Title: THE SILVER LOCKET
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Author: Sophia Bar-Lev
Website: www.sophiabarlev.com
Purchase on Amazon
Thank you for your time in
answering our questions about getting published. Let’s begin by having
you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
Sophia: Since I was nine years
old, I’ve wanted to be an author and did, in fact, write stories and poems
throughout my life but never published anything. This particular book has been on my mind for
about five years and a year ago, I decided to stop thinking about it and just
do it. It is based on a true story which I believed would resonate with many readers
who have experienced similar difficult situations.
Is this your first book?
Sophia: No, I have published
two other novels in the past two years.
With this particular book, how
did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you
choose this method?
Sophia: I published through Create Space, an Amazon
company so I guess that makes me an ‘Indie’ author. The staff at Create Space are wonderful to
work with and I found it a very satisfying experience.
Can you tell us a little about your
publishing journey? The pros and cons?
Sophia: Publishing was a dream
I thought might never come to pass as a few years ago it was very difficult to
land a contract with a publishing house.
The dozens of ‘pink slips’ authors have collected in the past are
legendary. About three years ago, a
friend of mine told me about the shift happening in the publishing world. She liked my writing and encouraged me to
look into Create Space. She knew someone
else who’d published with them and was very pleased. I followed her advice and here we are.
What lessons do you feel you
learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing
industry as a whole?
Sophia: The biggest paradigm shift is that nowadays,
an emerging author must be first a good writer and second, a good
marketer. Indie authors need to make
their presence known on such outlets as Facebook, Twitter, etc., create a
website and stay in touch with their readers.
The publishing world has changed dramatically with the development of
digital books.
Would you recommend this method
of publishing to other authors?
Sophia: Yes I certainly would, especially for
emerging authors. I read recently that
some 40,000 new books come out every month or two. Authors today who believe they have something
worthwhile to share with the world need to take the initiative to get their
book out there and not waste months, even years, hoping that some publisher
might give them a chance.
What’s the best advice you can
give to aspiring authors?
Sophia: The only way to become an author is to
author! Write. Write. Write. If you’re serious about being an author, act
like it. Write something every day. Make it
a priority.
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About the Book: When The
Silver Locket opens, it’s July 1941 in Boston, Massachusetts. War is raging
in Europe and the Pacific. But for two young women in a small town in New
England waging their own personal battles, the struggle is way too close to
home.
When extraordinary circumstances
bring these two women together, one decision will alter the course of their
lives. And with that one decision, their
lives will be forever changed…and forever intertwined.
Were these two women thrust
together by happenstance—or fate? A
tragedy. A decision. A pact. Lives irretrievably changed. A baby girl will grow
up in the shadow of a secret that must be kept at all costs. But will this
secret ever see the light of day? And
what happens when—or if—a promise made must be broken?
Adopting a child is not for the
feint of heart—but neither is being adopted…
A sweeping and suspenseful story
that unfolds in a different time and a different place, The Silver Locket explores universal themes that ring true even
today. Secrets. Unbreakable bonds. The healing power of love. Deception. Anguish. Redemption.
In this touching and tender tale,
novelist Sophia Bar-Lev weaves a confident, quietly moving story about
adoption, finding hope in the face of hopelessness, and how true love can
overcome any obstacle. With its brilliant juxtaposition of the wars fought both
on the battlefield and internally, The
Silver Locket is a poignant novel, resplendent with drama. Featuring an exceedingly real and relatable
plot, and characters that will stay with readers long after the final page is
turned, The Silver Locket is a
sterling new read.
