Mary Monroe is a highly acclaimed African-American fiction author, best known for her series "God Don't Like Ugly" and "Mama Ruby." Born in Toxey, Alabama, she is the third of four children and grew up as the daughter of sharecroppers. Monroe was the only member of her family to graduate from high school, and she went on to teach herself the craft of writing, starting at the young age of four.
Despite never attending college or taking formal writing classes, Monroe has become a successful and prolific author. Her debut novel, "The Upper Room," was published in 1985 and received critical acclaim in the United States and Great Britain. Over the years, she has won several awards for her work, including the 2001 Best Fiction of the Year Oakland Pen Award for "God Don't Like Ugly" and the Best Southern Author Award in 2004 for "Gonna Lay Down My Burdens." In 2016, she was awarded the AAMBC Maya Angelou Lifetime Achievement Award.
Monroe's writing is heavily influenced by her own life experiences and the people around her. She has a talent for capturing the complexities of human relationships and has a keen eye for detail. Her work often explores themes of family, friendship, and betrayal, and she is known for her ability to create memorable and relatable characters.
In addition to her writing, Monroe is an avid reader and enjoys the works of James Patterson, Alice Walker, Stephen King, and Ernest Gaines. She currently resides in Oakland, California, where she continues to write bestselling novels.