Mary Monroe & author
Victor McGlothin
Mary Monroe, the daughter of Alabama sharecroppers and the first of her family to graduate high school, had been absent from the literary scene for more than a decade. Then her novel, God Don't Like Ugly was published by Dafina Books in the fall of 2000 placing Mary Monroe firmly back on readers' shelves. God Don't Like Ugly was honored with the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Award, went on to sell more than 250,000 copies, and remains among the most requested of Dafina Books titles. She has published five novels in the interim, including God Still Don't Like Ugly, and last year's New York Times bestselling novel, God Don't Play. Now, readers anxious for more are once again rewarded with the highly-anticipated Deliver Me from Evil just published [Aug. 2007] in hardcover. Mary will be visiting bookstores and libraries across the country this September in support of her new novel.
It's hard to resist Mary Monroe once you've met her or read her work. She's a very special lady, whose somewhat autobiographical fiction is filled with the unexpected and with larger-than-life, thought-provoking protagonists. Mary's own story is pretty amazing as well. Starting life as a sharecropper's daughter who would get a 'whupping' for having her nose stuck in a book, the road she's traveled has been a difficult one filled with unforgettable people who have inspired her characters.
Lost
Daughters
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Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Kensington (May 28, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758274726
ISBN-13: 978-0758274724
New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe brings to life her most
provocative and daring characters yet in this emotional and sometimes
shocking tale of daughters lost and found, and the ways in which the past
still haunts them.
After years of living under Mama Ruby's commanding presence, Maureen
Montgomery is finally taking charge of her own life. With her beautiful
teenage daughter, Loretta, by her side, she returns to Florida after Mama
Ruby's death and settles into a routine that any other woman would consider
bland. But for Maureen and her older brother Virgil, who grew up with Mama
Ruby's hair-trigger temper and murderous ways, bland is good.
But Loretta has other ideas. Set on becoming rich and famous, she convinces
Maureen to let her start a modeling career. And Loretta thinks Miami
photographer Melvin Ross is just the man to make her a star. But even with
Mel by their side, taking Maureen and Loretta's lives in new directions,
they can't escape Mama Ruby. Neither can Virgil, who's concealed one of Mama
Ruby's most shocking acts for most of his life. . .and is now living with
the guilt of his deceit.
Yet, as much as Virgil knows, he could never imagine the depth of Mama
Ruby's yearning for her daughter, or how much Maureen wants her own daughter
to feel free to live on her own terms. For them, Mama Ruby will never die. .
.and it's not until Maureen takes on a bit of Mama Ruby's strength to face
down the past and forge new bonds that she's able to make a future that is
truly hers.
God
Don't Make No Mistakes (God Series)
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Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Dafina; Reprint edition (January 29, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758238649
ISBN-13: 978-0758238641
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
In the sparkling conclusion to Mary Monroe's bestselling God series, two
forever friends face their biggest betrayals yet and learn the hard way that
putting your trust in the wrong hands can change your life forever…
These days, Annette Goode Davis has a pretty full plate--literally and
figuratively. Although she's trying to reconcile with her husband, Pee Wee,
she's still seeing other men on the side. A woman's got to cover her bases,
right? With her love life hopping, Annette should be as pleased as punch.
Instead, the stress has her eating everything in sight and packing on the
pounds along the way.
Meanwhile, Annette's best friend, Rhoda O'Toole, has her hands full--as
usual--dealing with her wild child daughter. Jade has always been a cross to
bear, but when her antics almost cost Rhoda her man, Rhoda throws Jade out
on the street. But Jade soon finds a way to make Rhoda regret her choice….
Privately, Annette thanks her lucky stars that her daughter, Charlotte, has
her head on straight. And she's been doubly blessed to have a strait-laced
neighbor look after Charlotte when she's caught up in Pee Wee and Rhoda's
many problems. But when Annette's world is rocked by a terrible revelation,
she'll discover that appearances can be very, very deceiving--and she'll
have to summon every ounce of strength she has to protect the ones she
loves.
