Author Spotlight #2: Sonya Jesus

It’s Author Spotlight time! If you want to know more about how the series got started, go check out the introduction post.

Today the spotlight is on Sonya Jesus, fledgling author of romance/suspense. Let’s jump right in.

Let’s start with the most important. What’s your most recent/next book, and where can we go to learn more about it and you?

Well, I only have one so far, but I have a bunch of different ideas brewing. Knights After My Heart is the first book in the Knights Series. It’s a new adult romance/suspense novel told from two points of views. Amelia is a regular college student who is trying to follow her heart and failing miserably at it, while Hawk dedicates his life to following Amelia. For two years, he has strategically planned and maneuvered every aspect of her life as if it were a game of chess and he’s starting to lose control of the board.

Throughout the series, the more determined Amelia gets, the more Hawk unravels. He will do anything to protect her, even if it means protecting her from herself. You can find out more about it (and me) on Facebook by following @authorsonyajesus  or on my website www.sonyajesus.com (should be up by mid-August)

Do you have a favorite book/story among the one’s you’ve written? Why is it so special to you?

Technically, I’ve written most of it, but I haven’t finished it yet. Getting into this particular character’s mindset is emotionally challenging and draining at times. It’s definitely not a feel good novel or a little bit of light reading. It’s a rip into my heart, search the deepest darkest part of my soul kind of story. I have to be in a certain emotional space to be able to write for this book and a lot of times I end up in tears because I’m emotionally attached to the characters. Of course, it’s not all dark. I honestly believe there is light even in the darkest places. If you know where to look, there are a few streaks of hope between the chapters.

Do your characters talk to you?

Even though this will probably make me sound crazy, I will confess—All the freaking time! I swear, it’s like a hotel in my head sometimes. They don’t stop talking until I put their words on paper and if they do stop that’s usually when I have writer’s block.

What do you want your tombstone to say?

 This is a really creepy question, but since I often write about death in my books, I have thought about this. I would love for it to say, “Here lies a keeper of dreams.” However, I would prefer a family mausoleum.

What is one question you’ve always wanted to be asked in an interview?

 “If you were a fruit, what kind of fruit would you be?” It’s a random question, but I’ve only been asked it one time, and I will never forget it. My answer then was “Pomegranate.” I think my interviewer had a hard time keeping a straight face since it was an atypical answer, but he threw me for a loop when he asked, “Why?” Somewhere in the middle of all my nervousness and anxiety, I managed to give him a logical answer (albeit with a shaky voice). “Because, like my heart, it’s composed of hundreds of pieces.” In all honesty, I still believe the answer, and to this day, I still call my interviewer and friend, Pomegranate.  Funny how a random question, with a stressed response, spurred a lifelong friendship.

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There’s a quick spotlight on Sonya Jesus. I’m happy she took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for me. If you want to know more, make sure to check out her website and and Facebook page.

Are you looking forward to reading her upcoming book, Knights After My Heart? Leave a comment below. If you’d like the spotlight turned on you, send me a message on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.