Hey beautiful readers!
I know, I know, it’s been a hot minute since my last blog post. If I’m being completely honest, I am still out here trying to balance my life. Between the 9-to-5, life’s daily demands, and navigating the creative grind, finding balance is a daily challenge. But I’m back, and today I want to chat about something a little different… the people who make our journeys worth it. We all have them, right? But from my series, I want to specifically spotlight a character that has a very special place in my heart: Sophia.
We first meet Sophia in Doppel Paladin, and right from the jump, she is that foundational piece of Mya’s world. But what I love most about writing her in this fantasy book series is that she isn’t just a sidekick who exists to cheer Mya on. She is a whole person who had to go through her own awakening.
Before all the chaos, Sophia had her own humble beginnings. But everything changed when her magic powers manifested. In this world, control is everything. And when your gift is controlling water, the elements can be just as unpredictable as the enemies you’re fighting. Learning to harness that kind of fluid, chaotic power while your entire reality is shifting is no joke.
But as cool as Sophia seems on the outside, the hardest things to survive in a dark fantasy novel are often internal. As I’ve been diving deeper into Book 2 (no spoilers I promise), we really start to see the mental toll of the conflict. Sophia has witnessed things that changed her forever, and those experiences leave deep scars. Watching her navigate anxiety and the heavy pressure of this hidden world has been one of the most emotional parts of the writing process for me.
True resilience isn’t about being bulletproof. It’s about being terrified, feeling the anxiety creeping in, and still choosing to show up for the people you love. Sophia shows us that even the strongest allies have a breaking point, and that acknowledging that pain is its own kind of strength.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when I started this writing journey, my mission was always about representation. To me, that doesn’t just mean changing what a hero looks like on a book cover. It means showing real, human struggles in the middle of a high-stakes urban fantasy novel. It means showing that it’s okay not to be okay, even when you’re fighting a supernatural war.
Sophia is my nod to all the platonic soul mates out there, the friends who hold us together when our worlds are spinning out of control. And to MY friends, thank you for encouraging me, grounding me, and always reminding me of who I am. I Love ya’ll!
If you want to revisit where Sophia and Mya’s journey all began, head over to the home page of my website to grab your copy of Doppel Paladin. Happy reading!
Until next time!
Lera Bishop