Just Like Starting Over

Some of you might recognize the above photo from my book contract announcement last month. It’s become one of my favourite shots — I’m still thinking of framing it, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. In the next few weeks, though, I’ll be creating a new writing space for myself, so that might be just the nudge I need. This photo would look lovely alongside copies of my book covers, I think! If all goes well with setting up my creative nook, I’ll share an update and photos in the next month or two.

For now, I’m happy to have a quieter schedule. The holidays were … the holidays, with all the commitments and events they can entail. My family even fit some travel in, taking the ferry from Vancouver Island to the mainland after Christmas and then driving to the Okanagan (the setting for A Year of Summer, release date to be announced) to visit my parents and enjoy some snow. Spoiler: there was no snow — at least not at the time. It was great to see them, of course, even if there was no white stuff on the ground. But I was also eager to get home, reset, and wrap my head around a new year.

Year in Review

It never feels like I’ve done enough, but now that I go back and take stock of my writing accomplishments for 2023, I don’t think I’ll be able to match that pace in 2024. We’ll see. Provenance Unknown was released in March. I’ve had multiple poems, short stories, and articles published, been interviewed for various blogs and podcasts, and just under the wire, signed a contract for my second book. (If you’re curious, check out the full list.) I’m grateful for all of it.

I learned that January 16 was Book Publishers Day, so I’d like to recognize the small press publishers who have believed in my work and given me the opportunity to share it with the world.

A huge thank you to Sands Press (now part of the She Rises Studios family) for taking on my debut novel; and to Okanagan Publishing House for branching out into the romance genre for A Year of Summer.

You’ve made this small-town dreamer’s wish of being an author come true! ✨

Goes the Clock

BookTok has been trending for a while now. Although I swore I wouldn’t add yet another social media platform, I finally caved and joined TikTok. It’s hard to ignore what’s arguably one of the most influential forces in publishing today.

I’m still feeling my way through it and trying different things, but you can expect a mix of bookish content and video clips of my adventures, including Hockey Day in Canada events in Victoria on January 20. And I’m always open to collaborations, whether on TikTok or elsewhere — just reach out.

You can follow me at @ nicholsonsonia.

Coming of Age

401 typed pages and over 110,000 words later, I’ve finished transcribing a set of WWII letters for a local archives. (This was my “taking a break from my current book” volunteer project.) Amazing, amazing stuff. The people and stories are going to stay with me for a long time.

Due to copyright issues, I won’t be able to publish them in a book as originally intended, but I in no way regret spending this time immersing myself in the letters. In fact, if another set presented themselves, I would do this again. The archives now has a searchable electronic copy, and who knows? The letters may inspire a fictional work in my future.

One Star

Well, it finally happened: someone gave my book a 1-star rating on Goodreads. This is a rite of passage, right? 🫠

This wasn’t the best way to start the New Year.

(If anyone wants to read it and add a rating/review of your own to maybe help offset, that would be grand.)

But you know what? After I had some time to vent a bit, I took any leftover negative energy and turned it into my first poem of 2024. A poem I quite like. A poem I’ve now submitted to a literary magazine. I hope to share it with you soon!

Les Bouquinistes

A Postcard from Italy, by Alex Brown

I haven’t finished reading this book yet and it doesn’t take place in France, but if you enjoyed Provenance Unknown, this book is definitely the same vibe. Anything featuring archival records gets my vote! I’ll be checking out Alex Brown’s other books, including A Postcard from Paris.

From the author’s website:

Grace Quinn loves her job at Cohen’s Convenient Storage Company, finding occasional treasure in the forgotten units that customers have abandoned. Her inquisitive nature is piqued when a valuable art collection and a bundle of letters and diaries are found that date back to the 1930’s.

Delving deeper, Grace uncovers the story of a young English woman, Connie Levine, who follows her heart to Italy at the end of the Second World war. The contents also offer up the hope of a new beginning for Grace, battling a broken heart and caring for her controlling mother.

Embarking on her own voyage of discovery, Grace’s search takes her to a powder pink villa on the cliff tops overlooking the Italian Riviera, but will she unravel the family secrets and betrayals that Connie tried so hard to overcome, and find love for herself?

As always, thanks for reading! Merci.

Sonia