I'm pleased to welcome author Rosa Sophia to the blog today...
Rosa Sophia is the author of the Paranormal Mystery Taking 1960. Her next novel, Check Out Time, will be published soon; the release date is as yet undecided. Rosa Sophia is an editor and has worked for various online magazines, including Pagan Writers Community and Wild River Review. Currently, she edits for both Oaklight Publishing and Pagan Writers Press. Rosa resides in south Florida and is attending college for Automotive Technology. Please visit her website and her blog for more information about her writing and her editing services.
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What motivates Rosa Sophia the author? Why do you write?
I have to. It's that simple. If I don't write, I get depressed. The words have to come out somehow.
When did you know you were a writer? Was it always your destiny or did you stumble upon your craft by accident?
I have been a writer since I was very little. During a meeting with my teachers in elementary school, my mother said: “Rosa would like nothing more than to stay in bed and write all day.” In second grade, I enjoyed writing about dinosaurs, and instead of paying attention in class, I would travel to far away places and tell myself stories about ghosts, dragons, and fantasy worlds. Writing is, without a doubt, my destiny.
What is your favorite genre to write and why?
I don't have a favorite. I've written in various genres, and in many cases, my stories have turned out to be a mix of two or more genres. My first published novel, Taking 1960, was a Paranormal Mystery.
How many hours a day do you devote to writing? Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?
I used to write for eight hours a day, forgetting to eat, and consuming only coffee—but that was when I had more time on my hands. These days, I write whenever I can, and I try to bring a notebook with me to work and school in case I get any good ideas.
Tell us about the most intriguing character you've created.
I would have to say Janis Crow is my favorite and most intriguing character. You can find her in Taking 1960, published in 2010 by Oaklight Publishing. She's a very unconventional psychologist, a woman who gets a lot of flack in the field for her odd practices, such as reading Tarot with her clients and inviting them over to her house for green tea. She's a big woman, very forthright, outgoing, and somewhat matronly. She doesn't take any crap from anybody, and she loves Salvador Dali and drives a green Jeep Wrangler. I often wish that she were real, because I could use a therapy session, and I think that Janis Crow is the only psychologist that I would ever willingly visit.
Who is your favorite author? And, if given the opportunity to meet them, what would you ask them?
My favorite author is Terry Pratchett. He has inspired me so much; I am eternally grateful to him and everything he does. I believe if I met him, my first question would be, “Hello, Sir Pratchett, would you like to come have tea with me? I'll buy!” However, if you ask my coworkers at the library, they will say that I have twenty or so favorite authors, which is probably true. I'm always mentioning different favorite authors. Sometimes, I just can't choose!
What did you do when you found out your first book had been contracted?
I screamed, and then I ran around the house like a maniac. I don't think anyone was home, but I scared the crap out of the cats!
Has there been a person or influence in your life that has helped you reach your writing goals?
My mother, and my grandmother. My mother helped me write one of my first stories when I was little—something about a magic mirror that people could get stuck in. I spent most days reading at my grandmother's house. We weren't allowed to watch much television. When I was little, the first book I ever read was my Grandma Polly's copy of Hawaii by James A. Michener. I didn't finish it, but that's still quite a hefty attempt for a ten-year-old!
Do you have any words of inspiration to aspiring authors? What advice would you offer a writer trying to publish?
Don't give up, whatever you do. If you're attempting to get published, beware of scams. Make sure you research everything carefully. Get a good editor to go through your work with a fine-tooth comb before you try to get an agent—if you try to get an agent. (You don't always need one.) There are so-called “editors” and “agents” out there who will charge you hundreds of dollars for nothing. Be wary, but be persistent, and never give up no matter how many times you get rejected!
Tell us about your current release.
“An Evening Out” is a ghost story, published in the Pagan Writers Presents Samhain collection. I cannot reveal much of the plot line, as it would give away the ending!
My next book, Check Out Time, will be published soon, but I don't have a release date yet. Check Out Time is a Mystery novel that takes place in Witchfire, Pennsylvania. It was largely inspired by my father, who is one of the main characters, and by my friends that I worked with on the night crew at a grocery store.
Blurb from Check Out Time:
Naomi Vogler blames herself for her mother's tragic death, continually reliving the accident in her nightmares. When she reconnects with her estranged father, he invites her to live with him in a little town called Witchfire. A simple job stocking shelves overnight at a local grocery store seems a perfect distraction. But when the manager of the store is found dead in the boiler room, Naomi's boring job becomes something much more complicated. No matter how she looks at it, one thing is certain: retail is murder.
Naomi Vogler blames herself for her mother's tragic death, continually reliving the accident in her nightmares. When she reconnects with her estranged father, he invites her to live with him in a little town called Witchfire. A simple job stocking shelves overnight at a local grocery store seems a perfect distraction. But when the manager of the store is found dead in the boiler room, Naomi's boring job becomes something much more complicated. No matter how she looks at it, one thing is certain: retail is murder.
Buy Link:
You can pick up a copy of Pagan Writers Presents Samhain at http://paganwriterspress.com/catalog/
Look for Check Out Time soon! I will be announcing the release date as soon as I can.
Look for Check Out Time soon! I will be announcing the release date as soon as I can.
Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?
Other than Check Out Time, I am also working on a novel based in Riviera Beach, Florida, entitled Crossing Roads in the Rain. It is a ghost story about the 1928 hurricane that killed thousands here in south Florida.
Where can readers connect with you?
You can find my Fan Page on Facebook by searching for “Author Rosa Sophia”, and you can also visit my website at www.rosasophia.com – I hope to see you there!
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Pagan Writers Presents Samhain is a collection of articles, poetry, and short stories. Forty Pagan writers have come together to express how we celebrate the holiday, to share their thoughts and feelings, and to entertain with stories that take place on or around the last week of October.
Leave your broom by the door and join us at the hearth as we tell you about the Sabbat known as Samhain.
Pagan Writers Presents Samhain is the first anthology in the Pagan Writers Press Sabbat collection.
All proceeds from the sale of this anthology further the mission of the Pagan Writers Community, an organization that seeks to educate, inspire, and promote artists, authors, bloggers, musicians, poets, and writers who follow alternative-faith spiritual and religious paths.
Genre - Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality, Wicca & Witchcraft
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