God
Ain't Blind
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Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Dafina (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758212216
ISBN-13: 978-0758212214
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
In this gripping, unforgettable new novel by New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe, forever friends Annette Goode Davis and Rhoda O'Toole are about to learn that even the rockiest relationships can survive just about anything-as long as you're there for each other when it matters most. . .
Annette Goode Davis is a survivor, and while life's obstacles have often knocked her down, she's never let them keep her there for long. To Annette, life is all about family and old friends like Rhoda O'Toole. And right now, Annette needs all the friends she can get. . .because her marriage is in big trouble, and she has no idea why. . .
Lately, her husband Pee Wee barely has the time of day for Annette and she suspects he may have fallen for another woman. Desperate to regain his affections, Annette goes on a crash diet, gets a total makeover, and looks hotter than she has for a long, long time. Everyone notices-everyone except Pee Wee.
Annette is ripe for the picking when she meets Louis Baines, a handsome young caterer who showers her with attention. Soon, Annette is embroiled in a full blown affair and spending money on Louis like there's no tomorrow. But when Annette learns a terrible secret about her new lover, she realizes she's in way over her head. Her life crumbling down around her, Annette turns to the only person she knows she can trust: Rhoda.
With Rhoda by her side, Annette's determined to find a way out of this mess. But when the truth finally comes out, Annette must face the fact that she may have destroyed the life she loved-and this time, not even Rhoda can help her make things right...
She Had It
Coming
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Amazon
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Dafina (September 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758212194
New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe delivers a powerful and provocative new novel about one woman's search for love in a world where secrets don't always stay hidden, friends don't always have our backs, and the choices we make in one rash moment can change everything'
If there's one thing Dolores Reese knows, it's how to keep a
secret. It's a skill she learned early in life, watching her
best friend Valerie Proctor do whatever it took to protect her
family from her violent stepfather. Back then, Dolores was in
foster care just like Floyd Watson, a local boy who intrigues
Dolores from the moment they meet. Even in high school, Dolores
knows with certainty that she and Floyd are soul mates. When one
bad decision sends an innocent Floyd to prison for life, Dolores
pays clandestine visits and out of a mix of love and
pity promises to stick by him.
While Floyd's world stands still, Dolores's horizons open up in
exciting new ways when she lands a position working for a cruise
line. There, she meets Paul Dunne, an accomplished businessman
who promises her the kind of future she's always wanted the kind
she once imagined having with Floyd. Dolores is sure she can
continue to visit Floyd without revealing that she's now married
to another man. But when Floyd is suddenly freed on new
evidence, Dolores is torn and makes a fateful decision to live a
double lie, devoting herself to two different husbands in two
different cities.
With Valerie as her confidante and accomplice, Dolores hopes to
pull off the ultimate deception. But into this risky situation
comes another man, one Dolores can't resist. And if she isn't
careful, Dolores just might find out what happens when love,
dishonesty, and dangerous jealousy collide'
Deliver
Me From Evil
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Pub Date : August 28, 2007
Imprint : Dafina
Format : Hardcover
0758212178
The New York Times bestselling author of God Don't Like Ugly and God Still Don't Like Ugly, Mary Monroe has been hailed as 'a real talent' (San Jose Mercury News) and as one of today's most provocative storytellers. In her sensational new novel, a beautiful, resourceful woman is caught in a high-stakes game of money, sex and betrayal all in the name of a better future'
Once upon a time, Christine Thurman had the perfect marriage. A girl from the wrong side of the tracks, she made good by marrying Jesse Ray Thurman and helping him build a business worth millions. Together, they were the perfect couple attractive, successful, and deeply in love. Christine was convinced she d spend the rest of her life by her handsome husband's side.
