Book Referees is excited to feature Monica Mathis-Stowe on this latest installment of Off The Record… Enjoy our Interview!!!
Orsayor: If you were a super hero what powers would you have?
Monica: The power of telepathy comes to mind. If I had telepathic powers that allowed me to read people’s minds, I would be a bad Mamma Jamma. I would say stuff like, “Don’t waste your breath, I already know what you’re thinking.” Can you imagine the stories I can create from reading people’s minds? I’m getting excited just thinking about it.
Orsayor: If you were going to commit the perfect murder, how would you go about it?
Monica: I think about murder often when I’m maneuvering in congested D.C. traffic with people trying to text/talk on their cell phones while driving or when I’m cut off on the beltway by some rude driver full of road rage. I would invent this device that would instantly remove these drivers from the road. It’ll work something like this. Every time I push the button on my dashboard, a crane would pop out of the sunroof of my Land Rover. Imagine a crane size jack-in-the box. Then, it would pick up the car and quickly thrust it into another universe full of non-drivers so they can know what it feels like. After they’ve learned their lesson and become better drivers, my device will return them safely to the roads. That’s as close to murder as I get.
Orsayor: If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?
Monica: Ummm, my mouth is watering as I think about it. My last meal would be any dish off the menu at Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem, New York. Their food is delicious. And since I’m being executed, my calorie intake no longer matters so I’ll have one of each dessert too. Don’t judge me! I’M DYING!!!
Orsayor: If you could go back in time to change one thing what would it be?
Monica: I thought long and hard about this question and realized I had no regrets. I’ve accepted the good and the bad I’ve been through because I know each heartache and blessing was a stepping stone to get me where I am today. Living my dream of being a best-selling author is more than I ever thought it would be.
Orsayor: Who or what inspires you and why?
Monica: Women inspire me every day. We are strong, caring and phenomenal beings who are blessed with the gift of flexibility and intelligence that allow us to juggle the many roles we have. We are wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, employees, and employers. Majority of the time, we have more on our plates than we should, but find a way to make it work and keep it moving. Every female I meet and dramatic lady I create inspire me in some way. It’s like what Maya Angelou says, “You make me proud to spell my name W-O-M-A-N.”
Orsayor: What would you like for your Readers to know?
Monica: I want all my readers and future readers to know how appreciative I am. Since I was a teenager, I had dreams of being a storyteller. I started the journey alone, many tired and lonely nights, pecking away at the computer in the corner of my guest bedroom. But I didn’t finish alone. Because of my loyal and faithful readers, they took my dream to another level and for that I will be forever grateful.
Monica Mathis-Stowe is a D.C. native but spent a great deal of her formative years in North Carolina. There is nothing more exciting to her than creating a fictional world with flawed characters who consume her thoughts and tell her how they want the story to play out. She likes to take her readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions that will make them laugh, cry, gasp, think, and question people and their actions. Her debut novel, Where Did We Go Wrong?, hit bookstores in April 2012 and is already a best-seller. The sequel, Where Did We Go Wrong Again? released to rave reviews in January 2013. When she’s not pounding the keyboard crafting her next novel, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family.
Great interview. Keep up the good works.