Monday Meet: Sophie Bonaste

Please welcome Sophie to my humble abode:

Hello everyone! My name is Sophie Bonaste and I am here to take over Brynn’s blog for the day. So before I start I want to thank Brynn for letting me do this post.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a brand-new author with Harmony Ink Press. My debut novel, “The Sacrifices We Make” was released on October 3^rd. Something that still seems a little surreal a month later.

I think one of the reasons, I’m having such a hard time coming to terms with this is because ten years ago, I didn’t think I could ever write a novel under any circumstance. I’m sure that you heard stories about novelists who have loved writing since they first picked up a pencil. That was not me. Not by a long shot. Not only did I hate writing when I was a kid, I was awful at it. I didn’t understand grammar, I couldn’t spell and I hated all forms of description.

So what changed? Something you may not expect. I was yanked out of school. My Mom made the decision to homeschool me and taught me everything I needed to know about writing. Now it was not always easy. (If you don’t believe me, go read the dedication for this book.) It took me a long time to get good at writing and I hated it. But slowly the things I needed to know sunk into my brain. And by the time I finished homeschooling I could write with the best in my age group.

However, I realized later I had a problem. I was taught the basic rules of writing, which helped me tremendously through college as I wrote research papers. However, creative writing breaks a lot of those rules. People don’t speak using perfect grammar and there are a lot of shortcuts that can be taken in order to make it easier to read. I love telling stories, but I have a hard time trying to break away from that proper writing mentality. I’m slowly starting to get better at it. But it may take a few more books until it comes easily.

So why become a writer if it is so hard for me? I guess there are a lot of reasons: boredom, wanting to express myself artistically. But at the core, I’m a story teller. Whether through theatre or writing, I want to tell stories. And if this is the medium I have to use to tell my stories, then I will work to get better so I can tell the best story possible.

Well, that’s my journey as a writer in a nutshell. It’s not always something that has come easy, but here I am a published novelist. I guess I’m just living proof that anyone can be a writer if they work hard and have a story to tell.

I want to thank Brynn for having me here today. It’s been a lot of fun and I hope everyone enjoyed my tale. I will now leave you will the information on my debut novel “The Sacrifices We Make”, my biography, buy links for the book and all my contact information. Until next time…

Blurb:

Adam Jameson has always felt like an outsider in his own home, where his parents’ constant efforts to instill religious fervor have instead filled him with fear. Most of the time, he just wants to stay out of everybody’s way. But when Adam is forced to volunteer at a homeless shelter his senior year in high school, everything changes. He’s introduced to people who care about more than religion and, as a result, he starts to come out of his shell. For the first time in his life, Adam finds people that he wants to be around.

Mickey Stafford lives on the streets, a teen kicked out by his parents for being gay. He comes to the shelter for food and medical care, and after they literally run into each other, the two boys strike up a friendship. As Mickey introduces his new friend to the world he lives in, Adam starts to question everything: his parents, their religion, even his own beliefs . Once Mickey kisses him, Adam starts soul-searching and finds his heart, which is full of love for Mickey. But these two young men will have their love put to the test, as they face a future of uncertainty and fear.

Biography:

Sophie Bonaste is a novelist who never set out to be a novelist. As a child, she wanted to a Broadway actress and spent her childhood in numerous productions. But when adulthood set in and reality took over, Sophie chose to give up the theatre for a steady paycheck and instead turned to writing as a creative outlet. She stumbled into the M/M genre through fanfiction and never looked back. Sophie is quite happy with her change in artistic expression and doesn’t plan to stop writing for a long time.

A self-proclaimed nerd, Sophie is an avid fan of all things Star Wars and Harry Potter. (Sophie is a member of the Slytherin house, for those who were wondering.) Sophie also spends many hours watching and re-watching nerdy television shows. When she is not obsessing over the latest and greatest in nerdy entertainment, Sophie can be found screaming at her television during American football games. (Go Pack Go!) Sophie currently lives in Pennsylvania, about twenty minutes from her childhood town of The Middle of Nowhere.

Buy ebook for “The Sacrifices We Make”- http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4285

Buy paperback for “The Sacrifices We Make”- http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4294

Sophie’s Website- sophiebonaste.blogspot.com (Click this link for the Giveaway Information!)

Sophie’s Email-sophiebonaste@gmail.com

Sophie on Twitter-https://twitter.com/SophieBonaste

Sophie on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/sophie.bonaste

Sophie on Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7263780.Sophie_Bonaste?from_search=true

Thanks so much for visiting, Sophie!

Check out my past guests:

October 28 – Layla Wier https://brynnstein2.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/monday-meet-layla/

October 21 – Jessica Skye Davies https://brynnstein2.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/monday-meet-jessica-skye-davies/

October 14 – JoAnne Soper-Cook https://brynnstein2.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/monday-meet-joanne-soper-cook/