December 2018
Sonja S. Mongar
Your new book, Two Spoons of Bitter, was released last June, from where did you draw your inspiration for this book?
In the early 1990s, I managed some grants for People Living With AIDS and AIDS prevention at the height of the AIDS crisis in a small conservative Southern city. I saw a lot of tragedy and discrimination in the agencies. I kept a diary. Originally I intended it to be a memoir- to give voice to the voiceless and expose the corruption of the agencies but I found that being the protagonist in my own story got in the way - plus other issues so I shifted to fiction - being a journalist and creative non fiction writer it was really difficult and it took almost 20 years to finally finish the story.
Do you work from an outline or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants ("pantster") kind of writer and why?
I really benefitted from scrivener - I was able to write out all the scenes in separate chapter files and then could move them around - basically I wrote the book one scene at a time - since I started with a diary - I did have a map of sorts but by the time the characters came to life - they took it where they wanted to go. Scrivener will generate an synopsis outline - that was helpful as I was progressing because it was e asier to check for gaps. I think the right answer to the question for me is I see writing in two phases - there's the brainstorming stream of consciousness type of writing (non linear) and then there's the hammering it into shape - which is a lot more linear.
What was the hardest part of writing this book and why?
Whether I intended to or not - it reached deep inside and was a sort of catharsis. So even though it was not my story - per se - so many elements of it reflected my emotional life.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
Without giving it away - the protagonist connects with one of the characters on a surprising - deeply emotional level that completely unhinges her - that she has to reevaluate everything in her life - it begins the des cent -
We all love a hero. Was there a real-life inspiration behind your protagonist(s)? Please explain.
This story is definitely the journey of the heroine - as she faces all these obstacles she has to overcome in order to survive - I dedicated the book -The prologue places the protagonist at ten years old - to set up what she is fleeing in her past - her grandmother is a cruel alcoholic - the girls parents are dead - I was thinking of my maternal grandmother when I wrote my character at ten. My grandmother was raised by an extremely violent grandmother. It completely shaded her whole life and personality - a legacy that was passed down to my mother and me and my sister (intergenerational trauma) I wondered what it would have been for all of us if my grandmother had been able to get away the way my protagonist does. I even used family names - Donovan was my grandmother 's maiden name - it was kind of a nod to acknowledging her trauma - and where she came from and my way of saying - I understand. - -
Is there a clear villain in your book and if so, how did you get in touch with your inner villain to write this book?
There was an antagonist - and I really intended him to remain that way - but he went and did his own thing and he ended up being one of my favorite characters.
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
I actually did location scouting - as well as drew on my own experiences - I traveled on a train from Spokane to Chicago and went through the country side and towns that my protagonist came from.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
That I'm a writer. When I was a tenured professor - publish or perish - I couldn't write what I wanted to write. I was always "working" on something. I liken it to a surprise pregnancy and birth. I don't know how I made it from point A to B but there I was this May with this strange book in my hand with my name on it. I didn't think I was going to ever be there. Its completely changed my life - given me something new to care about since I retired.
If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?
I didn't start writing until I was 42. I've already done a bunch of things - cattle feedlot secretary, cook for a railroad crew, service clerk, Girl Friday, bookkeeper, Temp, car auction driver, harmonica player, radio personality, magazine editor, professor, mom, grandma, hiw ay fruit peddler and so on. I don't think Im a person who can specialize - I like being a writing teacher with a book, or a writer who can teach, I often call myself a storyworker because I have worked in different mediums with stories - and helped people create their stories - but I think the next step would be podcasts and film.
What are your future project(s)?
Harmonica Diaries: A White Woman's Suitcase Full of Blues - memoir -and Dreaming Cora Paul an auto ethnography
Is there a message in your novel you hope readers will grasp?
Yes it is about hope - that even when everything is going to hell and you lose your faith and you lose your confidence is what you know is true - in yourself - that you can overcome and get past it and come out the other side with new knowledge and a new way to see the world.
If you would like to contact Sonja, check out her Facebook author page at: facebook.com/Sonja-S-Mongar-Author-1868441926715395
Also look for her book on Goodreads: goodreads.com/book/show/40679260-two-spoons-of-bitter?from_search=true
"I love it when readers send photos of themselves reading my books."
