Sit Down Saturday with Sophia Sasson
Today, we are celebrating the October release
of The Senator’s Daughter, Sophia’s
second book with Harlequin Heartwarming.
Sophia, what inspired this book?
I am a Washingtonian, which is the term used to describe those if us who live in the Washington DC metro area. Politics is a part of our daily lives. Whether it’s the sight of the Presidential helicopters while we are sitting in morning traffic, or the collective groan you hear when the radio reminds us that the IMF and World Bank meetings are happening (those meetings translate to tons of protestors and a lot of traffic drama), we can’t escape politics.
So
I wanted something that would make politics seem more...heartwarming.
When I watch any election coverage, the media
exclusively focus on “the candidate” whether it be the local guy running for
Congress or the Presidential nominee. Once in a while the big wig press
secretary or chief of staff gets featured but those who work tirelessly behind
the scenes and make the magic happen are largely overlooked. I have friends who
have worked campaigns and it’s a grueling, often thankless job. For
anywhere from a few weeks to a year or more, you give up your entire life and
live and breathe the promotion of one individual. And get paid nothing to less than minimum wage.
And that’s how my characters were born. Alex
Santiago is a first generation immigrant who hates being seen as the parochial “pull
yourself by the bootstraps” man rather than the professional that he is. Kat
Driscoll is the media shy small town professor struggling to find a way to live
her life while caring for her mentally ill mother. Both of their lives are
turned when Kat is revealed to be the secret daughter of a senator fighting to
keep his seat. If you could pick actors to play the hero and heroine in a movie, who would they be?
Hmmmm. Alex is a suave, sexy intense guy with a soft heart. Kat is both girl next door with a stain on her blouse but a strong independent woman unafraid to stand up for herself. Okay, I’m settling on Gonzalo Garcia Vivanco and Katherine Heigel.
What
is your favorite scene in the book?
Alex is an intense person and is constantly
struggling with controlling himself. Infact, it’s a real issue for him because
he grew up around domestic violence and is afraid of becoming the kind of
person he loathes. That’s why it’s tough for him to be around Kat. She shatters
through his tough exterior and he’s afraid or losing his hard won self control. This is a scene that I love. Alex and Kat are stuck in Iraq and independent Kat
decides to make the best use of her time by going out on patrol with Lieutenant
Luke Willams.
When they
returned to base, Luke invited her to have dinner, the intent clear in his
eyes.
“How can you
ever open you heart after what you’ve been through?” she asked.
He gave her a
wide smile. “Precisely because of where I am, Kat. Every day I’m breathing, my
life is a gift and I don’t waste a second. So what do you say?”
She smiled and
shook her head. “I’d just break your heart. I’m unavailable.”
“Does it have
something to do with that bad-tempered guy who’s walking over here like he’s
going to kill me then take you away, caveman style?”
Kat turned to
see Alex thundering toward them and couldn’t help laughing. She nodded. “Don’t
tell him—it’ll just make his big head grow even bigger.”
*
Alex had been sitting in
the operations center all day, monitoring the field communications to make sure
that Kat was safe. What a
waste of a day. He had a million emails to go through, reports to read,
not to mention meetings he could’ve scheduled with field commanders in Iraq.
Instead, he’d spent the day obsessing about whether Kat was going to get blown
up. And now she was standing there flirting with GI Joe, laughing it up like
they were on a date.
“What did you
think you were doing?” he bellowed as soon as he was within hearing range.
“Educating
myself,” Kat said in that maddeningly sweet tone she used when she was being
condescending.
“Have you not
learned anything from yesterday? Do you not understand how dangerous this
country is?”
“I was
perfectly safe with—”
“And you,
Lieutenant, did you consider what a lucrative target this woman could be? She’s
a prominent senator’s daughter, she—”
“With all due
respect, sir, the threat was extremely low, she was well protected and I had
permission from the base commander.”
Alex and Luke
were the same height, and he fumed at the obvious amusement in Luke’s eyes.
“Luke, I’ll
handle him. I’m sure you have better things to do.” Kat touched the lieutenant’s
arm in the same way she sometimes touched his arm, and Alex’s chest exploded.
