Best friends Gabby, Maxine and Joy 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 but
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. After her wedding, she quickly realizes she
made the biggest mistake of her life and it puts everybody she loves in danger.
Unfortunately, someone will have to pay the ultimate price with their life.
Excerpt:
The bond between girlfriends, best friends, is unbreakable, Joy
thought as she zigzagged and weaved through the Beltway traffic. She drove as
fast and as calmly as she could with Gabby huffing and puffing through her
labor pains in the passenger seat. Her normally light-skinned complexion turned
a pale shade of red with each contraction, but she still managed to look
beautiful through all her pain.
Joy glanced through her rear-view mirror at Maxine, who had decided to follow Joy and Gabby to the hospital in her minivan, in case she needed to leave to tend to her family. She had already let three cars jump between her minivan and Joy’s car. Since her friend didn’t know how to get to the hospital, Joy thought Maxine would have attempted to follow her more closely. Drivers were definitely taking advantage of her careful driving, with the many “Caution-Baby on Board” stickers plastered to her bumper. She was so far behind, Joy couldn’t see her anymore.
When Joy arrived at the hospital’s emergency room entrance, she jumped out of her Toyota Corolla and ran inside the hospital to get help. Within seconds, she returned to the car with a nurse and an orderly pushing a wheelchair. She assisted Gabby into the hospital and left to find Maxine.
Back in her car, Joy pulled out her cell phone, and called Maxine. “Girl, where are you?” Joy asked, trying to sound calm. She didn’t want to make timid Maxine more nervous than she already was.
“I’m lost. You were driving so fast, I couldn’t keep up,” Maxine whined.
Joy shook her head. “What exit are you near?”
“I see a hospital sign. Should I take that exit?” Maxine asked anxiously.
Joy sighed in frustration. “Yeah, follow the signs to the
hospital. I’m gonna park my car in the garage and meet you in the lobby.”
“Okay. Bye.” Maxine hit the End Call button on her steering wheel
as she took the exit.
Joy hung up and sped toward the parking garage. She turned into the first available spot and ran back to the hospital. She didn’t want Gabby to be alone when she delivered.
Joy hung up and sped toward the parking garage. She turned into the first available spot and ran back to the hospital. She didn’t want Gabby to be alone when she delivered.
Get to
Know Monica:
Monica is a native of Washington, D.C., and a graduate of Nyack
College with a degree in Organizational Management. When she’s not pounding the
keyboard crafting her next novel, she works as an investigator in the
metropolitan Washington area. She currently lives in Prince George’s County,
Maryland, with her brave, sexy firefighter husband and their loving, handsome
son.
Question
1: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I always
enjoyed reading novels, but decided I wanted to became a writer in my mid-teens
after reading a chapter where the author described a scene so vividly, I
actually thought I was there. I wanted that power-the ability to make people
feel and experience life through my stories.
Question
2: Tell me about your book.
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, while Maxine lives for her family but 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 it puts everybody she loves in
danger. Unfortunately, someone will have to pay the ultimate price with their
life.
Question
3: What would you like your readers to get out of your book?
I want
readers to experience the bond and the connection between these three women.
They support each other as they deal with the challenges in their lives and
relationships. No matter what they’re going through and no matter how wrong
they are, they stick together and support each other through it. Their bond is
admirable and I think every woman should have a friendships like theirs.
Question
4: Where did you get the inspiration to write your book?
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.
Question
5: What sets your book apart from other books in the same genre?
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 drama 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.
Question
6: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to
start and finish your book?
I try to
write every day. I would love 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.
Question
7: What’s next for you?
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. I have a
lot of stories inside of me and I’m just getting started. This won’t be the
last you’ve heard from me.
Web-links:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MMathisStowe
Author Site: www.MonicaMathisStowe.com
Email address for readers to contact me: MonicaMathisStowe@yahoo.com
Links to where book can be purchased:
eBook purchase – http://www.amazon.com/Where-Did-We-Wrong-ebook/dp/B007QE3Y60/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333756816&sr=1-1
paperback purchase – www.MonicaMathisStowe.com and Amazon.com
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/2j4Mpj3suHI