S.2 Ep. 65: The Man She Loved is the Traitor She's Hunting: Tori Bovalino on The Thief and The Traitor Bride

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where trust is never simple, betrayal always has a story behind it, and sometimes the most dangerous person to face is the one you once loved.This week, Co-Host Sara Santillan sits down with fantasy author Tori Bovalino, the mind behind The Second Death of Locke, to dive into her upcoming release, The Thief and the Traitor Bride. This is a high-stakes fantasy filled with espionage, fractured love, and a relationship that’s already broken before the story even begins.Tori reflects on her journey from always knowing she would be a writer to navigating an industry that doesn’t always make that path easy. From querying as a teenager to nearly walking away from writing entirely, she shares the turning points that brought her back to the page and why choosing to keep going changed everything. We dive into the heart of The Thief and the Traitor Bride, a standalone set in the same world as Locke, where every location carries its own magic system and every choice carries consequences. At the center is Eleanor “Nor” Gordon, a respected wine trader and a spy. When her shipments start getting intercepted, what begins as a mission to catch a thief quickly turns into something far more complicated because the thief is her estranged husband and he was banished for treason.As Nor and Caspian are forced back into each other’s orbit, the story unravels into something deeper: questions of loyalty, identity, and what it really means to choose between a person and a place.Along the way, Tori unpacks her love of interconnected standalones, her obsession with building layered magic systems across an entire world, and the sheer chaos of writing a 170,000-word fantasy while trying to make every piece fit together.⚔️ What does betrayal look like when you understand why it happened?🖤 Can trust be rebuilt once it’s been completely broken?🔥 And when forced to choose do you pick love, or loyalty?This is a must-listen for fantasy readers who love political intrigue, emotionally complex relationships, and stories where the past refuses to stay buried.🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…✨ Tori's writing journey, including querying young and almost giving up entirely. ✨ Why writing is something you don’t walk away from (even when you try). ✨ Building a fantasy world where every place has its own magic system. ✨ Writing interconnected standalones vs traditional series. ✨ The concept behind The Thief and the Traitor Bride. ✨ An estranged marriage at the center of a fantasy story. ✨ Nor as a spy, wine trader, and deeply layered heroine. ✨ Caspian as a banished husband with secrets of his own. ✨ Espionage, political intrigue, and stolen information hidden in plain sight. ✨ The challenge of balancing multiple magic systems in one story. ✨ Why pacing, structure, and emotional payoff matter more than anything. CONNECT WITH US🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill📚 Tori Bovalino – @ToriBovalino✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review. It helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.