Award-winning national bestselling author Margaret Johnson-Hodge knows there’s nothing quite like October, and she explores the month in her latest release.
Tell me about your latest book.
October is the story of Loretta “Ru” Harrison, a 62-year-old single woman who has always loved that month, with its crisp autumn air and the sense of possibility in the season’s transition. But as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through New York, Ru’s vibrant world narrows to the four walls of her Queens cottage.
With her career behind her and her family scattered or isolated, Ru is left alone with old memories, new fears, and a longing for connection. As she navigates family rifts, her sister’s devastating grief, and her own desires in a city forever changed, Ru must decide if there’s still room for hope.
A moving, intimate portrait of resilience, family, and the courage it takes to open your heart when the world feels closed, my latest novel captures the bittersweet beauty of life in extraordinary times, reminding us that even in isolation, we are never truly alone.
October is available for sale at my website: https://www.mjhodge.net/ There, you can order the book and read what readers have to say. Amazon will have it in a few weeks.
How long did it take you to write it?
I started the novel in October 2020. We were literally in the middle of the pandemic when I began to pen it. I finished in 2025—five years.
Which character could you relate to the most and why?
There is a little bit of me in all the main characters I write, and so I would say Ru. She’s guarded and cautious, like I can be at times, and where she lives is where I grew up—Jamaica, Queens, NY.
How are you celebrating the book’s release?
I’m celebrating my 14th published novel with family, loved ones, friends, readers and fans at the historically renowned Black restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia—Paschal’s. It’s where Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, Bayard Rustin, and others would gather not only to have a wonderful meal or two, but to plan their course of action during the Civil Rights Movement. Kamala Harris dined there in 2024 and President Obama, President Clinton, and President Carter have eaten there as well. The establishment is rich with important history, and I’m excited to have my book launch party there.
Who is your author best friend (either in your head or in real life)?
I’m blessed to have a really great friend who is an author—Bernice L. McFadden. I appreciate who she is as a human being and feel blessed to call her one of my “Ace Coon Boons”—an old term that means we “tight.”
What is the most valuable piece of writing advice you’ve received?
Keep pushing and never let someone else dictate what you write or how you write. Be true to yourself in every word you pen.
What books have you read lately and loved?
I been working so hard on getting October ready, I have not read in a minute.
What books are you excited to read?
Again, I’ve been under a writing rock, so I can’t say.
What’s next for you?
I plan to travel this year and work on another novel I’ve started.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
Yes. I truly have to publicly than God, Jesus, My Ancestors or Angelcestors, as Bernice has penned, the Holy Spirit, My Departed Loved one and Friends, because they truly guided me to this moment. I was told why this novel “wouldn’t work” a few times, but I trusted all the above, and they said “Yes, it will and it does.” The great response from the readers affirms that. So, to anyone who is working toward something or, on something that others are trying to say “won’t work.” Keep pushing anyway…
To purchase your copy of October and to learn more about award-winning national bestselling author Margaret Johnson-Hodge, visit her website or connect with her on social media.
Official website: https://www.mjhodge.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booksofmargaret.johonshodge
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjhwriting/
Email: mjhodge@bellsouth.net