AUTHOR INTERVIEW
WITH LATONYA MASON

 

Soul Pen: LaTonya, welcome to Soul Pen! It’s a pleasure meeting you and it was certainly a pleasure reading your debut book, Good To Me. Tell us a little about yourself and why you created Good To Me. 

LaTonya: Thank you, Mata. It’s a blessing to meet you and an honor to be a Soul Pen guest. I’m delighted to hear that you liked Good To Me. It was a fun book to write. The interesting thing about Good To Me is that it started as a journal entry. I am a journaler—I write so that I can get things out of my head. A couple of Christmases ago, I’d gone to my ex-in-laws for dinner and had suddenly become sad. And, this line kept running through my head. The only way I knew to get rid of it was to journal, so I wrote, “Tears welled up in her eyes.” I stayed with the emotion and before I knew it, I had a main character, I had a plot, and within an hour or so, I had a complete chapter. That particular chapter ended up being number twenty-three in the book.

Charity, the main character is the only one I created. My imagination isn’t that great, so I wrote her from what I knew, based on my own experiences. We are both ministers, counselors and single mothers (except Boo only has one child, I have three!). While I was developing Charity’s character, I thought I was going to teach her a thing or two, but she ended up teaching me so many things about myself until I just wanted to finish the book to get it out of my house. Here I was thinking I was creating this perfect character, and Boo showed me all of my flaws—perfectionism, self esteem struggles… She was getting on my nerves.

The other characters just came to me, and auditioned for parts. How could I not cast Iesha? She is hilarious. I wrote her because she is who I used to be B.C. (before Christ). I was just as loud and flamboyant as she is. She really made this book fun for me, and her appearances in the book are my most favorite scenes. She plays an excellent antagonist in this book and should get a “best supporting actress” award. Emmitt is another favorite of mine. You know, he’s the character you start out hating, but you end up loving. I wasn’t sure what kind of ex-husband to give Charity. I just knew he had to be fine and he had to be a charmer. At first, it was hard for me to develop Emmitt because I wasn’t sure I could capture the male persona. But it got easier to do when I developed his mother. When I tapped into her head, I was able to tap into his. The last character I’ll write about is Joseph. I absolutely love him! For a man on lock down, Joseph has it going on. He is freer than the brothers on the other side of the fence. I wanted a man that would challenge Charity, and I found it in Joseph. He is truly a man of faith and I have to credit God for giving me Joseph. I couldn’t have come up with that myself—especially the way he is woven into the story. Another thing Charity and I have in common is that our fathers are incarcerated. I developed a relationship with him through writing letters, and wanted to capture the power letter writing between Joseph and Charity. Joseph, being an inmate was a way for me to honor my father.

Soul Pen: The main character, Charity Phillips, is a woman who stepped out on faith and opened her own business. Most women we know have dreams and goals they would like to attain, but some women are just outright afraid to try or they are petrified of leaving their comfort zone. What do you say to a woman, who like Charity, desires to pursue her dreams?

LaTonya: I’d tell that woman to study 2 kings 4:1-7. That passage pushed me out of my comfort zone to trust God to bless the works of my hands. It’s about the widow woman who was left in debt after her husband died. She went to the man of God looking for a handout. Instead, he challenged her to use what she had. He taught her how to work that “little bit of oil” and she turned it into a business. That sister made so much money, she paid off her debt and she and her sons lived off the profits. That scripture fills me with such reverential fear that I’ve been writing for money since. I’ve become the type of person that I’d rather try and fail, than sit and wonder if I can or can’t do something. It’s that kind of faith that pleases God.

Soul Pen: LaTonya, your book brings some controversial issues to the surface, one being whether Christians should seek therapy. Why do you think some ministers are opposed to the idea of Christians seeking help through therapy? What advice would you leave with someone who might be reading this interview today who may be depressed or even suicidal?

LaTonya: I thought I was just writing a book but now I realize that God was setting me up to deal with taboo subjects through Good To Me—the age-old psychology vs. religion controversy, New Age religion, superstition, witchcraft, suicide, and women in ministry. This became apparent to me one week after the book’s release. I did a radio interview in Georgia and afterwards, I said, “God, you set me up. But now that I’m on the front lines, I’m willing to expose the devil’s lies.”

Soul Pen: I like that Charity did not back down when it was time for her to serve in the church pulpit although there were those around her who were uncomfortable having her there. You are a minister, LaTonya. Have you had an experience similar to Charity’s that you drew from when writing this part of her story?

Soul Pen: In your bio, you are listed as a motivational speaker. What is one of the messages that you leave with your audiences?

LaTonya: When I first started public speaking (and preaching), I’d labor over these speeches and sermons to show how smart and gifted I was. People would always say they were inspired and “you speak so well,” but I’d leave feeling like I missed the mark. A few years ago, I was called to preach at a women’s conference in Indiana. I did a nice little sermon and sat down feeling defeated, when I heard God say, “I didn’t have you to fly out here and give a sermon. I brought you here to tell your story and if you don’t, I’ll use someone who will.” I raised my hand shyly and asked for the mic back and I obediently shared what God had brought me through.

Because I was “present” with those women, honest, and vulnerable, we were able to connect. And they were able to see and connect with the Christ in me. They wanted what I had—the Power that restored me. Three or four years later, and some of us are still in touch with each other. I strive to be transparent in every encounter I make—whether it is through writing, speech or action. I strive to make an emotional impact with my spirit.

Soul Pen: LaTonya, I’m glad you were able to talk with us today. Thank you. Before we say goodbye, take a moment and tell readers how they can find out more about you and your wonderful new book, Good To Me.

LaTonya: Mata thank you so much for your support of Christian fiction and its writers. I pray that your ministry will grow and grow and grow. I pray blessings upon you and yours and all the readers we’ll connect with. To learn more about me and Good To Me, readers can go to my website www.latonyamason.com or to www.walkworthypress.net. It has been a sheer pleasure talking to you. God bless.