🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where ancient magic lingers in starlight, dying worlds demand sacrifice, and epic quests are forged from heartbreak, hope, and destiny.

This week, host Bethany Amanda sits down with debut author Venetia Constantine to discuss her breathtaking epic fantasy The Last Starborn Seer. Lush, expansive, and deeply emotional, this conversation pulls back the veil on a story that feels at once mythic, intimate, and utterly unforgettable.

Venetia takes us through her long, winding path to publication — from growing up in London, falling in love with fantasy as a child, and studying art history, to returning to storytelling later in life as a mother of three. She speaks candidly about imposter syndrome, the persistence required to bring a debut into the world, and the humbling reality of how many people work behind the scenes to bring a book to life.

We also dive into the deeply personal origins of The Last Starborn Seer — a world that has lived in Venetia’s imagination since childhood, and a story that ultimately crystallized during one of the darkest moments of her life. Venetia shares how trauma shaped her creative process, how fantasy became a refuge, and how themes of healing, self-acceptance, and environmental collapse came to define her epic tale.

And of course, we sink into the dazzling world of Arcelia: a dying realm of feuding kingdoms, cursed elemental magic, and a heroine burdened with dangerous prophetic power. We explore Leilani Stellarion — shunned princess, reluctant seer, and deeply human heart of the story — alongside Astrophel, her rival and reluctant betrothed, whose perspective reshaped the entire book.

🌌 What does it mean to bear the future when it is slowly destroying you?
✨ Can a broken world be saved without breaking the people who love it?
⚔️ And how do you reconcile wonder and beauty with a society built on darkness?

This episode is a must-listen for lovers of immersive, Tolkien-esque epic fantasy, readers who crave lyrical prose and emotional stakes, and aspiring authors dreaming of bringing their own lifelong worlds to the page.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…

✨ Writing while raising three children and how to carve out time in your busy schedule.
✨ Imposter syndrome and why it never truly goes away, even after publication.
✨ Why community and support are essential for writers.
✨ The beauty and terror of readers finally meeting your book.
✨ Practical querying advice, including agent one-on-ones and Manuscript Academy.
✨ The origins of Arcelia — a world that has lived in Venetia's mind since childhood
✨ How a traumatic real-world event catalyzed the writing of this book.
✨ Fantasy as refuge, healing, and meaning-making.
✨ Leilani’s arc from sheltered, self-loathing princess to a heroine forced to confront truth.
✨ Why adding Astrophel’s POV transformed the novel.
✨ Balancing whimsy and darkness in a dying world.
✨ What The Last Starborn Seer represents to Venetia personally.
✨ Hints about Book Two and the true origins of “The Sickening”.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Venetia Constantine – @venetiaconstantine

✨ If this episode left you in awe, please rate and review — it helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.