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A product of railroaders, printers, pioneer ranchers, along with a smidge of suffragettes, outlaws, abolitionists and moonshiners, Sonja Mongar was born a fifth generation Montanan - in the Clark Fork Valley, Missoula, Montana. Searching for better economic opportunities, her parents left Montana, making stakes in four states and two provinces before they landed permanently in Florida when she was 17. But the traveling blues was already in her blood, so she kept on movin' - the marvelous adventures and shattering mishaps imprinting themselves upon the landscapes, characters, and dramas of her imagination. There will always be a train, a lost highway and a character adrift in her stories.
She currently mentors new writers in the Western Connecticut State Low Residency MFA in Creative and Professional Writing program,. Former incarnations include tenured Professor of English at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez where she “got schooled” on enduring friendships, the language of ants, and the art of hurricanes. An occasional car auction driver, she's also a freelance journalist, poet, songwriter and blues harmonica player. She's played and recorded with bands around north and central Florida and Puerto Rico.
These days she divides her time between the Pacific Northwest and Florida.
Two Spoons of Bitter, a contemporary, literary novel is her first, released on June 3, 2018 through her indie imprnt Paradise Alley Publishing.
A screenplay is underway - Riders of the Dust - a 1920s Western inspired by her fierce Montana grandmothers.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Two Spoons of Bitter is a realistic life drama involving love, betrayal, and redemption, penned by author Sonja Mongar. Written for adults due to its explicit content, this cultural and family drama centers around art therapist Ella Donovan. As Ella leaves behind her own troubled past and Minnesota hometown, the beaches and warmth of the once-Confederate South seem like a new start and a dream job waiting. But Ella’s new counseling post is already in jeopardy, and as she struggles to acclimatize to the new culture around her, she uncovers deep corruption in the social services system and battles with her own personal family truths along the way.
For someone with little knowledge of American history, I found it really interesting to read about the cultural tensions of the South through the eyes of a bright woman seeking a plentiful future for herself. Ella Donovan is a highly likeable, intelligent and strong woman who will inspire others as they read about her struggles and enjoy her triumphs, and author Sonja Mongar hinges the story well on Ella’s personal development and emotional arc. The inherent problems of the social services system in the South are well explained and provide plenty of food for thought after reading this book, whilst the dialogue clashes beautifully as Ella discovers her new surroundings, and the description is totally immersive. Overall, Two Spoons of Bitter will certainly please fans of women’s fiction and cultural issues: a must-read for fans of social justice stories and strong female heroes.
