Intimate Conversation with Mary Monroe

Intimate Conversation with Mary Monroe

Mary Monroe is the third child of Alabama sharecroppers and the first and only member of her family to finish high school. She did not attend college or any writing classes, but taught herself how to write and started writing short stories around the age of four. She spent the first part of her life in Alabama and Ohio, and moved to Richmond, California, in 1973. She has lived in Oakland since 1984.

Her first novel, The Upper Room, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 1985, and was widely reviewed throughout the U.S. and in Great Britain. She endured fifteen years and hundreds of rejection letters before she landed a contract for her second novel, God Don’t Like Ugly. It was published in October 2000, by Kensington Books. God Don’t Play was her seventh novel to be published, and it landed her a spot on the prestigious New York Times bestsellers list for the first time!

Mary is divorced, loves to travel, loves to mingle with other authors. She still writes seven days a week and gets most of her ideas from current events, and the people around her, but most of her material is autobiographical. New York Times Bestselling author Mary Monroe created fabulous books such as: Mama Ruby, The Upper Room and the God Don't Like Ugly series for readers with a sense of humor and adventure.  

When The Upper Room was published, Monroe had this to say: "This is my story -- these characters are people I know, it's my life," Mary Monroe laughs when asked what her inspiration was for her first novels. Meet author Mary Monroe as she travels across the nation discussing her books and her literary journey.


BPM: How long have you been writing and where do you see yourself within the next several years?
I started making up stories before I even started elementary school. In junior and high school I wrote stories for some confession magazines. Since then I’ve written novels and a few non-fiction pieces. Within the next few years I hope to do at least ten more novels, my autobiography, a few screenplays.

BPM:  How do you relax?  What do you do with your free time after writing another bestselling?
I love to travel, I love to mingle with other authors, and I love to read anything by Ernest Gaines, Stephen King, Alice Walker, and James Patterson. I still write seven days a week and I get most of my ideas from current events, the people around me, but most of my material is autobiographical.

BPM: Are your characters from the portrayal of real people or experiences?
Of course. Almost every story I write is based on something that happened to me or someone I know. And all of my characters are composites of people I know...

BPM: What inspires you to write your books? What are some of the unique issues or topics addressed in this book?
I was inspired to write this book because I grew up around some "colorful" characters. Most of them did a lot of wicked, funny, sad, and intriguing things and I thought their stories needed to be told. Mama Ruby takes place in southern locations. It is set in a time period during the thirties and forties when there was a totally different outlook than there is now on racism, sex, poverty, and other social issues that impact African American women.

BPM: How did you come to create such strong main characters? Did you know that they would be so complex and exciting from the start?
I was raised by strong females. As a matter of fact, the main character, Mama Ruby, is a combination of my mother and two other females relatives. The more I worked on this story, the more complex and exciting the characters became. They have a lot of strong characteristics but they also have just as many weaknesses.

BPM: Can you see any of your books being optioned for movies?
Yes! I watch TV for several hours a day and I go to a lot of movies so I know what the viewing public likes to watch. I feel that any one of my books would make a good big screen movie or TV mini-series. I write each book with specific actors and actresses in mind to play the roles. I’ve already written movie treatments for some of my books.

BPM: Who are some of the authors you admire and why?
I love Toni Morrison, James Patterson, Stephen King, and Ernest Gaines. I was in my twenties when I discovered Toni Morrison and Ernest Gaines and that's when I knew for sure that writing books was my destiny. Their books are so insightful and thought-provoking that I re-read them at least once a year. I also love stories with a paranormal theme so when I discovered Stephen King I became a fan of his for life. James Patterson's books are more for light-weight entertainment and sometimes that is all I want in a story.

BPM: How may our readers follow you online?
Readers can follow me on Facebook and Twitter and they can visit my website at: www.Marymonroe.org. I also LOVE hearing from my fans by email at: Authorauthor5409@aol.com. I answer my email personally.


Mary Monroe's 2014 Event Schedule
http://www.marymonroe.org/tour.html

Mary Monroe Official Fan Page
FB: https://www.facebook.com/marymonroefanpage


Purchase Family of Lies by Mary Monroe
Link: http://amzn.com/0758274742 


Lost Daughters: A Mama Ruby Novel - Paperback
by Mary Monroe (Author)
Link: http://amzn.com/0758294670