Sofia Quinones-Vilela captivates readers as she takes them through a journey of highs and lows.

Written when she was only 13 years old, author and Starr’s Mill alumnae Sofia Quinones-Vilela, pen name Sofia Q. Holand, officially published her first book “3 Stepbrothers” on Jan. 16, 2020.  This story was originally posted on Wattpad.

“I was writing for a while and [“3 Stepbrothers”] became popular on Wattpad,” author Sofia Q. Holand said. “My fans enjoyed it, so that inspired me to keep going.”

“3 Stepbrothers“ is about a girl named Tori whose dad has just remarried and is moving in with her new family. Not only does she have to readjust to a family with three boys that are triplets, but they are also the most popular guys in school. There is Blake, the athlete, Cole, the smart one, and Shawn, the class clown.

The plot for the book originally came to her in a dream and eventually was formed into a story. The original version of “3 Stepbrothers” is extended so the author decided to split the book and is in the midst of creating a sequel for it.

The novel took four years to write. Additional time was taken to make numerous edits before the book was published.

“Because I didn’t have an outline when I was 13, I didn’t really know where I was going with it,” Holand said. “It wasn’t until I was 15 that I sat down and made an outline, and it really helped.”

Sofia Q. Holand is a Starr’s Mill alumnae and currently lives in Amsterdam, studying communication science. While at the Mill, Holand was the secretary and president of Ex Libris, the Starr’s Mill book club. Her favorite books are “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Attachments” by Rainbow Rowell. 

“I was a late bloomer when it came to reading,” Holand said. “As soon as I picked [the Percy Jackson series] up I couldn’t put it down.”

For her first novel, I was impressed. It had me hooked from the start and I could not put it down. When I reached the end, I found myself hoping and already waiting for a sequel. 

The plot is not as cliché as most books, but the three brothers definitely are. I think this creates a nice in-between of either dealing with clichés or completely throwing them out. 

“I knew that I wanted some clichés, something to make it a little bit more different,” Holand said. “In regards to my characters, I thought that the easiest way for [developing] the brothers was for them to be very cliché, like the sporty guy, the nerdy guy, and then the class clown.”

During the course of the book, the readers see the brothers develop as characters as they take care of and bond with Tori’s younger sister Suzie, and eventually Tori herself. They also see Tori grow as a person. She gets used to having three brothers and transitions from the pain of her mother’s death to having a new mom present in her life.

Holand also currently has two more books published on Wattpad along with “3 Stepbrothers.”

One is called “Low,” which follows a character named Logan who battles depression throughout most of his high school career. 

“What [Logan] discovers along the way and what I’m trying to emphasize is … how he starts to love himself for who he is instead of letting that depression become his defining characterization because it’s not,” Holand said.

The other novel is a young adult mystery titled “Mosdenea.” The story centers around themes of romance and mystery with a twist ending.

“They all kind of take place in the same universe, which is one of the reasons my fans love reading my books so much,” Holand said. “I’ll drop easter eggs in my other books.” 

Sofia Q. Holand’s first book, “3 Stepbrothers,” is praise-worthy and an addictive read.

“I’ve got plenty of ideas that I want to write down,” Holand said. “Right now I have these three books but I have more … that I want to write in the future.” 

For an opportunity to speak with the author, students can attend the Ex Libris meeting on March 4 to participate in a Skype call with Sofia Q. Holand.