Welcome to our stop on the Summer i fell tour!
The Summer I Fell by Sonya Loveday
(The Six #1)
Publication date: July 27th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Synopsis:
“So you wanna be part of the Six, huh? You wish…”
~Jared, Ace, Mark, Josh, Aiden & Eli
Riley Clifton can’t remember a time when she wasn’t a part of the Six, a group of rowdy boys who would do just about anything for her. Growing up alongside of six guys is never easy. Especially in high school. Falling in love with one of the Six? Even harder when Ace has a hold of her heart, and he doesn’t even know it.
Jake (Ace) Aceton has loved Riley for a long time, but has kept the secret oath of the Six. Riley was off limits. At least until after graduation. When he overhears Riley admitting to her best friend, Paige how she feels about him, Ace doesn’t let his chance slip by. Riley, in his mind, has always been his.
When her college plan falls through, and her future is left to the hands of fate, Riley finds herself scrambling to keep up with all the changes. But that’s not the hardest part. The hardest part is saying good-bye, especially to Ace.
Heartache, hard lessons, and a love deeper than her Alabama roots will threaten to crumble Riley’s world as she waits for Ace’s return.
Will Riley and Ace’s love be strong enough to hold them together when life tries to tear them apart?
Today we welcome Sonya for an interview!
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to
be something else?
I didn’t. I
guess you could say I’ve taken steps to get where I am. Being a creative
person, I’ve always been drawn to using the arts to channel that part of
myself. At first, when I was younger, it was poetry and drawing. Over the
years, it grew. And one day an idea came to me. I wrote an entire book based
off seeing a hammered silver bracelet. That story may never see the light of
day, but I knew in that moment, I could do it. So I did.
How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?
It depends on the story. Casted
and Spelled took me a little longer to write since they are paranormal stories
and it included a little more world building. It took me about six months to
complete Casted, but I was also working full time when I started it. I also
stopped mid-point and walked away from it for a few months. Spelled took about
four months to complete. The Six Series went way faster, both books were
written in about two months. So yeah, it really just depends on what I’m
writing and what’s going on in my life.
How do you come up with themes for your stories?
Good question! My ideas come from complete
randomness. The Casted Series came to me as I was writing my very first novel,
the one I mentioned above. I kept seeing a particular scene, and I built the
book around that scene. The Six Series came to me as a ‘blip’, a scene that
popped into my head one night, so I grabbed my laptop, kicking off the story
from that point.
Do you have a schedule of when you write?
Yes and no. I’m a stay at home mom
so my days are pretty much free for me to write. As long as I get up and go
right to my story, I’m good. But there are days when that’s not possible.
How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your
writing?
I have my days where it feels like I can’t get a single
thing done. And then there are days where I get it all done with time to spare.
I guess it just finds a way to work itself out.
What elements do you think make a great story line?
Writing that puts you into the
story and makes you see it as you read it. As far as elements, I’d say strong
characters, a little humor, a story that keeps you reading to find out what’s
going to happen next. That’s just a few things off the top of my head, but
there’s so much that can be done to create an awesome book.
What was the hardest thing about writing a book?
For my first one was making paranormal and everyday life
blend. And writing the action scenes totally kicked my arse the first go
‘round. Luckily I have an awesome best friend who read over the scenes and
helped me get the scenes out of my head and into words.
How many books have you written so far? Do you have a
favorite?
I’ve written four total published
books. I also have others that are sitting in my computer. Most of those are
partially written and I’ll get back to them eventually. Oddly, I don’t have a
favorite. They’re equally important to me because they are a piece of me.
Do you have a favorite character?
I’d have to say, as of right now,
Aiden and Airen are my favorites. But that’s only because they’re the ones
who’ve taken over my head.
Where do you write?
I write at home. I don’t do well with writing anywhere
else. I too easily distracted.
When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route
you took?
I
decided to go Indie because it gives me total control and say over my
publishing dates, my cover artist, and my editor.
Have you gotten feedback from
family about your book(s)? What do they think?
I have the most amazing family. I really do! Not only
are they supportive, they’re also my support system. I blush every time someone
turns to either one of my parents, after learning I’m an author, and say… “So
what do you think about your daughter writing?” and they answer, “Proud. I’s so
proud of her.” It gives me the warm and squishies.
What kinds of things do you like to
do outside of writing?
I read. I love when I have time to read! I’ve also just
started dipping my toes into my ancestry. I’m digging back as far as I can go
to find my Scottish and Irish heritage, and also working on my husbands side.
Eventually my kids will know where we originated from instead of me telling
them we’re Heinz 57.
What kinds of advice would you give
to someone who wants to start writing?
You’ll never know if you can do if
you don’t try. Write your first draft, review it, and then get a friend to read
it. Take advice, but don’t allow anyone to change your story. It’s your story
for a reason. Hire an editor! Don’t push publish until you have someone edit
your work. It could be an amazing story, but if it’s full of grammatical
mistakes it could hurt you. And lastly, remember this: everyone doubts their work,
you will too. The key to getting past that is shoving the doubt aside and take
that last leap of faith.
What is your favorite book?
favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to
write?
I absolutely love the Outlander
Series by Diana Gabaldon. As far as an author that inspires me? There’s lots of
authors that I’ve read that are amazing, but I have to keep that locked away
when I write, because I don’t want my writing tone to reflect back to the way
they write. I try to be 100% me.
Do you have any go to people when
writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta
reading and such?
YEP! Candace Knoebel is my go to if I run
into any plot issues or stumbling points. The best part is, she just listens
and I’m able to work out the problem on my own. Sometimes you need that person
to just listen to you ramble and then *bam* it comes to you. Candace also is
the very first set of eyes to any of my stories. I fix the mistakes she catches
and then it’s ready for editing. Once edited, my amazing Beta’s are ready to
read it. The very last set of eyes to read my books is Rebecca Gaskill and she
never disappoints. I’d be lost without each of these amazing people!
Are you working on anything now?
I’m working on the third book of The Six Series, If Ever
I Fall, and will be wrapping up the first draft soon! Keep any eye out on my
website and Facebook page for the upcoming release date.
Thanks so much for stopping by today. It was so great having you with us!
Sonya Loveday, first and foremost is a reader, an avid one. It is of that love that brought her to
purchasing her first laptop in 2009, and publishing her first novel, Casted, in 2013.
In early 2014, Sonya expanded Casted and then went on to publish Spelled, the sequel to Casted, in March, wrapping up the series, and her stint with Paranormal Romance. For now.
Not long after the completion to the Casted Series, Sonya tried her hand at New Adult/Coming of Age, a sub-genre of Contemporary Romance. Thusly, the Six were born with The Summer I Fell, which released at the end of July 2014. The demand from readers was instantaniously, which brought about End Note, the second book of the series in December 2014.
To date, Sonya lives in Central Florida with her husband, and two kids, and is currently working on her fifth book set to release later this spring 2015.
In early 2014, Sonya expanded Casted and then went on to publish Spelled, the sequel to Casted, in March, wrapping up the series, and her stint with Paranormal Romance. For now.
Not long after the completion to the Casted Series, Sonya tried her hand at New Adult/Coming of Age, a sub-genre of Contemporary Romance. Thusly, the Six were born with The Summer I Fell, which released at the end of July 2014. The demand from readers was instantaniously, which brought about End Note, the second book of the series in December 2014.
To date, Sonya lives in Central Florida with her husband, and two kids, and is currently working on her fifth book set to release later this spring 2015.
Author links:
Thanks for hosting today, Brooke! :)
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