But twelve years later, J.R. has become obsessed with building his video store empire and is taking his wife for granted. Feeling trapped and alone in a dead-end marriage, Christine finds herself tempted by her old haunts and the people she thought she left behind long ago. Suddenly, without J.R. even realizing it, their seemingly unshakeable bond has started fraying at the seams and Christine will do anything to break free.
Enter Wade Eddie Fisher, a bad boy with good looks from Christine's past. Wade left their hometown long ago to follow his Hollywood dreams, but now he's back, penniless, and as tempting as ever. Even though Wade is far from dependable, he offers Christine something she can't seem to resist. Soon she's immersed in a sultry affair, and before she knows it, she's concocted a scheme so risky that it promises to deliver everything she could possibly want or shatter the lives of everyone close to her'
God Don't Play
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0-7582-0346-2
Author: Mary Monroe
Pub Date : August 29, 2006
Imprint : Dafina
Format : Hardcover
With a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter, and a lovely house to
come home to every night, it looks like forty-five-year-old Annette
Goode finally has it all. And heaven knows she paid her dues to get
it from a childhood filled with abuse to a rocky start as an adult.
Annette's friend Rhoda knows too, for Rhoda has been both her savior and
her greatest fear. Their erratic relationship has survived some serious
bumps in the road, and now things are good. But apparently someone
thinks Annette has it a little too good'
When Annette receives an anonymous and menacing birthday gift, it is
just the beginning of a slew of hostile letters, vicious phone calls,
and vile packages from a female who is obviously disguising her voice.
Soon nasty notes about Annette are also being circulated throughout her
community. But despite the onslaught, Annette has no clue who the
harasser is, or what is behind her contempt.
Gaining comfort from the support of Rhoda and Rhoda's teenage daughter,
Jade, Annette hopes that somehow the problem will just go away. But when
the threats extend to her little daughter, Annette realizes the
situation is dire. And she's right, for soon her tormentor reveals
exactly what she wants and claims to have been playing a role in
Annette's life all along. To make matters worse, she provides evidence
that may destroy everything Annette has built'
Just as Annette reaches the brink of what she can bear, her mysterious
enemy challenges her to a face-to-face showdown. It is a meeting that
will not only shock Annette, but will forever change the lives of those
closest to her
Borrow
Trouble
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Amazon
Mary Monroe And Victor McGlothin
ISBN: 0758212232
Pub. Date: December 28, 2006
Format: Hardcover, 320pp
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Two gripping tales of loss and redemption by two of the
most gifted, elegant voices in African-American fiction.
Nightmare in Paradise' by Mary Monroe
Good-looking and as dutiful a wife as she is a devoted friend, reserved
and respectful Renee Webb always does the right thing. So when she gets
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to let her hair down on a Caribbean
vacation with her uninhibited friend Inez, Renee is more than ready to
let go. But the sun-splashed isle of Paraiso is not what it seems, and
Renee finds out that doing the wrong thing a sizzling night of pleasure
with a sexy stranger might cost her more than she ever imagined
Bad Luck Shadow' by Victor McGlothin
Bad luck's been shadowing handsome Baltimore Floyd ever since he hopped
a train out of New York City. On the run from some of Harlem's baddest
hitmen, Baltimore's luck takes a turn for the worse after he murders a
big-time white businessman and gets thrown off the train in Kansas City.
Alone and on the lam, Baltimore's got only one shot to get out alive the
biggest heist in KC's history. Lucky for him, Henry Taylor's got his
back, and he ll have to use every trick he knows to save Baltimore from
going down for good'
Mary Monroe is the national bestselling author of God Don't Like Ugly, God Still Don't Like Ugly, God Don't Play, The Upper Room, Gonna Lay Down My Burdens, Red Light Wives and In Sheep's Clothing. An avid traveler, Mary currently lives in Oakland, California. She loves hearing from her readers via e-mail at AuthorAuthor5409@aol.com.
