Hi my loves! How are you guys doing? I'm here now because we  have a very special guest on Journey with Books Blog today. We have Ms. Sophia Duane! She's the author of 'My Only'. I have posted a review of her book few days ago. Here's the link on my review "My Only"

And now, we'll learn more about her!



1. Can you please tell us something about yourself? 

Something most people don't know about you yet. I never know what people find interesting, so this question stumps me a bit. Do I tell you about my favorite shoes that are now falling apart, but I wear them anyway, or is that a bit mundane? I suppose I'll tell you about what a geek I am. When I love something (movie, television, book, etc), I research the hell out of it. When Jurassic Park came out, I owned TONS of merchandise and read just about every book on dinosaurs I could find. That trait (the border line obsessive) has followed me through to today, which is why I love writing. Whatever the topic is, there's research to be done and I can geek out a bit. Right now I'm neck deep in World War II research as I'm writing something about that era right now.

2. When did you realize that you wanted to be an author?

I was about eighteen when I started writing for real, not that I showed many people what I wrote or thought at that point that I wanted to be published. I've always been a storyteller, but way back when, I just told myself stories to occupy my mind. Many of the stories I work on (in my mind) are the same or variations of the ones from when I was in high school.

3. What is the hardest part about being an author? 

Lack of sleep. I have to work when everyone else is sleeping, which means I'm up after four hours of rest sometimes. It's not difficult once in a while, but years of doing it takes a toll. I've started getting about five hours average now, which helps quite a bit. Another difficult thing is dealing with the fact that most people around me don't understand that I can't "just sleep in." I have to write. It's imperative.

4. What are the perks that you get now that you are an officially published author? 

I get shiny new books on my bookshelves with my name on them. :) I also get people who joke about having to be nice to me now since they don't want to "wind up in" my next novel. That's always good for a chuckle. My writing career is young, so the "perks" of being published haven't really started to roll in. Seriously, most perks I can think of are an internal.

5. Where did you get the inspiration to write the very moving story of "My Only"? 

I love drumlines. I love the dynamics of twins. I love coming of age stories. Also, I wanted to explore the idea of people coming into our lives for a reason. They bring something to us and sometimes it's not easy to see, but we grow from our interactions with everyone. Sometimes people come into your life just in passing, but the impact of that short engagement can be very deep.

6. How did you feel the moment that you typed that very last 'period’ on "My Only"? Did you cry like I did the moment I finished reading it? 

I've only teared up once at something I've written. It wasn't My Only. Really, I don't know what I felt. Relief probably, followed by a strong sense of anticipation for the editing and revising yet to come. There's always a bit of a high that happens when I finish a project, followed by a bit of depression because your time with those characters is over.

Fun Questions:

1. When the word 'HUNK' is uttered, who is the first person that comes to your mind?

 I don't know. Someone from 1980's television, I'm sure. HUNK isn't  a word I associate with "HOT" guys. When I think of HUNK, I think of oiled muscles and cheesy synthesizer music, neither of which are a turn-on for me.

2. What is that one movie you're dying to see? 

I cannot wait to see Hunger Games! I love the books and want to see how the creative people in Hollywood have translated it onto the screen. Likewise, I am DYING to see Catching Fire (even from before I've been wanting to see HG), because I need to see Finnick Odair in the flesh.

3. Who is that one 'HOT' celebrity that you would want to marry?

Since I'm married already, I'll decline to answer this, but I'd love to meet some musician who may or may not be hot looking, but where their music makes them utterly attractive. I don't know what I'd do if I met them, but it'd be nice to express how much their music means to me. Also, I'd like love to meet Sean Bean. Again, I have absolutely no idea what I'd do if I met him beyond stare at him and maybe quote some Tolkien. :)

4. If you're going to heaven, who would you take with you?

Everyone in my life, I suppose. I think everyone deserves a bit of paradise. There isn't one person I know of that I'd ever keep from eternal happiness. If it was mine to give, I would gladly give it to everyone I know.

5. If you're going to hell, who would you drag down with you?

No one. I'm not a throw-'em-under-the-bus kind of girl. If I was "bad" enough to earn my way to "hell," I wouldn't drag anyone with me. 

Last Question:

Writing, working, working, writing. Laughing, living, playing. Being as good of a person as I can be, with a little working and writing mixed in. Seriously, Ms. Sophia Duane will continue to write and if someone wants to put my words into print, I will graciously accept, but if not, I'll continue to write the stories that tickle my heart and mind. There will continue to be early mornings filled with geeky research, and binders filled with snippets of dialog and scenes. There will be more highs of accomplishments, followed by low of mourning for putting beloved characters to bed. In short: What's next for me is that same as what's current for me: Writing, because it's an imperative. :)

Author: Sophia Duane
Category: Romance
Publication date: Mar 8, 2012
ISBN (paper): 978-1-61213-095-8
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-61213-096-5

Book Blurb:

Adam James’s life is far from perfect. A talented drummer from a small suburb of Chicago, he keeps to himself, downplaying his abilities, thinking that he is less than all those around him, including his popular twin brother, Aaron..

When a free-spirited new girl with a troubled past moves in across the street, Adam's eyes are opened to a new world of possibilities. Olivia Cartwright’s philosophies on life give her a deeper understanding of the world. An instant connection between Adam and Olivia draws them closer, but he wonders why anyone would choose him when a better version exists, particularly when Aaron also takes an interest in her.
Will the friendship with Olivia change Adam, or will he continue to close himself off in his own world?
Adam has a choice to make: risk his friendship with Olivia or fight for something more.
It seems Adam has a lot to learn about love....and life.