“Thank you for
taking me today. Is it okay if I come find you if I have more questions?” Luke
was staring at her like she was a decadent chocolate cake and Alex made his
hands into fists to keep from striking the man. Breathe, Alex. His reaction was totally
overblown; the soldier had done nothing wrong. Knowing that intellectually
didn’t stop the surge of anger in his chest.
“I do hope we
get to see each other again,” he said unabashedly. Alex took a step closer, but
Luke walked away.
Alex turned to
Kat, ready to give her the lecture he’d been practicing all afternoon. Before
he could get a word out, she stepped forward and threw her arms around him. He
was so stunned that she was pulling back by the time he managed to snake an arm
around her waist.
“Do you know
how worried I was with you out there?” he whispered into her hair. She felt
warm and soft in his arms, and he wanted to feel every inch of her.
“Without you?”
“Yes, without
me. I’m here to protect you.”
“You can do
better than a whole unit of army men?”
“They don’t…”
“What?”
“They don’t work
for your father—they’re not as well motivated as I am.”
As an aside, both Claire Caldwell (my editor)
and I fell in love with Luke and I’m writing his story as we speak.
Any
giveaways or promotions that readers can take advantage of?
Always! The promotions page of my website
usually has something being given away. Right now it’s a free ebook of Then Comes Love and the fabulous Thanksgiving
Promotion that thirteen of us are doing to celebrate the thanksgiving
anthology coming out in November. I will also be doing a Goodreads promotion
starting Oct 14 and amazon promotions over the next month. The best way to get
notified of those is to Follow
me on Goodreads and Follow
me on Amazon. I also try to promote
any giveaways on Twitter and my Facebook page.
I also have exclusive giveaways for my VIP
list. You can sign up for free.
The book is available on Amazon/Kindle | Barnes &
NobleNook | Apple/iTunes
| Harlequin
| Google Play
| Kobo
What’s
next for you?
Right now, I’m writing Luke’s story, a military
romance that will be published by Harlequin Heartwarming later in 2017. My next
release is Mending the Doctor’s Heart coming January 2017.
About Sophia Sasson:
Sophia
puts her childhood habit of daydreaming to good use by writing stories she
hopes will give you hope, make you laugh, cry, and possibly snort tea from your
nose. She was born in Bombay, India, and has lived in the Canary
Islands, Spain; Toronto, Canada. Currently she calls the madness of Washington
DC home. She’s the author of the Welcome to Bellhaven and State of the Union
series. She loves to read, travel to exotic locations in the name of research,
bake, explore water sports, watch foreign movies. Hearing from readers makes
her day. Contact her through http://SophiaSasson.com
Thank you so much for sitting down with Sophia today! Feel free to ask her any questions about Washington DC, books or comment on what you love/hate about election season.
I am definitely looking forward to reading both these books, Sophia! I love the excerpt from The Senator's Daughter.
ReplyDeleteThe cover for Mending the Doctor's Heart might be my new favorite Heartwarming cover!
Congratulations and best wishes with your new release.
Thank you Kate. The cover for Mending the Doctor's Heart is Two Lovers Point on the island of Guam (a place featured in the book). I sent a picture of it to Harlequin and it captured the art director's attention. Having been there, I can honestly say the beautiful picture doesn't even begin to capture the magnificent beauty of the place.
DeleteSophia, I loved your October book. I wasn't sure I wanted to read anything political given today's climate, but since I subscribe and read all of the month's books, when it came up I read it and now I can't recommend it enough. Looking forward to your January release. Keep them coming.
ReplyDeleteAwwww. Thank you Roz.
DeleteSophia! What an effective teaser. I, too, want Luke to have a love story,
ReplyDeleteHow cool to be able to add romance to such an intriguing setting. Good for you. Wish you continued success!
Thank you Muriel.
DeleteOh, I already love Alex and Kat, and Luke, too. I'm really looking forward to the story.
ReplyDeleteThank you Beth. I'm excited to be writing Luke's story.
Delete