Allison also-also wants to know: "Is the Duke of Shippening older, more powerful, and different than he appears, as Captain Sunan seems to be?"

Ooooh, what an intriguing idea! But no, I don't think he is. Sunan has quite an interesting backstory that winds its way through history. But I think the duke is just a mortal man who found himself a powerful "patron," as it were, in the Dragon.

Allison also-also-also wants to know: "Are those perhaps opals ringing the mirror on the cover of Veiled Rose?"

I don't think so, sadly. They look like just little gold facets to me. Would be lovely though, right? Do you know, those were added onto the cover only a few weeks before the publication date. If you compare the cover of the kindle edition (which was the original cover) to the cover of the print edition, you can see a number of subtle changes made!

Fan Art:

Here is a lovely drawing by our chief questioneer, Allison!

VEILED ROSE
By Allison

It is a pencil drawing of a girl peering through the slit in her veil. Her eyes are wide, her lashes long, and her hands are very delicate. The shadow of the Dragon is behind her, his eyes peering down at her through the gloom.

I also received some photos from Caitlyn, but I am sadly having difficulty getting them to load right on my computer. Hoping to have them posted by tomorrow, though!