Today, I have author Kathryne Lentes in the interview chair. We’re discussing her latest release, Summer and Shadows, book two in The Pact of the Veil series, a f/f paranormal urban fantasy romance.
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1. Hi, Kathryne. First off, readers have an idea of the writer you, but what about the everyday you? Can you share about your personal life?
Kathryne: I live in Saint Louis with my two cats (Firefly and Thomas O’Malley) and my partner, Antya. I spend my free time gaming, reading, and watching too many Godzilla movies.
2. I’ve been perusing your Goodreads page and see you enjoy writing fantasy and paranormal. Can you tell me why you chose these genres?
Kathryne: I think I like writing in these genres because they allow the most creativity. Instead of just coming up with characters and situations, you can fill up whole worlds with unique magic and creatures who live in them.
3. Let’s talk about the main character. What do you love most about Sah?
Kathryne: Sah’s most endearing trait is how much she cares for people. What lets her connect with her snow leopard totem is her loving, protective nature. She will go to the ends of the earth for someone she loves or someone in need of protection.
4. And what makes you shake your head at Sah?
Kathryne: I had a reviewer from my first book with Sah in it, the Night Menagerie, that called her irksome. Which, on one level, I agree with. Lots of authors talk about characters choosing their own path, and she does that, and it’s never the easiest one. She is at times cocky, other times overwhelmed, and sometimes both at the same time.
5. Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favourite scene to write and why?
Kathryne: I think it was the scene where Sah first meets Belladonna. A mysterious woman whom Sah encounters in a brothel, but who might be far more than she appears. I just loved writing about that spark that sometimes happens when eyes meet across a room and a connection forms.
6. Share with us a couple of things about the Fae and the magical serial killer.
Kathryne: In the first book, we ran into the Menagerie, a group of shape-shifters living in the shadows, who were trying to find a way to introduce themselves to the wider world. The Fae, on the other hand, are hiding in plain sight, intimately connected with the movie and television world, gathering power and wealth. Their biggest problem with the killer is that its savagery is out of their control, not that it’s causing the deaths of innocent humans.
7. What about your title? Love it. How did you come up with it?
Kathryne: So the first book began as a play on The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. For a long time, the sequel was called Sah’s second book, which did not seem like something that would fly off the shelves. So I took inspiration from another Williams play, Summer and Smoke, and there we go.
8. What can we expect from you in the future?
Kathryne: Hopefully, a three-movie deal with Neon or A24. Seriously, though, I am at the current moment working on a Gilded Age fantasy book as well as plotting the third Pact of the Veil instalment.
9. I enjoy doing random questions, so humour me:
- What’s your favourite movie?
Kathryne: Probably a tie between Boy Meets Girl and Streets of Fire. - What book is currently in your e-reader?
Kathryne: Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher - Who’s your favourite musical group?
Kathryne: Halestorm - What song puts a smile on your face?
Kathryne: You call me a bitch like it’s a bad thing
10. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Kathryne: Thanks!!! also people can check out my site where I do reviews and interviews at Paperphoenixink.com
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Title: Summer and Shadows
Series: The Pact of the Veil, Book Two
Author: Kathryne Lentes
Genres: Paranormal, Lesbian Urban Fantasy
Tense/POV: First person/past tense
Pairing: FF
Tropes: Taboo, trans, poly, pansexual, shifter, elves, witch, magic, conspiracy
Themes: Self-acceptance
Heat Rating: 1 out of 5 flames
Length: 35,900 words
Release Date: August 18, 2026
Publisher: Nine Star Press
The time is now; the city is LA. The hunt for a magical killer has begun.
Blurb: Sah has gone through a lot in three years. I mean how often does a person find out their sister disappeared, meet a hot detective, get bitten by a werewolf, and discover they are part of a legacy of shape shifters? She thought her life would calm down and she could enjoy a summer vacation in LA. But now she is mixed up with the Fae and a magical serial killer. To survive she must find new allies and embrace her new self without reservation.
Note: It is the second book in the series. (Book 1 The Night Menagerie). It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Available at:
Publisher | Amazon US | Amazon UK
There are real monsters in the world. I know because I am one of them. After three years, I was still trying to get my head around that fact, even though I was getting ready to attend a convention full of them. The Menagerie, as they called themselves, were a group of shapeshifters who hid from the world. Still, since their discovery was always a dangerous possibility, they had created an entire intellectual property called the Façade to coax people into their world. It started as a game, and with my introduction, they had added novels to the mix. Now, I was traveling to California to try to sell my recent bestseller to a movie studio. I wondered if Dominique would ever forgive me if a werewolf novel of mine made it to the Cineplex before she did.
She didn’t speak up. She was the main character in my first book series and the voice in my head when I was doing something I knew, in most plots, would end with me dead. We had had a really good run, and her adventures had brought me my first real success, but after most of the changes I had gone through, I had started a new urban fantasy series. It was almost autobiographical, not that anyone would ever believe it.
I mean how often does a person find out their sister disappeared, meet a hot detective, get bitten by a werewolf, find said sister, lose said sister and hot (now maybe new girlfriend?) detective, and blackmail an entire group of supernatural entities to get the pair of them back. Not to mention discover you are part of a legacy of shapeshifters and can now channel a snow leopard totem. And finish up by trying try to live happily ever after only to have to engage in a death match with a psychopathic grudge-bearing werewolf leader.
It was hard for me to believe, and I had lived through it—even if just barely. I took a deep breath and told myself to get out of bed. I don’t know why I was so focused on my past today when the future seemed so promising.
It was probably because Val was out of the house. This was the first big trip I was going to make without her, and I missed her. She was one of the only people I had ever met who accepted me for being the giant pansexual polyamorous mess of a partner I was. I looked in the closet, trying to decide on a dress to pack in my luggage. I was much more comfortable in jeans and a band T-shirt than I was in Chanel, no matter what my budget told me I could afford. I needed something more formal if I was going to meet with a movie producer. Great, now I was beginning to miss my sister Nisha. She was the clothes horse of the family and would not only have brought me six of her dresses but also tried to do my hair and makeup before I left. She was out in Montana with a pack of werewolves. My life was not the only one that had changed a lot in the last couple of years.
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Kathryne Lentes has been writing stories as long as she could hold a pen in her hand. She is a transwoman who, when not working on her own projects, operates Paper Phoenix Ink, a blog showcasing queer creators. She is currently living in Saint Louis with her wife, two cats, and a pile of science fiction and fantasy books.
Follow Kathryne: Website | Facebook | Bluesky | Twitter | Instagram
Maggie Blackbird 