Red Light Green Light

Paperback
Publisher: Sutton Place Publishers, Inc. (October 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0975402617
ISBN-13: 978-0975402610

Craig Stevens is forty-five years old and a recovering crack addict. Forty-one days clean when the novel opens, his world is rocked when one fateful September morning, 9/11 happens. With everything falling down around him, thoughts of an old love Gazelle come to mind. He sets out to find her, to make sure she s okay. However, the pitfalls along the way don't make it easy. With vivid detail and a gritty landscape, Red Light Green Light is the Butterscotch Blues of crack addiction, taking you through it and beyond...
 

This Time

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Sutton Place Publishers, Inc. (May 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0975402609
ISBN-13: 978-0975402603

When Publishers Weekly, reviewing Margaret Johnson-Hodge's 2002 Black Expressions Best-selling novel "True Lies" declared, "Audiences tired of shallow buppie antics will respond favorably to the earthy dramas she [Margaret Johnson-Hodge] describes," and readers enjoyed "True Lies" so much they demanded a sequel, Margaret Johnson-Hodge had no choice but to respond with "This Time."

Picking up where "True Lies" left off, "This Time" begins with Dajah Moore is still on her road to recovery after a heart-wrenching breakup with Rick Trimmons. Determined to get beyond the whole Rick incident, her struggles deepen when Rick shows up at her front door, saying all the things she needed to hear from him months before.

But what Rick is saying and what Dajah sees for herself are two different things. Rick says Gina is gone from his life, but as far as Dajah is concerned, Gina hasn't gone far enough.

To further complicate things, Dajah meets Jeff Gingham, a man eight years her senior, bringing his own ideas about relationships that don't match her own.

With Rick fast on her trail and Jeff moving slowly into her heart, will Dajah get it right this time?

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington (November 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758200285
ISBN-13: 978-0758200280

With her extraordinary power to reveal the heart's deepest truths, national bestselling author Margaret Johnson-Hodge returns with a wise and moving story of the lengths to which some people will go to get what they want�and the long road back to finding what they need�

Sylvia �Suvie� Allen certainly can't complain. After nineteen years of marriage, her husband, Emory, can still make her laugh. And her two adolescent daughters have managed to stay out of trouble, resisting the temptations of the streets. At forty-six, Suvie is content with the present, the future looks good, and the past�well, into every life a little rain must fall. As a teenager, Suvie suffered a deep betrayal caused by both her best friend, Dorothy�and her first love, Philip. The hurt and loss were devastating, but Suvie healed and came out stronger for it. And besides, what's past is past, and now is her time in the sun. But it isn't all up to Suvie, as she discovers one fateful day when her ringing doorbell reveals the one love that still haunts her�

It's been thirty years since Philip Butler laid eyes on his only true love�the woman he wronged so terribly back in his young, foolish days. Not that he hasn't paid a price with his long, unhappy marriage. Even his beautiful home in Atlanta and the many creature comforts of his affluent life with his wife, Dorothy, can't fill the void in his heart. Whether it's a mid-life crisis�or simply a truth that can no longer be ignored�at age forty-seven, Philip is taking stock. And he's determined to win back the love he lost so long ago.

But his cross-country journey takes Philip, Suvie, Dorothy, and their families to places no one could have anticipated�starting a cataclysmic chain of events that will change everyone's life forever.

True Lies

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Kensington (September 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758200048

The last time Dajah Moore took a chance, she was eight, and a wild, downhill bike ride left her with a scar on her knee�which is nothing compared to the ones that now criss-cross her heart. Life has made Dajah into a cautious and wise sister who won't sit down in her silks for fear of wrinkling them, a hardworking accountant who doesn't hand out second chances. Then she meets Rick Trimmons. And when the handsome corrections officer gives her the protection of his mace and the temptation of his phone number, she falls hard. Everything about Rick, from his soulful eyes to his straightforward talk, tells Dajah she's met someone who will never play her�if she can put aside her fear and wrap herself around his troubled past�

For Rick, nobody comes before his four-year-old daughter, Kanisha. She's his heart and soul, the reason he works overtime and puts up with all kinds of craziness from her mother, Gina. Meeting Dajah shows Rick what his life could be like. From backyard barbeques, where Dajah's best friends size him up in a heartbeat, to unforgettable nights in Dajah's bed, Rick is living a dream�until Gina's outrageous behavior forces him into desperate choices that could destroy his happiness, his future, and everything he's ever worked for�

Imbued with the emotional resonance of real, complicated lives, True Lies is about life's uneasy answers, and how the truth can do more than set you free�it can lead you home in the most unexpected of ways.

