JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Monica Mathis-Stowe, author of Where Did We Go Wrong?
(The Literary Publishing Group)
Where Did We Go Wrong? is my newly released romantic suspense novel. It is about best friends Gabby, Maxine and Joy who protect each other at all costs, even if it means keeping secrets that turn their lives upside down.
Gabby has no boundaries when it comes to getting what she wants. She pulls out every trick in the book to keep her daughter’s married father out of their lives but keep his money in her bank account.
Maxine lives for her family. When her husband’s excessive spending lands them in more debt than they can handle, the stress takes a toll on their perfect marriage.
After Joy’s loyalty to her controlling mother causes her to lose the only man she’s ever loved, she marries a man she barely knows. When the wedding is over, she quickly realizes she made the biggest mistake of her life and puts everybody she loves in danger.
Unfortunately, someone will have to pay the ultimate price with their life.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Where Did We Go Wrong??
Monica Mathis-Stowe: The relationships I have with my girlfriends inspired me to write this book. I wanted to tell a story about everyday women going through issues and difficulties in their lives and how their girlfriends helped them through it.
I read so many novels and hear about reality television shows that focus on creating chaos and conflict between women, and that’s not good. I wrote this book to show the positive side of true friendship between women.
JP: What sets Where Did We Go Wrong? apart from other books in the same genre?
MMS: If you love African-American romance novels or urban fiction in general, then this one should be on your must read list! The three main characters are strong, independent and educated women who go through enough conflict and tragedy to keep you turning the pages.
Reading Where Did We Go Wrong? will take you on a roller coaster of emotions. This novel is a combination of drama, comedy, suspense and romance with enough sizzling sex scenes to keep you wanting more. It’s definitely in a genre of its own.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Where Did We Go Wrong? getting out to the public?
MMS: I use social media, Twitter and Facebook, to connect with readers and do a lot of interviews with book bloggers. What I found to be the most successful in getting my book out to the public is word-of-mouth.
After people visit my website and read the sample chapter or look at the book trailer, they let their family and friends know, and it’s a snowball effect. I also make myself available to my readers by responding to their emails and the messages they send me through social media.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Where Did We Go Wrong??
MMS: I try to write every day, but it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes life gets in the way. Before I start writing, I listen to music to arrange my thoughts for the scene. Sometimes I listen to the same song over and over until I can create the scene in my head. Once I have it, I turn the music off and start pecking at the keyboard until the chapter is done or until my family needs me.
It took me four months to write the first draft of Where Did We Go Wrong? and a year of rewrites and edits to complete it.
JP: What’s next for Monica Mathis-Stowe?
MMS: I’m currently finishing the sequel to Where Did We Go Wrong?, and I just completed an outline for a new novel, The Firefighters’ Wives. This won’t be the last you’ve heard from me. I have a lot of stories inside of me and I’m just getting started.
http://www.monicamathisstowe.com/
http://www.facebook.com/authormonicamathisstowe
http://twitter.com/MMathisStowe
Where Did We Go Wrong? is available on Amazon. Thank you!
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