Wednesday, January 08, 2020

SPFBO 5 Interview: Sonya M. Black


Please welcome Sonya M. Black to The Qwillery as part of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off 5 Interviews. A Sea of Broken Glass is one of 10 Finalists for SPFBO 5!

Follow the SPFBO 5 finals at https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/2019/10/finalists-for-5th-spfbo.html







TQWelcome to The Qwillery. What is the first fiction piece you remember writing?

Sonya:  In middle school, I wrote a **ahem** novel inspired by Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series. Written in a notebook with pencil. It's tucked away in a box and will never see the light of day.



TQAre you a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid?

Sonya:  I'm a hybrid. I started out as a pantser and have slowly come up with a plotting system that works for me.



TQWhat is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Sonya:  The most challenging thing for me is finding a balance between giving the reader enough information to understand the world I'm creating and not giving so much they feel overwhelmed or bogged down by the details.



TQDescribe your A Sea of Broken Glass using only 5 words.

Sonya:  Swords, pistols, demons, and paladins.



TQWhat inspired you to write A Sea of Broken Glass?

Sonya:  I was playing Dragon Age: Inquisition and got the idea for a world where a group of paladins fight against demons that were created from a curse cast by a fallen goddess.



TQPlease tell us about the cover for A Sea of Broken Glass.

Sonya:  The photo is a stock image and I created the cover from that. The image depicts the object that the characters are searching for. The overlay of the raven is a hint at one of the characters.



TQIn A Sea of Broken Glass who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

Sonya:  Aeron was the easiest to write. I added his point of view after I had finished the main novel so I already knew how he would fit into the piece and what his motivations were. Ris was the hardest to write. I struggled with making her an active character while also staying true to her character as a healer. I wanted to create a strong, female protagonist that wasn't snarky or mean.



TQDoes A Sea of Broken Glass touch on any social issues?

Sonya:  Not that I put in intentionally.



TQGive us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery quotes from A Sea of Broken Glass.

Sonya:  "I will have my revenge. It is all that I have left. I clutch it like a cold, dead thing and hold it tightly in my heart. I cast my curse into the Void so he will feel my wrath."



TQWhat's next?

Sonya:  I'm working on the sequel for A Sea of Broken Glass as well as a Japanese-inspired flintlock fantasy called Moonlight & Jade.



TQThank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Sonya:  Thanks for the opportunity!





A Sea of Broken Glass
The Lady & the Darkness 1
Sonya M. Black, March 19, 2019
Kindle eBook and Trade Paperback, 392 pages

Secrets have a price.

After enduring weeks of torture and being convicted of witchery, Ris escapes, only to discover the Darkness and the Lady are hunting her. They need the magic that sings within her.

Creator of all, the imprisoned Lady needs Ris, her last vessel, to find the Heart of Creation. The Darkness seeks to corrupt the vessel and retain his hold on the Lady, and with it, the world.

Ris finds help from a pair of Paladins of Light who aid her in cleansing the evil taint from the lands. As her power grows, so do her questions. How can she restore balance to the world and free the Lady? Should the Lady be trusted or is she as much at fault for the evil in the world as the Darkness? With powerful demons War, Ruin, and Plague at her heels, Ris struggles to stay alive as she tries to unravel the secrets hidden within her before it's too late.

Secrets that may cost Ris her soul even if she does succeed.





About Sonya

Sonya M. Black lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, son, and kitties. She enjoys reading books in a wide range of genres and takes her inspiration from fairy tales, folklore, myths and legends. She enjoys working with children, especially of the teenage variety. Writing is her passion and she loves using her imagination to explore the endless possibilities.



Website  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter @sonyablack60

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