We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sonja Dewing a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sonja, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
It started in 2014 when an agent told me no one would read a fantasy thriller book with a main female character. I proved him wrong by becoming a best-selling author. Then in 2020, I met a lot of women at virtual conferences who had either stopped reading thrillers or had problems publishing their books. That’s when I started the Women’s Thriller Writers Association. Even in 2022, I met a woman that was told by an agent that her book didn’t make sense because, according to him, a woman couldn’t use a sniper rifle. I’m glad I was there to help her get published and hit the best-selling list.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I write thriller stories and help other writers successfully self-publish or publish. I run three businesses- Sonja Dewing Author, Women’s Thriller Writers Association, and Plot Duckies Publishing. I love the work I do because it’s all focused in one direction. I’m thrilled that I’ve finished writing my first fantasy/thriller series, The Idol Makers. The four book series follows two women protagonists who must save the world from a demi-god. And then, the latest book published through Plot Duckies Publishing, Meg and the Rocks written by Katy Hammel, has now won four awards! The one thing I’m most excited about is the latest collaboration between the Women’s Thriller Writers Association members and me. We’ve created an amazing anthology of ten thriller stories of strong women in isolated locations called ThrillHers. The book will be out on October 24, 2023.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
All types of writing have helped me become a better creative writer. From my earliest jobs, I took on all the projects that had to do with technical writing. In addition, I took on journalistic writing for magazines and newspapers. Having skills in those areas lead to better creative writing technique. I’d also say that knowing how to break a big project down into little steps and taking time to learn each step were very important to my success.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My publishing company takes books with strong female characters – all generes. So, if you feel you’ve got a finished story that’s been polished, and read by a critique group, then hit me up. Women’s Thriller Writers Association is a paid membership program that supports writers creating thrillers with strong female characters. It’s a great group of writers from all levels.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sonjadewing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdewing_author/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSonjaDewing
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonjadewing
- Other: https://womensthrillerwriters.com/
