I am an author who writes under the pseudonym Sonne T. Hart. I chose the pen name Hart, because it’s the first part of my maiden name, Hartley, and the last part of my married name, Capehart. I kinda like the idea of having the two hearts intertwined. As for the Sonne part, that’s my mother’s creation. She named me Sonja for the Olympic ice skater turned 1930-40’s movie star, Sonja Henie. How she got Sonne, (rhymes with Connie), out of Sonja, I’ll never know.
I live in Bradenton, Florida with my husband of fifty-one years. We have three daughters and four grandchildren. My husband, Bill, and I retired to Florida in 2003. We live on the sixth floor of a seven story building that overlooks a beautiful golf course, scattered with ponds, sand traps, flora and fauna.
The many authors of the Trixie Belden and Ginny Gordon books influenced me when I was a young girl and I have to say they whetted my appetite for reading anything and everything. I loved the stories and the story tellers, and if truth be known, I think I’ve always wanted to tell stories the way these first remembered authors did – to weave tales, to make people wonder, make them happy, or intrigued, or even mystified for just awhile, an escape, like Alice into wonderland.
It was while living in Dallas that I first got seriously interested in writing. Without means of a computer, I began writing a book on a yellow legal pad. Needless to say it’s not nearly as easy to cut & paste when you’re using pencil and paper! My first experience with a computer wasn’t a pretty one. I wasn’t sure how to even turn the darn thing on or off. Determination to conquer this piece of technology won, so with an outline in mind, I put the pen & pencil away.
It has been a long journey from myriad stories taking shape in my head, to one finding its way to paper, and then the path to a publisher. I have beaucoup nice and not-so-nice rejection letters from agents and publishers, enough to fill a large notebook. Some were simply form letters. Others indicated that someone actually read a page or two and offered some constructive criticism. These are the ones that keep you writing.
After much thought, I decided, as many writers have done, to go the self-publishing route. Author House is the publisher I chose; they have the knowledge and the experience needed. They are professionals who have now been hired to reprint the library of Harold Robbins books. I feel that puts me in good company.