"The bond between author and reader has always fascinated me. Without the reader's imagination, an author's words are dead in the dark. Only when you open their book do you make them come alive. It's like a spell. And you spread that magic because you talk about the book, post about it, or give it away to someone." - Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Hex & Echo.
Our next author featured in our series is Mia Sosa. I thought I'd leave it to a writer to explain why I am doing this series of author interviews and I couldn't have said it better than Thomas Olde Heuvelt above.
You can order The Wedding Crasher on our website HERE (support indies). I hope you all enjoy this interview as much as I did. I am always pleasantly surprised by the Lightning Round. Our Virtual Romance Book Club will be discussing The Wedding Crasher Thursday February 2nd at 6pm PST on Zoom. Details HERE.
STEPHANIE ROSE: Can you take us through your writing process for The Wedding Crasher? How did the writing process differ from your other work?
MIA SOSA: Well, I’d already created the world in The Worst Best Man, so I wasn’t starting from scratch, and I knew that Dean would be one of my main characters. First, I had to figure out the emotional conflict of the story, and then I had to decide what person would work as the female main character. I decided that Solange, who played a minor role in TWBM, would give me the flexibility to adapt her personality and backstory to fit the story’s needs. Little known fact (and the part of the process for this book that differs from the others): I completely rewrote the book in the editing stage because my characters’ goals and motivations didn’t serve the story well. Yes, that’s right. I reworked the story in its entirety, and although the process was grueling, I have no regrets.
SR: What character do you most identify with and why?
MS: This one is easy: Although there are bits and pieces of me in all of my characters, Lina from The Worst Best Man is the character with whom I identify the most. A significant aspect of Lina’s journey in the book is her path to accepting that she is and has done “enough,” which essentially mimics my own experience as a young adult motivated by a burning desire to make my immigrant mother proud.
SR: If you could only recommend one of your books which would you choose and why?
MS: I’d recommend The Worst Best Man. It fully captures my writing style—funny, flirty, a little dirty—and it pays homage to the women role models in my life.
SR: Do you listen to any music when you write? If so what kind?
MS: I do! I listen to a “background writing” playlist when I’m writing the bulk of my scenes and a “sexy” playlist when I’m writing sex scenes. The former includes artists like Sara Bareilles, Maxwell, and Labrinth. The latter is an ode to Usher, The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and Ciara.
SR: What is the best piece of life advice that you've received?
MS: I’ve received tons of great advice over the years, but one piece of advice that stands out to me is this: It’s okay not to be liked by everyone; find your people and cultivate those relationships rather than the ones that force you to reshape yourself into something you’re not.
SR: Can you tell us what yoU're currently working on?
MS: Sure! My next full-length book is called The Starter Ex. It tells the story of a woman who had a gig in college serving as a terrible girlfriend to paying clients seeking to jumpstart relationships with their secret crushes. Now older but perhaps not wiser, she agrees to help her sister snag the man of her dreams by dating him first and making his life miserable. Unfortunately for her, the guy discovers the scheme and sets out to inflict his own torture as payback. Note: The ridiculousness is a feature, not a bug. Look out for that one in 2024.
SR: Any recent books, films, shows, or podcasts you want to recommend to our readers?
MS: Yes! If you’re a fan of cooking shows, you should check out The Pressure Cooker, which is a compelling blend of Top Chef and Big Brother. And if you’re looking for a great romance, I’d recommend any of these recent reads: A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña; A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera; American Royalty by Tracey Livesay; and Kink Camp: Hunted by Adriana Anders.
Lightning Round | Altered and Borrowed from James Lipton
SR: What is your favorite word?
MS: Epiphany. It just looks and sounds pretty.
SR: What is your least favorite word?
MS: Moist (in the context of sex scenes, of course).
SR: What is your favorite romance movie?
MS: Ooh, this is a tough one. I’ll say Notting Hill, though I reserve the right to change my mind, lol.
SR: What is your favorite romance book?
MS: Nope, I can’t choose just one. Sorry! But if I had to name a book I think every romance reader should add to their TBR, it would be Reel by Kennedy Ryan.
SR: What sound or noise do you love?
MS: The sound of rain in the summer.
SR: What sound or noise do you hate?
MS: The roar of a motorcycle’s engine. It’s just not sexy to me. Sorry!
SR: What is your favorite curse word?
MS: “Fuck” is a classic.
SR: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
MS: Wedding planner.
SR: What profession would you not like to do?
MS: Physician.
SR: If you knew you were going to die and only had a chance to read one more book what would it be?
MS: Circe by Madeline Miller. My daughter’s been begging me to read it for ages!
SR: You plan a movie night and can watch one movie with any one writer. What writer and what movie do you choose?
MS: Tracey Livesay—because I adore her. And we’d watch one of my favorite movies, Boomerang.
SR: What author dead or alive would you want to spend the day with and in what fictional place?
MS: I’d spend the day with Toni Morrison, and we’d visit Medallion, the fictional town in Sula.
About Mia Sosa
https://twitter.com/miasosaromance
https://www.instagram.com/miasosaromance
https://miasosa.com/