We checked in with Sonya and Steph to talk more about the book
Courage. It takes courage to tell your story. To put your life journey into the hands of millions of people who have never met you personally, but may have a preconceived notion based on the fact that you are a public figure. That takes courage, and it’s a lot easier said than done. Yet, that is what Sonya Curry is doing with her brave and heartfelt memoir Fierce Love, and what makes this even better is the fact she’s getting to celebrate in a special way with her son Steph.
As part of Stephen’s ongoing collaboration with Literati, where he chooses one book each month for his UNDERRATED Book Club, Steph’s September pick is none other than his mother’s Fierce Love, and to celebrate this month’s pick and hear more from the author herself, Stephen sat down for the first time as host of the Literati “Ask The Author” conversation to ask Sonya about her journey writing the memoir.
The two had a very enlightening and engaging conversation about their journeys as first-time authors that you can check out below.
We also got the chance to chat with Sonya about Fierce Love, and hear from Steph about what makes the book so special.
Let’s check in with Steph first.
“I always say I’m inspired by the fierce, powerful women in my life. They show me what true strength is, and that even the most daunting challenges can be overcome with perseverance and grace. This memoir comes to us from the very first powerful woman in my life. The woman who brought me into this world and helped shape me into the man I am today. The woman who built herself up in the face of adversity, stands firmly by her convictions and her faith and is a true champion of education. My mother.
Despite my obvious bias, Sonya Curry has always been a woman of unwavering strength and wisdom. This is her story, in her own words. She shares her passions, struggles, and defining moments, including her lifelong devotion to education, her severely impoverished childhood, and raising a family. My family. I hope you enjoy this incredible book, and the life lessons it can teach all of us, from the woman who continues to inspire me every single day of my life.”
And here’s our exclusive Q&A with Sonya.
ONE37pm: Sonya, congratulations on the release of Fierce Love! Could you just walk us through the process of writing this book?
Curry: I was fortunate enough to acquire an awesome agent who then orchestrated interviews for ghostwriters. I then chose a ghostwriter who I felt listened more than talked and was committed to allowing my voice to be heard!
I then was fortunate enough to have several publishers interested in the book and along the same vein as my ghostwriter, I found a publishing company that was committed to ensuring that my message was shared rather than Being interested in curating their own story/narrative regarding my family!
ONE37pm: What made you decide to write this book and share your story with the world?
Curry: Writing a book has been a passion of mine for almost 10 years now. It initially started off as an idea related to how my children ended up at the colleges they chose. I wanted the world to see how God‘s hand was in every ounce of their journeys! I wanted to share with the world how faithful God is. If we just seek him, he will direct our paths! Things may not always end up the way that we want them to but when we are following God‘s plans for our lives they always work out for our best!
But as you will read in the book, the stories that are shared include glimpses into my childhood and how I was raised, to the influence of the Montessori education on our parenting, and our spiritual journeys individually as well as a collective unit and family! After a lot of encouragement from many people who I met through basketball as well as parents at my school, I decided to take the leap and start the process after my retirement from Christian Montessori school. The book became what’s the next chapter of my life!
ONE37pm: Writing a memoir is often very cathartic and sometimes emotional. It’s also very personal. Was there ever a point where you considered maybe not going through with it? And if so, what made you still…
Curry: Yes, the process was all of that! There were plenty of times during the process when I doubted whether or not people would be interested in the contents of the book. I was fearful of rejection, judgment, failure, and disappointment! I was fearful that others would not like the book. I was fearful that others would judge some of the decisions that I made while parenting my children as well as personal choices.
But what I feared the most was disappointing God by allowing the voices of others to dictate the stories that I shared rather than trusting that my experiences could possibly help someone else! and then, of course, there were times when the project seemed too big and very time-consuming and I mentally wanted to just quit.
ONE37pm: How did you feel reading the book for the first time?
Curry: When I read the book the first time in its finished state I could barely get through each chapter without crying multiple times! The book ended up being very healing for me while I was going through a very difficult time in my life! However, when I finished it and read through my acknowledgments, I felt a huge sense of pride and gratitude for all the people who poured into me and my family along the way.
I could see in black-and-white how good God has been through the good times and the bad times! But most of all how God’s hand was in every detail of my family’s journey!
ONE37pm: What is one thing you want the world to know about this book before they read it?
Curry: I would like the world to know that this is not an instructional manual for parenting! This is just my story to share to hopefully encourage anyone who is a parent, a guardian, or thinking about becoming a parent, or a child, anyone reading this will be encouraged that there’s no perfect way of doing anything! We all have a story to tell! Every day, every month, and every year is just another chapter in every individual‘s life! The best that we can do is to get up every day and live with passion and purpose and love!
We’re going to make mistakes, we just need to learn from them and get up the next day and try to do better! Work hard every day to be intentional about your family, your face, and about your purpose!