Reading For Fun: Interview & Giveaway: Sonya Loveday and Candace Knoebel

I am so super excited to bring you my interviews with two of my favorite authors that I met at Utopia Con a couple years ago. They are so talented and equally fun to spend time with. Without further ado, lets see what Sonya Loveday & Candace Knoebel have to say!

If you could go one place, where would you go and why?

Sonya:
The one place I would go... Scotland. I don't know why, but I've always had a huge draw to Scotland. I'd love to walk the fields, listen to the people talk, and of course sit down and have a pint at a local pub.
Candace:
I would most definitely visit England so I could take the Harry Potter tour!

I would have to agree with Candace on this one, Harry Potter all the way!

What is one of your favorite hobbies?

Sonya:
Besides reading? I like crafting. It doesn’t matter what it is, if an idea pops into my head, I get to work on it. The last thing I put together was handmade keychains for Utopia 2016.
Candace:
Running is probably at the top of the hobbies that I have at the moment. It frees up my mind.

I loved those key chains Sonya, I have mine hanging in my library.

What made you get into writing?

Sonya:
Candace and I were talking at lunch one day and somehow we got onto the conversation about how much we love reading and both of us had talked about the ideas we'd had running around in our head. That was all it took. Laptops were ordered, stories were typed... and the rest is history!
Candace:
I started writing out of boredom one night. I never thought it was something that would turn into what it’s become. I’m so grateful for that night.

Well I am so happy you both decided to go for it. I have read work by both of you and you two have mad story telling skills.

Of all your books, which is your favorite and why?

Sonya:
My favorite.... hmmmm, well I'd have to say that If Ever I Fall has been my favorite that I've written. Writing it allowed me to pretend I was in Scotland. I got to dig into Airen's family and be a part of it. I got to 'feel' a wee bit Scottish as I wrote it. Now as far as the books I've co-written with Candace, I'd have to say that Runaway Heart was my favorite. Ed, the male lead, was so much fun to write. It allowed me to tap into my smart-assed side. I loved every second of writing that book.
Candace:
My favorite so far would have to be Runaway Heart. I poured everything I had into Hannah and what she went through to grow in that story. I was the most connected to her situation and the struggles she went through.

Well ladies, I know I now need to read Runaway Heart. I have not yet read it, but now that I know which character you each wrote, I will be looking for your personalities in those chracters.

Have you ever based any of your characters from someone you know in real life?

Sonya:
The idea of them, but not them. If that makes any sense. The idea of the Six came from a group of friends I knew in High School. I wasn't part of their crowd but they knew me, and I knew them. The dynamic of their friendships never really clicked with me until Riley's character just plopped herself down in the middle of my head and wouldn't leave until I gave her my full attention. She showed me the Six and I could relate because I'd seen such friendships before.
Candace:
Yes. A few times. :)

Candace that answer leaves me beyond curious. LOL Now I can see why the Six are so realistic Sonya.

What is your favorite quote from one of your books?

Sonya:
"Be Free." Love Always, Game of Hearts, Book 1
It's simple, yet impactful. Maggie tells Phillip to "Be Free" when they share a private moment in an abandoned lighthouse. Those two words telling him to take charge of his life. His future. Be the man he wants to be instead of the man his parents are trying to groom him into. She's telling him that it's okay to dream, and want, and be. Those two words, spoke with passion from a gypsy soul, ignite something in Phillip that refuses to go out.
Candace:
Eesh... that’s a hard one. I don’t particularly go back and log my favorite quotes. But if I’d have to choose, then it would be from Everlasting (Night Watchmen, #1) because I constantly relate to it: "I’m a mess of anorexic wishes starving for the light of shooting stars."

Wow, both of those hit with a great impact. I actually have your quote highlighted on my kindle Candace, but my favorite quote in Everlasting is "Regret is a scar on the soul. It heals, but it never leaves us." That one I could whole hardedly relate to. I am not sure who wrote this one but in Love Always I loved this quote, "He was a comet I didn't see coming." So beautiful. I have one that made me crack up in Casted. I will have to shorten it to just the dialogue, but I think you'll get the jest of it. "One minute I'm devoted to protecting you and the next minute I've got this 5 foot nothingof a girl, sweeping me off my feet." "5 feet, six inches...thank you very much,". I can so picture that scene. LOL

What are you currently working on?