Essence' bestselling author Victor McGlothin is the author of Down On My Knees, Autumn Leaves, Every Sister Wants It, and What's A Woman To Do. Living in Dallas with his wife and two sons, he is hard at work on his next novel and as a contributing editor of D Magazine. Please visit Victor's website www.victormcglothin.com.
A woman lets herself go and finally does something wrong. Down on his luck, a man tries to do something right. For both, the consequences are as surprising as they are rewarding in two tales of lost souls by two rising stars in contemporary African-American fiction.
In Sheep's Clothing
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0-7582-0345-4
Author: Mary Monroe
Pub Date : July 25, 2006
Imprint : Dafina
Format : Trade Paperback
A restless young woman thinks she's found a free ride to happiness and adventure. But it's a trip that may land her in prison or worse
When twenty-eight-year-old Trudy Bell lands a secretarial position at a travel agency, she feels like a new woman. And her warm, friendly personality soon wins her the adoration of her colleagues with one exception. Ann Oliver, the only other African American employee, is a high-level manager who despises the low-income black experience Trudy represents. But no one is going to ruin Trudy's new life. In fact, she's found a way to make it even better. As the secretary who processes the agency's bills, Trudy has easy access to company credit cards. Including Ann s.
At first, Trudy's deception involves a few high-priced lunches, but it soon expands to include weekend 'business trips' to exotic locations. Before long she's leading a double-life Ann's life complete with a secret apartment where she entertains the men she meets at upscale bars. But their worlds collide the night Trudy brings home the wrong man one who has an angry score to settle. With Ann. Now, unless Trudy can convince him she's not the woman he's after, she may pay the highest price of all
God Don't like Ugly
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Amazon
Format: Paperback, 352pp.
ISBN: 1575666073
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Pub. Date: October 2000
In her richly drawn debut novel, Mary Monroe brings to life the bond
between two girls from opposite sides of the track and the shattering
event that changes their lives forever.
At the heart of the story is Annette Goode, a shy, awkward, overweight
child who keeps a terrible secret. Mr. Boatwright, the boarder her
hardworking mother has taken in, abuses her daily. Frightened and
ashamed, Annette withdraws into a world of books and food.
But the summer Annette turns thirteen, something incredible happens:
Rhoda Nelson chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, generous Rhoda, who is
everything Annette is not gorgeous, slim, and worldly welcomes Annette
into the heart of her eccentric family, which includes her handsome and
dignified father; her lovely, fragile, 'Muh'Dear;' her brooding,
dangerous brother Jock; and her colorful white relatives half-crazy
Uncle Johnny, sultry Aunt Lola, and scary, surly Granny Goose.
With Rhoda's help, Annette survives adolescence and blossoms as a woman.
But when her beautiful best friend makes a stunning confession about a
horrific childhood crime, Annette's world will never be the same.
Set on the streets, porches and parlors of 1960s and 1970 Ohio, God
Don't Like Ugly sparkles with clear-eyed wit and uncompromising honesty.
Readers will find this remarkable new novel full of laughter,
inspiration, and pure enjoyment.
God Still Don't Like Ugly
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0-7582-0343-8
Author: Mary Monroe
Pub Date : Aug-04
Imprint : Dafina
Format : Trade Paperback
Growing up, Annette Goode thought all men were as low-down as the
father who abandoned her. There was Mr. Boatwright, the boarder who
abused her for years until her best friend Rhoda murdered him. And what
about the men she slept with to earn the money she needed to run away
from her life? None of them was exactly the picture of chivalry. But
now, after decades of soul searching and heartache, Annette has reunited
with the father she never really knew. She's severed all ties with the
dangerously unstable Rhoda. And finally her real life has started to
take shape. Or so she thinks'
Things start to fall apart at of all places Annette's own pre-wedding
celebration, where a guest reveals that the beautiful bride-to-be once
turned tricks for a living. When her fianc' pulls a disappearing act,
Annette reunites with Pee Wee Davis the man who has been her on-again,
off-again sweetheart since childhood. It's not a great life, but it's a
pretty good one.
