Today’s special guest is Christian author W Mason Dunn and we’re chatting about her new novel, For Such a Time as This.
During her virtual book tour, hosted by WNL Book Tours, Waletta will be awarding a $15 Amazon gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below.
Bio:
Waletta Mason Dunn (W. Mason Dunn) was born in Bossier City, Louisiana. She earned her undergraduate degree from Texas College in Business Administration and earned a graduate degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. She worked for 20 years in higher education as a counselor for the military while traveling with her husband before he retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years of service. The breadth of her personal and professional experiences has contributed enormously to her fascinatingly inspirational writings.
Waletta’s greatest loves are God and family and she uses both as the inspirations for all of her books. She brings to life compelling relationships that move her readers through the full range of emotions – joy, pain, laughter, tears, and triumph!
She has been married for 36 years to Donald Michael Dunn (USMC, ret.). She is the devoted mother of two young, adult children, Michael Stewart Dunn and Ashley Elaine Dunn.
She also enjoys reading, playing Scrabble and solving crossword puzzles.
Welcome, Waletta. Please tell us about your current release.
Keisha Jackson’s peaceful life is about to change!
Her mother receives military orders to Afghanistan. Keisha goes to live with her grandparents in Magnolia, Florida. The new high school principal is far more concerned with protecting her career than protecting innocent students. When Keisha unintentionally breaks the school’s zero-tolerance policy, she enters the school-to-prison pipeline.
Will Keisha muddle in the injustice of it all? Or will she become a conduit for change?
What inspired you to write this book?
I was invited to speak at a church service in Ringgold, Louisiana a few years back. One of the other speakers was Ms. Daryl Joy Ellis. Her topic was the school-to-prison pipeline. I was surprised to find out that it existed and ashamed that I hadn’t heard about it. The “school-to-prison pipeline,” is a troubling national trend wherein children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
I developed a story around the topic.
Excerpt from For Such a Time as This:
A row of sparsely planted shrubs extended along the front of the house. She watched a large lizard leap from one of the front windows onto the decorative plant before knocking on the front door. After a moment, the door swung open to reveal a petite blond-haired, blue-eyed woman holding an adorable blond-haired, blue-eyed toddler boy. The child removed the sippy cup from his lips and tendered a delightful gum-filled smile. Chaos lay on the other side of the threshold—scattered toys and clothes, and a child dancing with Barney the Dinosaur blaring from the television. The clamor of screaming children reverberated out from other places in the house.
The woman wrinkled her nose before speaking. “Hello? May I help you?”
“Mrs. Vickers?”
“Yes?” The woman curled her lips.
Shirley squared her shoulders and sized her up. “My name is Shirley Jackson. I understand you had a problem with my daughter this afternoon.”
“Excuse me?” asked the woman with a confused look on her face.
The toddler threw his sippy cup on the floor.
“My daughter, Keisha, was the teenage girl you chased in your van this afternoon.”
Mrs. Vickers jaws dropped, and her face drained of color. “I …I don’t know what… she was throwing rocks.”
“No, she wasn’t.” Shirley stared her down. “You also felt the need to shout a few racial epithets out of your van window.”
Mrs. Vickers eyes grew large and bulgy. “I’m not prejudice or anything. I have black friends.” Vickers crinkled up her nose and mustered up a fake smile.
Shirley raised her hand and cut her off as she opened her mouth to speak. “Congratulations. I’m not here to argue with you. I’m here to warn you. Stay away from my daughter. Don’t say another word to her. If you see her walking down the street, don’t even speak to her. Not one word. Nothing!”
What exciting story are you working on next?
I plan to venture out of my comfort zone and write a romance novel. Pray for me!
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I was born into a family of writers. Two of my older siblings were writers before they went home to be with the Lord. My brother, BJ Mason, authored a couple of books. And my sister, Judi Ann Mason, was a playwriter and a television screenwriter. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t enjoy creating stories like my big brother and sister.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I currently have demanding part-time job with a local condominium homeowners association. I find time to write by following a strict schedule. I allot a certain amount of time each day to my busines with at least 1 hour each day for writing.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
While I acknowledge the enormous benefit of using a computer to create, my first draft is done completely by longhand.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a nurse. I took a couple of classes toward a nursing degree before changing my major to Business Administration.
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Thanks for being here today, Waletta.