Sonya:
Currently.... I have about 4 books in cue waiting. One I completed during NANOWRIMO last November that just needs a bit of tweaking. I have the next Six series book that is about half written. Candace and I are working on the next Game of Hearts Novel which will take no time at all to finish. And last but not least, I've started a side project that is in it's fledgling stages because that particular character won't shut the hell up and let me finish my other stories...lol I'm not in any way putting that one first, but I needed to get down the scene that kept playing over and over in my head so that I could focus on my other stories.
Candace:
I have three projects which is something I’ve never done before. I usually stick to one at a time, but there is one particular book (something I haven’t told a soul about) that I just can’t seem to shake, so I’m plugging into it little by little, while also finishing the last in the Night Watchmen series, and the next story in the Game of Hearts series Sonya and I share.

I have some major catching up to do so I can get ready for these new projects. I am seriously curious. I know whatever it is I will love it!

Would you please share something quirky about yourself that most people wouldn't know?

Sonya:
Quirky... ummmm … I have to have something to drink with me when I'm in the car. If I don't have a drink, I get aggitated. And it doesn't matter how long I'm in the car for. Even if it's a trip to the store. Weird. I know.
Candace:
Ummm... I like to change the lyrics of songs to speak to people. I sing the same tune to them, but change the words to rhyme whatever I want to say to them in that moment. Lol

Haha I love it! For me I have to watch a Harry Potter movie at least twice a week if not more. Most nights I go to sleep to one, they relax me.

Who is your favorite author or favorite book?

Sonya:
I can't pick a favortie... I have too many. So let's go with this:
Nora Roberts... Born in Fire, Born in Ice and Born in Shame
Diana Gabaldon: The Outlander Series
J.K. Rowling: The Harry Potter Series
Candace:
Hand down J.K. Rowling and it was Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, that was my favorite in that series.

I have to agree with you both, J.K. Rowling is my absolute favorite. (Half Blood Prince was my favorite in the series too!)

How does it feel writing a book with your best friend?

Sonya:
I absolutely LOVE it. We collaborate brilliantly. There is no other way to describe it, except that it just works.
Candace:
It actually comes quite easily for me. We know each other so well, and our styles are so similar, that the words just flow between us. We have great communication between one another which helps when approaching situations in the story that we may or may not agree upon.

Do you ever disagree with where you want the story to go, or about how a character might react to a certain situation?

Sonya:
We've never disagreed about the story line, or the characters. We talk a lot of it out especially the characters. We talk about who they are. What their story is. What brings them together. What's the conflict... everything gets discussed. And sometimes, everything gets scrapped and we start over. It's all part of the process. If we don't know our characters, the book won't work.
Candace:
Yes. I don’t think any author who wrote with another would ever write without one disagreement. But as far as how that goes, we just say what we think and then bend where ever we need to bend to ensure the story is at its strongest.

I think it's fantastic that you two write together and just get each other so well.

Do you have plans for another collaboration?

Sonya:
Yep! We're working on the next Game of Hearts book now as a matter of fact!
Candace:
Yes. That is what we’re working on at the moment—the next installment to the Game of Hearts series. :)

Woohoo! Keep them coming ladies!!

What is something you both love to do?

Sonya:
We both love to travel, but are too damn broke to do it...lol We both enjoy breaking down the latest book we've read and discussing it. We enjoy down time... non book related time, although that doesn’t happen much since writing is just as much a part of our lives as everything else. The biggest thing is that we love spending time with our families. We don't have to make big plans and spend lots of money. Hanging out and enjoying a beverage with the radio plays... those are the best moments.
Candace:
Take a tour around Epcot and try all the food they sell. :)

I know I have witnessed just how well you know each other and the bond you have with each other. I think it's definitely a blessing for both of you.

If you could give your best friend a nickname, what would it be and why?

Sonya:
She has a nickname...lol
I call her Candace K, but mostly I just call her Bestest. And on her phone she has me listed as: The one who tells me no a lot.
Candace:
Sleepy Head lol because she looooovvvvveeeesss to sleep.

HAHA I love it!
I want to thank you both so much for sharing some laughs with me and for your awesome work. I am honored and grateful to call you both my friends.