P. L. Jonas
Author Interview - P. L. Jonas
Author of Where Did You Go? A Psychological Suspense, Hall of Deception, and Sea of Doubt: Can You Ever Escape Your Secrets, Book 2 of The Roth Saga
About Sea of Doubt: Can You Ever Escape Your Secrets, Book 2 of The Roth Saga:
"P. L. Jonas does what she does best-she weaves a tight narrative laden with emotional depth and suspense. Readers won't put this book down . . ." -Cam Torrens, award-winning author of the Tyler Zahn series
Sea of Doubt, Book 2 of The Roth Saga, follows the Roth Family in the next stage of their lives.
1960, Hugh and Dee sell Rothmorton Hall, near Boston, and move to a small beach community outside San Francisco to start fresh. Hugh needs to prove himself with his new business but spends too much time at the office causing tension at home.
Ellen turns thirteen and unhappy she's uprooted from the only home she's ever known and worries she won't fit in at the public high school, make friends, or meet boys. Dee is bored and desperate to find her place in the community and may put her trust in the wrong person... yet again.
When damaging rumors about Ellen and Dee spread through the school and community, the family's happiness and safety are at risk.
Join the Roth family as they face insurmountable doubt in their decisions and how the ties that hold a family together help them survive when buried secrets are revealed.
About Hall of Deception:
For fans of classic romances, comes Hall of Deception, a suspenseful romance set in post-WWII, Plymouth, MA.
In 1953, Dee Danes, an orphan raised by her spiteful cousin, is inexperienced in love and desperately wants to fit in. She takes a job tutoring a little girl at a mansion, secretly fantasizing about romance with the owner, just like her beloved heroine Jane Eyre.
The strikingly handsome and wealthy owner of Rothmorton Hall, Hugh Roth, appears to enjoy embarrassing her and Dee worries she's made a terrible mistake. Mystery surrounds the other staff and Hugh, particularly the ex-wife everyone is forbidden to discuss.
Shocking truths about Hugh are exposed and Dee struggles to accept the lies and deceptions questioning the man he truly is. When frightening attempts on Hugh's life and other strange incidents occur, Dee fears for the lives of those she's come to care for-and perhaps even her own.
Author Interview - P. L. Jonas
About Where Did You Go?
For fans of The Silent Patient, comes a spine-chilling journey packed with family drama and shocking revelations. Sammy Paulson doesn’t remember why her mother died five years ago, but it sent her into a tailspin escaping to the mountains, telling only her best friend, James. Making a living as a ghostwriter, she preserved her solitude for years…until she took a job completing the unfinished sequel to the classic Gone with the Wind. Excited but daunted by the expectations of living up to Margaret Mitchell’s legacy, Sammy falls back into old patterns. Plagued by strange dreams of the dead author, Sammy becomes lost in her fantasies.
Author Interview - P. L. Jonas
Author I draw inspiration from:
2024: Because I write in multiple genres, I draw inspiration from various authors from classics to contemporary. I am widely read of many different writing styles, genres, and authors. That is what makes up my own style of writing. However, specific authors I love to read and follow are: Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy, A Discover of Witches; Stephanie Garber’s Carnival Trilogy and her Once Upon A Broken Heart Trilogy; Cam Torrens, Tyler Zahn Series – Stable; False Summit; and Scorched.
2023: Because I write in multiple genres, I draw inspiration from various authors from classics to contemporary. More recently has been Beatrice Williams, for her books “Summer Wives” and “Our Woman in Moscow.” She writes intriguing stories with surprising twists and turns around fascinating female characters.
Author Interview - P. L. Jonas | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
2024: I love sitting and/or reading in my music room (aka family room) where my grand piano resides and I have a gorgeous view of my back yard and swimming pool. Being near water has an utterly calming affect on me and I need to be calm while I read. Some books cause their own level of excitement!
2023: My music room that looks out on the swimming pool. It is a peaceful place.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
2024: I absolutely fell in love with Matthew de Claremont, a main character in A Discover of Witches and the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. He’s a vampire, but a nice one and undeniably memorizing and intelligent. We meet and immediately are attracted. When the elevator door finally opens, we go for a drink in a secluded dark corner and he tells me about his childhood growing up in the 6th century France (see, France pops up again)
2023: The sexy, demi-god billionaire from “Devil in the Deep South” by Amy Craig. His charisma simply oozes off the page of her steamy romance.
Author Interview - P. L. Jonas | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
2024: There wasn’t a particular moment that I recall. But as a child, I read like crazy anything I could get my hands on. There was an entire wall of books from the floor to the ceiling in our house. I think I read all of them. When my mother shared with me old photos and the history of her family, I thought it would be cool to write a book about them. I was probably ten or twelve. I haven’t written that particular book yet, but I did write one about my father’s family.
2023: There was no singular moment that I recall. I was writing poetry as soon as I could read, 11 years old when I wrote my first play, and I wrote a musical in high school.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
2024: My favorite is a hardback with a classy jacket, like the Stephanie Garber books, with metallic ink and embossed paper cover. The elegance of a book cover just enhances my experience. However, I’ve taken to reading a lot of ebooks too, on my Fire tablet. It allows me to buy more books when on sale and I can easily review and rate them at the end and send my reviews straight to Amazon and Goodreads. Efficiency is good! Audiobooks just don’t work for me. I have a hearing disability and watch films and tv with the closed-captioning on. Listening to a book is too stressful. Though one of my books does have an audiobook, and I’ve listened to it. But I know the words, because I wrote them. :)
2023: My favorite is a hardback with a classy jacket, but I will also read trade paperback and ebooks.
