'I was born to write.' Mary Monroe, an Alliance native, releases her 33rd book

Benjamin Duer, Canton Repository
·3 min read

There was a time Mary Monroe thought her dream to become a published author would never come true.

The desire was there. So was the hard work.

"I tried for years and years, and got so many rejection letters. I had boxes of rejection letters," Monroe said in a phone interview from her home in Oakland, California. One time, she said, "I came home and had five rejection letters in my mailbox, but I kept going."

Mary Monroe, an Alliance native living in Oakland, California, has written and had published 33 books since 1985. Her latest novel, "Double Lives," was released March 26, 2024.
Mary Monroe, an Alliance native living in Oakland, California, has written and had published 33 books since 1985. Her latest novel, "Double Lives," was released March 26, 2024.

Now, the 74-year-old Alliance native is a New York Times bestselling author, known for her novel series, "God Don't Like Ugly." Her first book, "The Upper Room," was published by St. Martin's Press in 1985.

To date, Monroe now has published 33 books.

New York Times best-selling author Mary Monroe, the former Mary Nicholson, is an Alliance native who released her 33rd novel, "Double Lives," on March 26, 2024.
New York Times best-selling author Mary Monroe, the former Mary Nicholson, is an Alliance native who released her 33rd novel, "Double Lives," on March 26, 2024.

Monroe, the former Mary Nicholson, released her latest book, "Double Lives," on March 26, and it has reached a personal milestone. Its audiobook has been No. 1 for new Southern United States Literature releases on Amazon.com for at least four weeks. The story is narrated by Shari Peele.

Monroe said she has never had one of her books top any chart on Amazon.

"I've never been this close. I'm speechless," she said. "They release hundreds of books every week. I couldn't believe I was No. 1 over James Patterson and Dolly Parton. It means a lot to me. There was a time I expected to never publish a book."

Monroe: 'I was born to write.'

Born in Toxey, Alabama, Monroe said her family moved to Stark County in the late 1950s. They lived in Canton and Alliance. Her parents and her two sisters have died, but her brother, Otis Nicholson, and cousins live in the area.

Longtime friend Ellen Tate of Alliance has read all of Monroe's books, except the new one, and she said she is proud of her friend's success.

"She always liked to write. When everyone else played, she wrote," Tate said.

Mary Nicholson graduated from Alliance High School in 1968. Now known as Mary Monroe, she's a published author based in Oakland, California. Here, Monroe is pictured in one of her yearbooks.
Mary Nicholson graduated from Alliance High School in 1968. Now known as Mary Monroe, she's a published author based in Oakland, California. Here, Monroe is pictured in one of her yearbooks.

Monroe graduated from Alliance High School in 1968 and moved to California in 1973. She married, then divorced, and raised two children. She worked for a utility company for nearly 25 years, all the while she pursued her dream.

She currently lives in Oakland.

Monroe said her family were not readers, but she fell in love with telling and writing stories at an early age. She said she spent countless hours at Rodman Public Library reading books and getting inspiration for her own work.

"I was born to write," she said. "I'm self-taught. I sent my first piece, at 12, to Reader's Digest. I was rejected. Then I wrote love stories in high school."

Most of Monroe's characters are real-life inspired

Monroe said "Double Lives" revolves around identical twins, Leona and Fiona Dunbar, who switch lives, and it becomes a "fun" disaster. The story takes place during Depression-era Alabama, and some of the characters are figures who were influences in Monroe's life.

In fact, she said most of the characters in her books are "composites of people I know."

She said the twins, their mother and several other characters in "Double Lives" are inspired by people from Alliance, including her late mom, Ocie Bonner.

"I get inspired by TV, personal experience and other observations," Monroe said.

Tate said Monroe has brought back memories.

"I love her stories. I knew some of the people she was talking about," Tate said. "I'm proud of her."

To learn more about Monroe, visit her website at https://www.marymonroe.org/

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Mary Monroe, author and Alliance native, releases novel 'Double Lives'