This Fire Down in My Soul
J. D. Mason

Love. Sex. Obsession. When Faylene Watkins starts counseling the women of her husband’s congregation, three very different women teach her just how dangerous the combination can be.

Choir girl Elise thinks she's found a good man in Jay. A truck driver, he came blowing into her life one sultry night. Irresistible and sensual, he’s caught up in romancing Elise. However, when she’s ready for happily ever after, he realizes that he can't just walk away from his wife and two children. And Elise just can’t seem to let him go.
Everyone knows that singles ministry leader Renee is full of herself. When she takes her latest interior decorating job, she thinks her client’s husband is hot, and together, they're on fire. Meanwhile, his wife wants to be friends, and it’s not long before the whole thing turns into a twisted game.

For twenty-five years Tess's life revolved around her unfaithful husband (who sits on the deacon’s board) and their two wonderful sons. But now the kids have left the nest and Tess wants to spread her wings. She’s got a new job and a new social life (outside of the church) when a new man--a most forbidden man--steps into the picture to rock her world. But all that glitters isn't gold.

Don't Want No Sugar
J.D. Mason

The unforgettable prequel to One Day I Saw a Black King--Don't Want No Sugar is a story of love, deceit, lies and murder. read more... >

Pub Date: 11/2005 | ISBN: 0-312-34899-1

About the Author

J. D. Mason is the author of And on the Eighth Day She Rested and One Day I Saw a Black King. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her two children. She is curently at work on her next book.

Author's Website: www.officiallyjd.com

J. D. Mason

Author Q&A

1. What do you like to do in your free time?
Absolutely nothing.  But that’s because I seldom have any free time.  I do enjoy hanging out with friends, though.  We usually get together at someone’s house to eat, laugh and just to enjoy each other’s company.   I have some friends in a band called Soul School, and a bunch of us come together sometimes wherever they’re playing to party hearty with them.  

2. What kind of music do you like to listen to? Why?
I’m an “old head” when it comes to music; Al Green, Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, etc.  But I also adore India.Arie, Jill Scott, and anybody else who has a “message” to their music that involves more then booty shaking, sex, and fancy cars.  I use music a lot to help set the vibe for my stories.  It helps to set the stage.  For example, in my novel One Day I Saw a Black King, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke help to set the tone throughout the story.  In Don’t Want No Sugar I went all the way back to Bessie Smith to set the mood.  In my next life, I’m gonna sing the blues!

3. What's your all time favorite movie? Why?
I’m a Sci-Fi/Action Adventure/Fantasy buff when it comes to movies.  At the top of my list are:  The Lord of the Rings trilogy; The Matrix trilogy; anything with vampires in it such as Blade (all of them) and Interview with a Vampire to name a few.  I’m not much of a chick flick fan, but if I had to name one that was my favorite, it would have to be Beaches with Bette Midler, oh and The Rose with Bette.  She’s probably my favorite actress.

4. What's your all time favorite novel and/or writer? Why?
I’m a HUGE fan of Sandra Jackson-Opoku’s work; The River Where Blood Was Born and Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him.  Her work is so creative and so magical. It just sweeps me up and makes me forget that I write books too.  I love books and writers that make me forget to read from a writer’s perspective, which tends to be so critical and takes away the enjoyment of reading.  Other books that have affected me this way are: A Woman’s Worth by Tracy Price-Thompson and The Unburnable by Marie Elena-John.

5. What do you like best about being a writer?
I absolutely love the creative aspect of writing.  I hate the writing part.  I loathe the editing part, but I love the making-stuff-up part.  There’s something powerful in creating something from nothing, and for me, it’s that element that makes live all the more interesting.  Imagination is as important as intellect or having a sense of humor.  Without it, I feel incomplete.  And I love it when someone else reads one of my stories and loved it.  There’s nothing more gratifying than doing something you love and having other people love what you do.

Reading Group Guide Questions

1. Roberta’s dysfunctional behavior is prevalent throughout her life. How much of this behavior was possibly an inherited trait from her mother, and how much of it was a result of how she was raised by Miss Martha?

2. Being that he never really loved Roberta, and only married her out of obligation; do you believe that Charles was justified in his affair with Sara? Do you believe he would’ve ever left Roberta for Sara?

3. Roberta obviously suffered from a mental disorder that was evident to almost everyone who knew her, and excused by all as silliness or eccentric. Do you believe that the African American community is growing more accepting of mental disease in our community and more readily and openly seeks treatment?

4. Miss Martha seemed to both love and loathe Roberta? What did you think of the relationship between Roberta and Miss Martha?

5. In writing this book, the author wanted to show that in the relationship between Mattie and Adam, Mattie was the manipulator in that relationship, and not as innocent as she wanted everyone to believe. Do you agree that she, in some ways, might’ve taken advantage of him because of his mental disability?

6. Sara, without trying, seemed to favor Adam over Moses. Why do you suppose that Sara never seemed to notice the way she doted on Adam in front of Moses?

7. Why do you think that Mattie never told anyone it wasn’t Adam who raped her? Wouldn’t it have been the right thing for her to do?

8. How much do you think that guild played in Moses’ decision to rescue his brother from the barn where the three men took him? And why do you think Moses wrestled so much with loving Adam and hating him?