Yet Annette still holds the secret of her ex-friend Rhoda's murderous
past deep in her heart. She knows it's a burden that will torment her
until she can put it to rest. So when Rhoda suddenly walks back into her
life, Annette must decide what she should believe and what she can
forgive as she tries to salvage the one relationship that she just can't
seem to let go
The Upper Room
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via
Amazon
Format: Paperback, 32pp.
ISBN: 0758200234
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Pub. Date: July 2002
Mama Ruby's known for taking things that aren't rightfully hers, like her best friend's stillborn infant, who she brought back to life and christened Maureen. She's also rumored to have done away with her husband. Some fear her, others try their best to avoid her. But Mama Ruby doesn't pay them any mind. Not when she's got the one gift God gave her her precious baby girl.
But growing up with a mama like Ruby is enough to make any half-sane girl wish for something anything else. And when Maureen gets the chance to explore the real' world, you can bet she's going to take it and run like hell.
Red Light Wives
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0758200021
Author: Mary Monroe
Pub Date : Aug-05
Imprint : Dafina
Format : Trade Paperback
From the bestselling author of the acclaimed God Don't Like Ugly
comes a powerful and passionate novel about the hopes, dreams,
laughter and limits of six unique women surviving on the streets of San
Francisco...
They re about as different as six women can be haughty and humble,
beautiful and plain, young and not-so-young, black, white, Latina, and
origins unknown. But aside from a gift for laughing hardship in the
face, they have one very important thing in common Clyde Brooks. You
might say that Clyde is their 'manager.' And you might say that Lula
Mae, Ester, Megan, Rosalee, Helen, and Rockelle are colleagues in the
world's oldest profession. Clyde likes to refer to them as his 'wives.'
After all, they do what wives are expected to do take care of him and
watch over his beloved young daughter, Keisha.
Maybe it's their love for the high life and for each other that makes
the bond between Clyde's ladies so unbreakable. Maybe it's their private
demons that invite him to act as their savior and tyrant, father,
brother, and lover. And maybe it's middle-class Helen's na've
vulnerability, privileged Megan's shocking secret, strong, smart Lula
Mae's maternal nature, and wild-child Ester's anger at the rest of the
world that keep them so loyal or so Clyde thinks. For hard as they try
to distract themselves, nothing can quell the women's longing for a life
free from Clyde and what he represents until one daring act of defiance
changes everything'
Gonna Lay Down My Burdens
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Amazon
Format: Hardcover, 288pp.
ISBN: 1575669110
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Pub. Date: August 2002
In the sweltering little town of Belle Helene, Alabama, Carmen Taylor
keeps her weaknesses, her frustrations, and her sorrows to herself.
She's too busy dealing with the dramas of troubled friends like Desiree
Lucienne, the petite, pampered daughter of a doctor who tries to beat
the wildness out of her. But that doesn't stop Desiree from trawling for
men, and trying to drag Carmen along.
It's not that Carmen hasn't had her share of boozy pick-ups only that
they can't compare to the one steamy night she spent with the man she's
loved since they were both kids. Now a local cop, all-too-fine Chester
Sheffield keeps showing up in Carmen's life, wanting to do something
about the feelings they obviously share. But that would mean abandoning
her 'boyfriend' Burl Tupper, and that's something Carmen just can't do.
Ever since a foolish teenage prank of Carmen's landed Burl in a
wheelchair, she's been trying to make it up to him. When Carmen doesn't
take her chance with Chester, Desiree does. And although the women's
friendship stays solid, greater challenges await.
On a sultry, reckless moonlit night, Carmen commits a desperate crime of
passion, and, with Desiree, hits the road running. But she can't run
from the truth. Now she has two choices a life on the lam, or a return
to Belle Helene, the place where it all began and the only place Carmen
can lay down her burdens and seize her one true chance at love and
redemption.
