1--What is the title of your latest release?
ONE UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When a busy executive takes a last-minute trip to Iceland, she discovers a new life path and love interest as she helps a handsome search and rescue pilot uncover what’s threatening his town’s fishing trade.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I love to travel, so my trips often inspire book ideas. I was lucky enough to travel to Iceland in 2018 and found it absolutely magical. Between the breathtaking landscapes and the dancing Northern Lights, I thought it could be a perfect backdrop for a romance (even despite the frigid temperatures!).
Even better, the way of life in a small Icelandic town seemed like a perfect “fish out of water” experience for a busy big city executive like Ava Espinosa. It forces her to pause long enough to take stock of her life and consider what she really wants.
If you want to learn more about the inspiration for my setting, check out this blog I wrote about it on my author site here.
4--Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Yes. I love her passion, determination, and heart. More importantly, I love someone who’s amazing at travel planning haha. You should see my itineraries when I plan a trip. We’re kindred spirits.
I also like her can-do attitude. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, she’s a problem-solver. I love that she takes action, even if she could learn to relax a bit (can’t we all?).
5--What are three words that describe your hero?
Heroic. Caring. Real.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Just like Ava, I have to let go of perfectionism and be comfortable going off script sometimes. In a way, working through Ava’s problems and rereading her character arc through the editing process was a nice reminder that some of life’s most amazing moments are usually different from what you expected. And they’re usually the most rewarding too.
I tend to overthink, over research, and over organize things to the point where life feels rigid, or I run into analysis paralysis. Although those are helpful qualities to make sure you’re not acting recklessly, it also stops you from experiencing life. As much as I’d like to predict every scenario, it’s not possible. Sometimes you just have to dive in and trust in yourself enough to figure it out as you go along.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Remember how I said I’m a perfectionist? If I tried to edit while writing, my books would never get done. Eventually, I realized it was easier to move forward by letting the words flow and realizing I can fix it later.
After years of stopping and starting writing projects, this shift in mentality helped me finish my first novel-length story in 2013. I think it’s gotten easier to embrace this process with each book because I now know the benefits (and sometime torture) of working with editors throughout the process.
I WISH a first draft was all that was needed, but the reality is I’ll likely go through several rounds of edits before all’s said and done. So, I might as well enjoy the creative messiness during that first draft and find the magic in the story rather than overthinking how many issues I’ll need to fix later and trying to avoid them.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
This is a tough one. I’ve been lucky enough to live in Charleston, S.C., on and off since 2010. It’s a foodie mecca. When I first moved here, I had the palette of a five-year-old. I’m talking pizza, pasta, burgers, chicken fingers, and French fries. Although I still love all those things, living in Charleston has expanded my horizons.
It depends on my mood. Sometimes I go to a place because they make the most amazing truffle butter for their steak, or they have fluffy sticky buns, or they have a tasting menu that sounds wild but ends up being amazing or their salad dressing just hits the spot. Other times I’m there for the cocktails and atmosphere.
Thankfully, Charleston is super walkable, so it’s not uncommon to get a bit of everything. We pop in for a drink here, a snack there, another drink here, share an entree there. It’s perfect for someone who’s as indecisive as me and doesn’t want to compromise. If you ever need advice on what to eat while traveling to Charleston, I’ll have endless recommendations. Just ask!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It’s a little sad right now, to be honest. My husband and I moved to a new home in November, so I finally have my own office for work and writing. Of course, we have a million projects to do before we can design this office.
As of right now, I have a sit/stand desk with 3 monitors and a fluffy dog bed in the corner for my dog. My plan is to have pretty rattan cabinets to house all my books and my vintage Corona typewriter, a sitting nook by the window with a fluffy blanket, candles, and natural decor and plants to make it cozy.
When I’m sick of being in my office, I’ll either sit by the fireplace in the winter, write at the beach if it's overcast enough to see my screen, or suck down a ton of tea (and sometimes bubbly) at a local coffee shop.
10--Who is an author you admire?
I usually love funny, sassy, sarcastic romance writers like Janet Evanovich, Sally Throne, Lauren Layne, Christina Lauren, Tessa Bailey, and so on. I wish I was as funny as they are.
The joy of these books is that not only do you get the romantic happily-ever-after, but you get a lot of laughs too. Give me a rom com any day.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
There are a ton that changed my life, either because it inspired me to write, helped me escape a bout of anxiety/depression, or gave me good life advice. However, if I’m allowed to be super egotistical for a moment, I want to say the first book I published (No Place to Hide) is the one that changed my life.
It showed me that my life-long dream to be an author CAN happen. This book was self-published, so it was amazing to see the process from start to finish and build my confidence.
