I’m so thrilled to interview Megan Soja today on The Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction. Megan’s debut novel, “A Spark of Revolution” releases in March and I’m lucky enough to be reading an early copy. It’s such a treat! You guys have to check it out! Without further ado . . . here’s Megan.
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Megan Soja is a multi-award-winning author who writes stories filled with strong faith, rich history, and sweet romance. Her favorite stories are those that point back to the author of life Himself. The kind that draw you into the lives and world of the characters, while also inspiring you with God’s truth woven throughout.
When she isn’t writing, Megan enjoys reading, hiking, canoeing and kayaking, and spending time with her family. She is also a musician and has played the French Horn for over twenty-five years. She lives in western New York with her husband and two young daughters.
Hi Megan! First let’s learn a little bit about you. Can you share a few things about yourself that have nothing to do with writing?
I always wanted to be a mom and am so thankful for the joy and privilege of raising our two elementary-aged daughters. They still love to cuddle up together while we read books before bed, which is one of my favorite parts of the day.
I love the outdoors and grew up camping in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York. My dad took my sister and me to climb our first high peak there when I was nine years old and I loved it so much that I made a goal to climb all forty-six peaks. Despite delays from college, getting married, and having babies, I eventually finished in 2022, twenty-seven years to the day after I started!
I’ve also played the French Horn since fifth grade. These days my performing mainly consists of special music at Christmas, but in high school I had the opportunity to travel with a youth community orchestra to play in Austria, France, and Carnegie Hall.
That's fascinating! How cool to be able to play at Carnegie Hall! What drew you to write?
I’ve had stories in my head for as long as I can remember, and writing has always been a way for me to express myself and sort through my own thoughts. I’ve also loved reading Christian fiction since I was young and found my own walk with God strengthened many times through the faith I read on the pages of a novel.
There were many things along the way that pushed me toward the path I’m on now, but overall, it was simply the desire to share the stories that had grown inside my head and my heart and to write in such a way that others would be encouraged in their faith when they read my words.
What’s your writing process?
Before I begin writing, I focus on planning out three major pieces of the story. The main characters – who they are, what they are struggling with, and where they need to be by the end. The historical events – which ones I want to highlight and how they’ll impact my characters. And the faith aspect – what spiritual lessons I want to weave into the story. Once those are set, I think through some overarching plot points to hit, but I don’t plan out the story in depth. Then I dive in! I really enjoy discovering things as I write and watching it all come together.
I tend to be on the slow side as a writer, but that’s because I do a lot of editing as I go, so I usually have a fairly clean draft once I write “the end”.
That sounds like a very similar approach I use while writing! How do you come up with your story ideas?
A lot of my ideas come through my research. As I’m learning more about a certain event, I’ll start to consider how that historical moment may have felt to actually live through and how that might play out in a story. I also draw from personal experience to build the faith arc, often focusing on something I’ve been challenged by in my own walk with God. And sometimes, crazy as it may sound, the ideas just appear!
I'm so excited about your new release. Can you share a little bit about it?
Spark of the Revolution is a historical romance set against the backdrop of the Boston Tea Party. It features Patience, the daughter of a Loyalist who longs for a fresh start as she reunites with her father, and Josiah, a blacksmith and member of the Sons of Liberty yearning for a true home and family. As tensions mount following the destruction of tea in Boston Harbor, they must determine if the obstacles between them are too great to overcome, or if their search for belonging will lead them to each other and to the One who calls them His own. This is the first book in my Harbor of Spies series, and there’s a hint of espionage in there too.
Are there certain themes explored in the story?
One of the big themes in this story is the idea of belonging. It’s something my characters wrestle with against the turbulent political backdrop, but also on a personal level with their family situations and with each other.
I believe the desire and search for belonging is something we all deal with at different times and to varying degrees, and I hope in the pages of this book readers will find encouragement as to the true source of our belonging.
The theme verse of Spark of the Revolution is Ephesians 2:19 which states, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” I hope readers will walk away from this story with a renewed sense of what an immeasurable gift it is to be part of God’s household, to call Him Father, and to belong to Him.
Do you have any favorite characters in your books?
While I certainly loved Patience and Josiah, Patience’s brother, Will, earned a special spot in my heart as I wrote Spark of the Revolution. He is the hero of my second book, Secrets of the Revolution, which releases in June. I love his strong sense of devotion to those he loves and his desire to care for them well, but I also relate to his struggle to let go of control and ultimately trust their wellbeing to the hands of God.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing the third book of my Harbor of Spies series. This one features a British soldier as the hero, which is quite a change from the patriotic heroes of books one and two, and has been a fun challenge. He’s quartering in the home of my heroine, so there’s some interesting forced proximity situations. From a historical standpoint, it covers the siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill.
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
I love to be outdoors, whether it’s hiking, kayaking, or reading a book by the pool. And I love spending time with my family. We’ve recently gotten more into complex board games and pickleball. I typically lose, but I don’t mind because I just enjoy being together.
Thanks so much for joining us today, Megan. If you'd like more information about her upcoming debut, or how to stay connected with Megan, here you go:
A spark ignites a flame that could burn down everything they hold dear.
Contrary to her name, Patience Abbott has long felt unsettled and anxious to leave behind her painful memories in England for a fresh start in America. But her new life isn't quite what she expected, and as tension grows in her new home of Boston, so does the distance between Patience and her estranged father. So when Josiah Wagner walks into her life, it finally feels like she's not alone. If only his patriotic leanings didn't put him at odds with her father's loyalties.
Josiah Wagner has spent his life yearning for a true home and family, something he works toward each day, forging tools as a blacksmith, and each night, forging plans with the Sons of Liberty. But when the destruction of tea in Boston Harbor lights the spark of the Revolution, Josiah finds himself drawn into its tumultuous wake, pulling the woman he loves along with him.
As tensions mount, will their search for belonging lead to each other, or will the obstacles between them be too great to overcome? In a land on the brink of war, can they find the home they seek in the One who calls them His own?
Purchase: https://a.co/d/fnTy4Cd
CONNECT WITH MEGAN:
Website: https://megansoja.com/
Social media links:
https://www.facebook.com/authormegansoja/
https://www.instagram.com/megan.soja/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52937401.Megan_Soja