Some Sunday

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington (September 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 075820003X
ISBN-13: 978-0758200037

Sisterhood, skin color, self-esteem and sex are just a few of the issues Margaret Johnson-Hodge explores in this plainspoken sequel to Butterscotch Blues. Set in New York City, the novel begins as a grieving wife struggles to recover from the loss of her handsome young Trinidadian husband to AIDS. Adrian was the love of Sandy Hutchinson's life, and she's not sure if she can go on without him. The story follows Sandy's recovery and search for love as she stumbles into a relationship with Adrian's brother, Winston, and finally finds peace with Randall, a contractor, who at first rejects her. Sandy's best friends also struggle in their relationships with men, in a series of Sex in the City-like subplots. "Masterful" Martha, a high-powered assistant district attorney, barely copes on the home front. Abandoned at the altar years ago, she battles her demons by drinking too much, while fighting to keep her relationship with Calvin afloat. Janice, driven by insecurities despite her enviable beauty, drives her fianc� Cliff into the arms of Rachel, who had relinquished him once before to Janice in the name of sisterhood. Then there's Britney, living the American Dream with a magnificent house in the suburbs, a doting husband and beautiful baby, who finds herself pregnant again while confronting the ramifications of living beyond her means. Tackling controversial questions, often in a graphic manner, Johnson-Hodge has written a captivating sequel that loyal readers and new fans will devour. (From Publishers Weekly)

Butterscotch Blues

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (June 10, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312264844
ISBN-13: 978-0312264840

Sandy finally had everything her heart desired...

Sandy Hutchinson has skin so dark and chocolatey brown that her friends call her "the black Diva." At the age of thirty-four, she and her three girlfriends have shared a tight bond since college, and have been through the ups and disappointing downs of dating. With high aspirations about careers and love, they sometimes fall a bit short of their dreams, but nevertheless are always there for one another to offer sympathy and support. Sandy wonders if love will forever elude her, until the day she meets Adrian Burton, a Trinidadian with caramel skin, naturally wavy hair, and eyes the color of butterscotch.

Then she had to decide whether or not to keep it.

Plagued with low self-esteem since childhood, Sandy is dubious that Adrian could be attracted to her. But Adrian, ernest in his intentions, opens his heart and wins her over. Together they share a whirlwind romance filled with blissful happiness, until the night of a fateful call from the hospital, when Sandy learns about Adrian's failing ex-wife. Now, Sandy must decide if her love is strong enough to help get them through what may be their darkest hour.

Warm Hands: A Novel

Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (February 15, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312972938
ISBN-13: 978-0312972936

Traveling the same ground as Terry McMillan, this latest from Johnson-Hodge (The Real Deal) follows the travails and transformation of a strong but self-sabotaging African-American woman. At 35, Mya Williams is barely over her romance with a seductive loser named Vincent when she meets Jeff, a successful young architect. They've scheduled the wedding when Mya finds herself unable to resist one final tryst with her sexy ex. In the aftermath, a shell-shocked Mya--now dumped by both Vincent and Jeff--is forced to examine her soul, her sexual cravings and her self-destructive neediness. Pondering the collapse of her life and the fragmentation--at once funny and painful--of her family, Mya attains a peaceful self-reliance and finds her true soul mate along the way. Mya's metamorphosis from madcap confusion to a nearly saintly level of self-actualization is too seamless to ring true, and--as is so often the case--her tale is far more fun before her conversion than after it. Still, Johnson-Hodge offers a sassy and often endearing story.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. (Publishers Weekly)

A New Day

Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 15, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312969155
ISBN-13: 978-0312969158

ONE WOMAN
For Carol-Anne McClementine life has always been a struggle. Past thirty and a single parent, she's struggling to raise her daughter, pay the rent, keep food on the table, and keep her child safe. Hardened by a diffcult life, she puts faith in nothing, certainly not the hope that a man would truly love her.

ONE MAN
One terrible mistake lost Max Scutter the love of his life-- Samone. Handsome with a well-paying, high-powered job, Max is nonetheless miserable-- alone and unable to see any hope for the future. His world has come to a dead end-- until the day his eyes meet Carol-Anne's.

DIFFERENT WORLDS
Max has a master's degree in finance and has climbed the ladder of success. Carol-Anne is a graduate of the school of hard knocks, each day a test in making ends meet. Now that their lives have intertwined, Carol-Anne must overcome old wounds and become the person she never thought she deserved to be, and Max must learn to fully open his heart so that together they can discover that new day.

The Real Deal: Real Love Is More Than Skin Deep...Real Passion Isn't Black Or White...

Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (March 15, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312964889
ISBN-13: 978-0312964887

Readers seeking something out of the ordinary need look no further than Margaret Johnson-Hodge's interracial romance, The Real Deal. Personnel manager Samone Lewis is still reeling from the break-up of a long-term relationship with Max Scutter--the love of her life. When she interviews Jon Everette, a typical California boy, she has no idea that their alliance will soon progress beyond simple co-worker status. Samone fights even meeting Jon for lunch--after all, what could they possibly have in common? But Jon persists and Samone is soon won over by his kindness, charm, and quick wit.
The road to love is rarely smooth, and Jon and Samone's journey is no exception--it's probably even a bit bumpier than most. As much as she enjoys Jon's company she's reluctant to give her heart to him, fearing further emotional involvement and her family's reaction to her dating a white man. But when Jon mentions he is seeing someone else Samone realizes how much she really wants him in her life no matter what anyone else thinks. Sexy, funny, and frank, The Real Deal explores not only the intricacies of an interracial relationship but also details the struggle of a sensitive, vulnerable woman desperately seeking love. All women, regardless of color, will identify with Samone's struggle to recover from her difficult breakup with Max and her reluctance to give her heart yet again. Johnson-Hodge has written a profound first novel, creating characters that ring with authenticity and interest. This is a very literate, compelling read and highly recommended. �Maudeen Wachsmith (Amazon Review)