But the thing that really made me proud was the day I got to hold the finished product in my hands and place a stack of them on my bookshelf. It’s nice to know I’m leaving a little piece of me, the worlds I create, and my stories behind whenever I’m no longer here.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
I don’t have any crazy stories for this particular book because it was part of a series. However, I’ll share what it was like to get “the call” for the first book in the series, One Stormy Night.
My wonderful agent, Jana Hanson from Metamorphosis Literary Agency, shared that City Owl Press wanted to pick up my story. I was thrilled because this came only a few weeks after another publisher picked up a different story of mine, which took forever to secure. So, in a matter of weeks, I had two different publishers want to publish two of my stories, and the editor at City Owl Press even asked me to pitch other stories to her so we could build it into a series.
I was stunned. To have publishers take a chance on me meant the world to me, and even more so when they told me they’d want to see more work from me in the future. So, that’s how One Unexpected Adventure came to be. It’s the second book in this series, but both can be read as a standalone.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that it’s romance. However, I also like thrillers, mystery, and women’s fiction too. And, of course, books to learn. I’m always looking to learn something.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
There are too many that I can’t think of any particular one. If I’d have to choose, maybe The Wizard of Oz. There’s just something about the music and the magic that gets me.
15--What is your favorite season?
I like all of them for different reasons. If we put aside my obsession with the Christmas season, I’ll say spring. It’s warm enough in Charleston to enjoy the outdoors and the beach without dying from heat and humidity yet. It’s also Confederate Jasmine season, which smells amazing.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
If I can, I will take a trip somewhere. If I’m staying local, I usually go to good restaurants around town, hang out at the beach, get drinks with friends, and get a massage at a fancy spa.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’d recommend any books or podcasts about slow living/minimalism. I think everyone can benefit from slowing down, finding balance, and appreciating the small things in life. It’s hard to break out of the bad habits of always wanting and doing more.
One book I liked was The Scandinavian Guide to Happiness. Those Scandinavian countries really have it dialed in.
18--What’s been your favorite trip?
All of them are so special in their own ways, it’s really hard to choose. Clearly, Iceland is one that stuck out to me because I wrote a whole book about it haha. Aside from that one, I’d say my honeymoon to Ireland and Scotland.
For someone who loves sunshine and warm ocean water, I can somehow picture myself living in small towns in all three of those places. Something about the easy way of living in the quaint villages and the beautiful landscapes really speak to me.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Reading or writing (no surprise here), playing at the beach with my husband and dog, traveling, and exploring the Charleston foodie scene.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
More romance with a strong element of women’s fiction. I have about 70 ideas written down, so now it’s just a matter of selecting one that really speaks to me. To stay up to date on what I’m working on, I highly recommend signing up to my newsletter here.
Her Journey #2
A stress-free, last-minute, long overdue vacation in Iceland is all Ava Espinosa wants. So, she does what she does best and plans every detail down to the minute. The trip is just what she needs to reignite that spark missing from her life before taking her new promotion.
Brooks Jónsson doesn’t give a crap about itineraries. He’s a search and rescue pilot, not a tour guide, but his dad is counting on him to help him with the business. Naturally, he’d get stuck with a tourist carrying a three-inch binder of her travel plans. He needs to focus on pinpointing whatever is affecting his hometown’s fishing trade and crushing their economy, not a high-strung tourist.
From not apologizing when he almost runs her over to spoiling her rigid schedule with his tardiness, Brooks isn’t shy about his contempt for Ava. What he isn’t expecting is Ava giving that attitude right back. Every time she opens her sassy mouth, all he can think of is silencing her with a kiss.
When Ava catches wind about the mystery affecting the town’s marine ecosystem, she offers her expertise. Although the town is desperate for help, Brooks doesn’t trust outsiders. But Ava isn’t so easily deterred and with the rest of the townspeople accepting her into their fold, he struggles to hold onto his go-it-alone approach.
As Ava and Brooks reexamine how they’ve lost sight of what matters, they soon learn that opposites attract. But with happily ever after on their horizon, their past choices emerge, threatening to tear them apart.
Romance Contemporary [City Owl Press, On Sale: July 1, 2022, Paperback, ISBN: 9781648982019 / eISBN: 9781648982002]
When Sofia Sawyer’s fifth-grade teacher handed her a journal, encouraging her to keep writing, she vowed she always would. A lifelong storyteller, Sofia writes contemporary romances featuring tenacious women who won't stop until they get their happily ever after.
Based in Charleston, S.C., she follows her wanderlust whenever she can to new and exciting places, often finding story ideas throughout her travels.
When she isn’t reading, writing, or jet-setting across the globe, you can find Sofia playing with her dog, taking advantage of the amazing Charleston restaurant scene, hiking, or hanging at the beach.
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