Monica's wanted to write ever since she could hold a pencil. She had surgery in 1994, the longest time off work (as a registered nurse) she'd ever had in her life. She used the time to write her first novel and sold it to Kensington for the Arabesque line in 1995. In 1997, it finally appeared on the shelves. That book MIDNIGHT BLUE, was produced as a BET television movie of the week in 2000. Eight novels and eight novellas and short stories later from that first book, she's now a national bestselling author (says so on the books!).Obligatory PropsMonica has won awards for her work, and has been nominated for Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. She's appeared in several radio and television appearances and has given workshop presentations. She has done television spots and also has been featured in a People magazine article, unrelated to her writing, but hey, it counts.AwardsNominated for Romantic Times Career Achievement awardNominated for the Black Alliance's Golden Pen AwardWinner of Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice AwardWinner of Romance in Color's Award of Excellence AwardWinner of Romance in Color's Reviewer's Choice AwardAwarded the rare Romantic Times Gold Medal 4 1/2 star rating twiceAwarded Romantic Times Top Pick six timesAwarded Romantic Times 4 1/2 star rating five timesNational and Blackboard bestselling author