In the early 1990s, I managed some grants for People Living With AIDS and AIDS prevention at the height of the AIDS crisis in a small conservative Southern city. I saw a lot of tragedy and discrimination in the agencies. I kept a diary. Originally I intended it to be a memoir- to give voice to the voiceless and expose the corruption of the agencies but I found that being the protagonist in my own story got in the way - plus other issues so I shifted to fiction - being a journalist and creative non fiction writer it was really difficult and it took almost 20 years to finally finish the story.
Do you work from an outline or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants ("pantster") kind of writer and why?
I really benefitted from scrivener - I was able to write out all the scenes in separate chapter files and then could move them around - basically I wrote the book one scene at a time - since I started with a diary - I did have a map of sorts but by the time the characters came to life - they took it where they wanted to go. Scrivener will generate an synopsis outline - that was helpful as I was progressing because it was e asier to check for gaps. I think the right answer to the question for me is I see writing in two phases - there's the brainstorming stream of consciousness type of writing (non linear) and then there's the hammering it into shape - which is a lot more linear.
What was the hardest part of writing this book and why?
Whether I intended to or not - it reached deep inside and was a sort of catharsis. So even though it was not my story - per se - so many elements of it reflected my emotional life.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
Without giving it away - the protagonist connects with one of the characters on a surprising - deeply emotional level that completely unhinges her - that she has to reevaluate everything in her life - it begins the des cent -
We all love a hero. Was there a real-life inspiration behind your protagonist(s)? Please explain.
This story is definitely the journey of the heroine - as she faces all these obstacles she has to overcome in order to survive - I dedicated the book -The prologue places the protagonist at ten years old - to set up what she is fleeing in her past - her grandmother is a cruel alcoholic - the girls parents are dead - I was thinking of my maternal grandmother when I wrote my character at ten. My grandmother was raised by an extremely violent grandmother. It completely shaded her whole life and personality - a legacy that was passed down to my mother and me and my sister (intergenerational trauma) I wondered what it would have been for all of us if my grandmother had been able to get away the way my protagonist does. I even used family names - Donovan was my grandmother 's maiden name - it was kind of a nod to acknowledging her trauma - and where she came from and my way of saying - I understand. - -
Is there a clear villain in your book and if so, how did you get in touch with your inner villain to write this book?
There was an antagonist - and I really intended him to remain that way - but he went and did his own thing and he ended up being one of my favorite characters.
What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
I actually did location scouting - as well as drew on my own experiences - I traveled on a train from Spokane to Chicago and went through the country side and towns that my protagonist came from.
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
That I'm a writer. When I was a tenured professor - publish or perish - I couldn't write what I wanted to write. I was always "working" on something. I liken it to a surprise pregnancy and birth. I don't know how I made it from point A to B but there I was this May with this strange book in my hand with my name on it. I didn't think I was going to ever be there. Its completely changed my life - given me something new to care about since I retired.
If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?
I didn't start writing until I was 42. I've already done a bunch of things - cattle feedlot secretary, cook for a railroad crew, service clerk, Girl Friday, bookkeeper, Temp, car auction driver, harmonica player, radio personality, magazine editor, professor, mom, grandma, hiw ay fruit peddler and so on. I don't think Im a person who can specialize - I like being a writing teacher with a book, or a writer who can teach, I often call myself a storyworker because I have worked in different mediums with stories - and helped people create their stories - but I think the next step would be podcasts and film.
What are your future project(s)?
Harmonica Diaries: A White Woman's Suitcase Full of Blues - memoir -and Dreaming Cora Paul an auto ethnography
Is there a message in your novel you hope readers will grasp?
Yes it is about hope - that even when everything is going to hell and you lose your faith and you lose your confidence is what you know is true - in yourself - that you can overcome and get past it and come out the other side with new knowledge and a new way to see the world.
If you would like to contact Sonja, check out her Facebook author page at: facebook.com/Sonja-S-Mongar-Author-1868441926715395
Also look for her book on Goodreads: goodreads.com/book/show/40679260-two-spoons-of-bitter?from_search=true
"I love it when readers send photos of themselves reading my books."
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