San Clemente author publishes first novel
By Eric Heinz
A work two decades in the making, San Clemente-based author Sonia Farnsworth has published her first novel.
Farnsworth’s first book, Losing the Plot in LA, began about 20 years ago when she finished the first draft, but she wouldn’t return to it until sometime later.
“Life got in the way,” Farnsworth said. “When I looked back, the voice was very different, so I had to go back and edit it, which was kind of difficult. But I didn’t want to throw it away. I took time off from my day job and committed to getting it finally finished.”
Farnsworth said the book changed a little as she reconstructed it, but she wanted to keep the original voice.
The title comes from a term that means to lose your way or to not understand something.
“I lived in England for a while and it’s a big term there, ‘You’re losing the plot,’ a term I use all the time,” Farnsworth said. “I kind of threw in the LA thing to make it more of a geographic pull.”
The back of the book describes the main character, Sylvie, as a “trendy party girl with more going on than she knows what to do with.” Sylvie is in her mid-20s, which entails dealing with difficult relationships, taking care of a puppy and discovering her true self in her new environment.
Farnsworth said there is lot to be learned from the fictional character.
“Sylvie learns to take responsibility for herself and not blame others,” she said. “She learns to grow up a bit, emotionally, and realizes one has to give in order to get and communicate effectively in a relationship. It’s not always the other person’s fault.”
Sylvie doesn’t exactly fit in her environment, Farnsworth said. Like many young adults, she said her main character wants a new and exciting life.
“Sylvie is a girl who lived in Orange County but wanted to get out,” Farnsworth said. “She’s moving to LA and meeting new people and experiences the highs and lows of all the shenanigans she gets herself into. It’s a learning experience.”
The setting is contemporized from Farnsworth’s original draft. She said the near-200-page book is a casual read and the content is intended mostly for adults. Additionally, she said there could be a series in the works, possibly a Losing the Plot in San Clemente. Farnsworth said she has sold anywhere between 500 to 1,000 copies since the June 2 release.
Book Soup in Los Angeles, off of Sunset Boulevard, has placed it on the store’s recommended reading list and it has been on its Best Seller’s List for about four weeks, Farnsworth said.
The book is also being sold at San Clemente book stores and other businesses, and the book can be found on Amazon.com.
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