Welcome to Tea with Mrs B, an author interview series. Here to share a pot of tea and to chat about her new book, Fire and Ice, which released yesterday, is Sonia Bellhouse.
Sonia Bellhouse lives in Australia after spending her formative years in England. Her passion for writing was inspired by Enid Blyton’s comment – ‘One day you might write a book.’ Sonia completed a BA in English as a mature student. Published in multiple magazines both in Australia and the UK, Sonia has won two major awards in short fiction contests. A lifelong reader, Sonia shares her love of books and her interest in writing on her blog – Sonia Bellhouse’s Creative Pathways. Her journey to publication is included in the anthology Writing the Dream published by Serenity Press. A longtime member of Armadale Writers’ Group, she organizes events and speakers for them. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s busy ignoring the ironing pile in favour of spending time with her cats.
Hello Sonia. It is my pleasure to warmly welcome you to my blog, Mrs B’s Book Reviews. Thank you for joining me for Tea with Mrs B, an author interview series. To set the mood for our tea infused interview, what is your preferred beverage, tea, coffee or other? And side accompaniment, scone, cake or other?
Thank you so much for inviting me Mrs B. I’d love a chai latte and a scone with jam and cream. It’s always a pleasure to talk about books and writing.
Can you tell us what genres you write for and how many books you have had published?
Fire & Ice is my first stand alone book, although I have been published in two anthologies – Writing the Dream (How 25 writers got published) and Passages – a short story anthology – mine is one of fifteen stories. Both are published by Serenity Press.
Fire and Ice is a romance with paranormal elements. I write in a couple of genres, romance, women’s fiction, paranormal and mid-grade fiction. I hope to write cosy crime.
Fire and Ice, your latest book will be released next month. Can you describe it in just a sentence?
When two strangers form an ice dance partnership, they both dream of an inexplicable past life connection, which could build a wondrous future or prove they’re doomed to make the same mistakes.
How long did it take you to write Fire and Ice?
I had a partial idea for this story for quite a while, at that stage it was an Australian girl travelling and finding love in Norway. It was after I enjoyed watching the ice dancing in the Pyeong Olympics. In February 2018 I added that element. I loved the grace and artistry of the skaters and the way that emotions could be conveyed by gestures and body language. It was another form of storytelling. I still didn’t feel I had enough until I recalled my visit to Norway and its Viking relics and past. The link was there, a past life connection which drew the lovers together once more.
Once that was in my mind, I had a partially completed draft by October, when a publisher I knew slightly asked to read a chapter. I explained that it was incomplete, but she was interested and said if I could complete it, she wanted to publish in time for Valentine’s Day 2019. She needed a fully finished, edited book, by the end of December.
Did you need to undertake any research to bring Fire and Ice to life? How did you incorporate this research into your book?
Yes, I had a lot of research to do, I needed to know more about ice dancing and also about Vikings. I contacted various ice-skating organisations as well as my local ice rink and asked questions I received generous help from them. I also read five nonfiction books on Vikings, lives and customs, each adding to my knowledge and giving me details to incorporate into the book. I wanted authenticity as much as possible.
Where did the inspiration for the lead characters of Blaise and Kristoffer come from?
My cover illustration helped a lot, an author friend had designed six covers while procrastinating on her own work. One really spoke to me and I used it to inspire my imagination further. From my research I knew that ice dancing takes dedication and stamina. I couldn’t imagine a female ice dancer being a pushover – and Blaise isn’t. Kristoffer, I based in part on Christopher Dean, a legendary ice skater and he also may have a slight resemblance to Chris Hemsworth as Thor.
Can you tell us more about the inspiration for the setting of your novel?
I visited Bergen in Norway as teenager, and loved the place, its spectacular scenery and its friendly welcoming people. I’ve always wanted to go back, but never quite made it.
What ingredients do you feel are necessary to compose a successful romance narrative?
A heroine a reader can identify with and a hero they can fall in love with.
What was the most challenging and rewarding aspects of writing Fire and Ice?
Working with an editor who used graphs and charts to convey character arcs, plot tension points and overall story structure.
What do you hope readers will take away from reading Fire and Ice?
Some may enjoy the contemporary love story while others relate more to the past. I simply hope readers enjoy the book.
How do you plan to celebrate the official release day of Fire and Ice?
The launch is scheduled for February 16th 2-3pm at Armadale Library, Armadale WA. Tony Buti MLA will officially launch the book and the Mayor of Armadale Councillor Henry Zelones will be in attendance. Carolyn Wren, local romance author will MC the event. There will be a Q&A session, book sales and signings. Refreshments provided. This is a free event and I have invited fellow authors, friends, family and the local community to come along.
Can you tell us about your journey to publication?
It’s been a long time coming – I have written since I was child and although in recent years, I have had short stories and articles published in national and international magazines my dream was always to have a book published.
Can you tell us about your creative working space, where do you write and is there anything vital you need to get started?
My workspace is the small bedroom and has a computer desk and chair, a filing cabinet and a printer. There are also several dictionaries, a thesaurus and often a resident cat, who thinks my desktop is the perfect place to lounge.
Aside from writing, do you have any interesting hobbies?
I am a voracious reader and usually manage to read six to eight books in a month. I coordinated a book group for eleven years, but reluctantly gave that up to concentrate on my writing. I have a blog https://soniabellhouse.blog where I talk about what I’ve been reading, my cats, writing and life.
What is next on the horizon for Sonia Bellhouse? Do you have any writing projects you would like to share with us?
The publisher has asked ‘Would you think about doing a sequel?’ I do have the germ of an idea for one. I also want to write a story for an anthology, and I have an idea for a story about someone with magical powers – I hesitate to use the term witch.
What 2019 book releases are you most excited to read?
I am looking forward to reading Natasha Lester’s The French Photographer and I am very much anticipating Joanne Harris’s The Strawberry Thief. This continues her Chocolat series.
Finally, wrapping up our tea themed interview, who would you most like to share a pot of tea with?
My dear departed Dad- we shared a birthday and I lost him a month before his sixtieth birthday and my twenty first. He’d have been so proud, and I have so many questions I wish that I’d asked him.
Thank you for taking the time to visit Mrs B’s Book Reviews for Tea with Mrs B Sonia. Congratulations on the publication of Fire and Ice!
Thank you so much for inviting me to tea, it’s been enjoyable to share tea with you.
Olympic ice dancer Blaise Daniels partner has just called it quits – leaving her with no 
chance of competing at the Winter Olympics. Determined not to give up on her dream, she travels to Norway to meet legendary skater Kristoffer Erikson. After a bumpy start, they connect both on and off the ice. Their partnership seems assured, but why do they both start having dreams of a mysterious Viking past? Can an ancient love be rekindled, or will an old tragedy complicate their present.
Fire & Ice by Sonia Bellhouse was published on February 16th 2019. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
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