The last book I read:
2024: “When She Dreams” by Amanda Quick was the last book I read, yesterday! I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style and the novel highlighted lucid dreaming, which I have personal experience with. So that was interesting.
2023: “The Last Lie Told” by Deborah Webb, a suspense novel featuring a female legal investigator haunted by her past.
Author Interview - P. L. Jonas | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
2024: Both. I have notebooks all over my house in case I get an idea or need to write a scene. I complete the scene on the computer using special novel writing software, Scrivener to be exact. When I get to the editing phase, I export to MS Word. I am a plantser. I plan out my books linearly mapping out by chapter bullet points to include. But, when I sit down to write the actual scene, it just flows out of me like a pantser would do. Sometime, the scene ends up differently that I had originally planned, and usually much better!
2023: Both. I have notebooks all over my house in case I get an idea or need to write a scene. I complete on the computer using special novel writing software.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
2024: I read the Virgin River Series after watching the tv series. Melinda Monroe, the nurse/midwife is the type of woman I would want to be besties with. She knows how to struggle through her sorrow and come out on top and that’s an ability I admire.
2023: I started reading the Virgin River Series by Robyn Carr, after watching the tv series. Melinda Monroe, the nurse/midwife is the type of woman I would want to be besties with. She knows how to struggle through her sorrow and come out on top and that’s an ability I admire.
Author Interview - P. L. Jonas | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
2024: Although being a published author had been a lifelong dream, I’ve had other interests that demanded my time. I’m also a professional artist specializing in classical portraiture and I paint animals, landscapes, and florals, too. I had my first solo exhibition in 2022.
2023: I am also an artist, editor, and pianist. I’ve never done just one thing at a time.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
2024: I grew up in the 50’s-60’s and the research I performed for The Roth Saga, my book series, made me fall in love with the couture of the era, sweeping necklines, silks and satins, full skirts with lots of petticoats, gloves, and hats for every occasion. Being wealthy would be a requirement however to fully experience the fashion era.
2023: Visually, it’s the 18th century in France because of the elegant fabrics and styles worn by upper class and royalty, but I know I would be miserable wearing it.
Place I’d most like to travel:
2024: I am fortunate to have already traveled to my dream location, France, twice. I began world travel in 2000 with a trip to Paris and again in 2005. I’ve just always had a “thing” about France. I’m positive I lived at least a few past lifetimes there. I studied French in High School and College and I adore the French architecture. In one of my books, I wrote about a pre-historic France. And, I plan to include France in my series in a later book.
2023: I’ve already traveled to my favorite places, such as France, Italy, and England. I would most want to return to Paris for the third time.
My signature drink:
2024: That’s easy. Irish Coffee! Of course, made the way they do in Ireland. When I went there in 2015, I had at least one Irish Coffee each day of our bus tour (no driving). What I discovered is that everywhere makes it the same! Needless to say, I keep some Irish Whiskey on hand when I am craving this fabulous drink.
2023: Irish Coffee made the way they do in Ireland. When I went there, I had one in every location the tour stopped. Now my favorite alcohol is Irish Whiskey.
Favorite artist:
2024: Oh my, this is a hard one, since I love so many classical fine artists. But lately, in music, I’ve been drawn to a violinist. David Garrett, a German-born child prodigy who has made a name for himself as an adult by blending classical with contemporary and rock music.
2023: Elizabeth Vigee LeBrun, court portrait painter to Marie Antoinette in the late 18th century. Notice the French theme keeps popping up.
Number one on my bucket list:
2024: I’ve done most of my bucket list items, since I’m now in my retirement years filling my days and nights writing novels. But, there is one thing I’ve wanted to do is go for the Free-Fall Experience they have here in Scottsdale that is like jumping out of an airplane, without having to actually do it. It’ indoor skydiving!
2023: Getting published was #1, and that’s been achieved, #2 was to have a solo Art Exhibition which is happening Sept-Dec 2022. I need to update my bucket list!
Anything else you'd like to add:
2023: I have another book coming out in December 2022. Stay tuned.
Find more from the author:
https://www.pljonasbooks.com
https://www.facebook.com/pljonasauthor
https://www.instagram.com/pljwriter/
https://twitter.com/PLJonas1
https://www.facebook.com/blackrosewriting
About P. L. Jonas:
An award-winning, multi-genre author.
When I was a child, I wrote stories and plays acting them out in the privacy of our backyard. In high school, I wrote a musical and poetry. Then life happened, and I pursued my art and a career in proposal writing and editing. Though I was a member of writers' groups in the 90s and early 2000s and started several novels, I didn't finish any of them. When I left corporate work, I immersed myself in writing novels and getting them published. Stories now flood my mind in multiple genres: historical fiction, romantic suspense, and family sagas, with some psychological bents.
A native Arizonan, I have traveled all over the US and ten other countries. My stories draw from personal experience, a fascination with history, and a love of research. When I'm not writing or editing, I am reading and painting while my beloved cat looks on.
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Awards
"Hall of Deception: a post-WWII romantic suspense," received The Historical Fiction Company Highly Recommended 5-Star Award, Published by Black Rose Writing, 2023
First Place, 2020 CIBA Goethe Category for 20th Century Historical Fiction. Title: "Beneath A Radiant Moon," (formerly For Love of Family) Release TBD, publisher Scarsdale Publishing
